The Pennsic War

05/20/2025

Greetings from your friends at Pennsic University!

The date for the book pull is quickly approaching!

Please, if you are planning to teach at Pennsic go into Thing 2 and register your class by May 23. This is only 5 days from now!

If you want your class to be in the printed Pennsic Guide book, you must register it by the end of the day Friday. This will give the Registrar and Track Coordinators time to schedule your class, the Development Team tine to generate the reports for the book pull, and for the Chancellor to check and verify the accuracy of the data in the reports. While looming deadlines are always stressful, we balance that with the excitement of knowing that we will soon be opening the University. We look forward to seeing all of you very soon!

05/18/2025

Greetings from your Pennsic staff!

This weekend has been the May meeting for Pennsic War 52, where we discuss our hopes and plans for your Pennsic war.

We look forward to seeing you all this July!

05/02/2025

Family Point is Moving!

We are excited to announce our new and improved Family Activities Area conveniently located near the Great Hall and Pennsic University on Chandler's Road, between St Lawrence Way and Dragon Trace. Our new space will include Family Point, Youth University, and Teen University, with age-specific tents, a teen hangout space, and a courtyard for families to enjoy.

Our team has been working hard to create a space and activities welcoming to all ages, and in order to do so, we need your help! Families, youth and teens who have a robust variety of options of activities are families, youth and teens who stay engaged in the SCA and all it has to offer.

We are still looking for volunteers to fill several staff positions, as well as gentles willing to teach our youth. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the volunteer form here: https://forms.gle/pgqaTzZ1Hd3cmhN18

In addition to, or instead of filling out this form, if you would like to teach a class to youth or teens, you can also use https://thing.pennsicuniversity.org/ to sign up to teach, choosing the Family Point, Youth U, or TeenU Tracks.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Mestresse Leonete D'Angely
Family Point Coordinator - [email protected]

04/27/2025

Greetings People of Pennsic, I bring you news.

I wanted to share with you all news about the future registration building (formerly known as Troll). Due to permitting delays, and required changes that are not in Cooper's direct control, the registration building will not be available for our use this year. As a result, the decision has been made to have the Registration Tent in its usual location.

I have talked to Zoning and Planning and the blocks we closed will remain closed, as we don’t know what the state of construction will be.

Cooper’s and Event Resources will work together to facilitate the entry pattern to use the available space as efficiently as possible.

Please understand we are making decisions with the best interest of Pennsic in mind, with the Information we have.

Thank you all.
Syr Gunther KegSlayer

04/24/2025

Greetings from your friends at Pennsic University!

Spring is in full swing and we are gearing up for another fantastic Pennsic and an outstanding roster of classes at the University.

Teachers have been registering classes for the past month and a half, but we wanted to put out a reminder that there are only 39 days left to register classes if you want them to appear in the printed Pennsic Guide book. You can, of course, continue to register classes up to and including the last day of classes at war, but they will only appear online in Thing 2. So teachers, act now! We have schedulers standing by waiting to schedule your classes! Beat the last minute rush and get that prime teaching spot on the day and at the time of your choosing!

And PLEASE, if you have any issues or concerns, don’t hesitate to hit that “Contact an Admin” button. We are here to help you resolve any uncertainties you may have while registering. It may not be as cathartic as posting on social media, but it will definitely be more effective in helping you work through whatever issues you are having. You may also reach out to us personally via the email addresses listed below.

Your University Staff for Pennsic War 52
Chancellor: Mistress Ciara McRobbie [email protected]

University Point Coordinator: Baroness Gina Dragoni

[email protected]

Registrar: Mistress Gwynnyd of York [email protected]

Deputy Registrar: Mistress Angharad ferch Tangwystl

[email protected]

ThingWrangler (Development Lead): Lord John Cholemodeley [email protected]

ThingWhisperer (Support): Mistress Artemisia Lacebrayder [email protected]

04/03/2025

Greetings all!

We received a lot of feedback publicly and privately on the updated rules concerning minors at Pennsic. Some of the feedback was helpful and informative. Some of it was not.

We wish to thank those who engaged in meaningful discussion with us, and provided perspective, shared personal stories, and more critically, shared the concerns of their children who would be impacted by the jump from 10-14. We considered multiple compromises to alleviate the concerns - including “carve outs” for to/from official and practical activities. But in the end, it was cleaner to simply revert to a solution which worked in years past.

We have adjusted the age for which minors may roam site without direct supervision from 14 down to 12. An update to the rules showing this has been posted to the Pennsic website and is available for download.

We need to be absolutely clear about expectations. In the same manner that disorderly conduct by adults will not be tolerated, the same is true for minors. SCA policy states that parents and guardians are, de facto, answerable for said conduct. Any activity by a minor that is a gross violation of the expected courteous behaviors we espouse; and certainly any behavior which would result in ejection if the minor was an adult, will result in sanctions for both children and parents/guardians. It is our expectation, and SCA policy, that parents and guardians will take full responsibility for the behavior of their children at all times regardless of their age - and this involves being answerable for their behavior for the entire event.

YIS,

Edmund, DM Event Safety

03/03/2025

Are you looking for a Pennsic Staff volunteer opportunity? We have an opening just for you!

We are looking for a volunteer to serve PW52 as Deputy for the Accessibility Assistance Coordinator with the possibility of taking on the job as Accessibility Assistantstance Coordinator for PW53 and PW54.

Role and responsibilities:

Assist Deputy Mayor Event Resources with organization of Accessibility camp and services for Pennsic.

My goal in taking on this office was to offer transparency, and to respond to those who use these services with honesty. I am likewise seeking an individual who wishes to continue the work of interfacing between the CLC staff, other Pennsic departments and the many individuals who need assistance to make their Pennsic experience possible.

The office of Accessibility Assistance is responsible for the set up of the Accessibility Information Point, set up of the charging stations and the layout of the Accessible camp.

The successful candidate will need to have some familiarity with the Google work environment, as Google forms and spreadsheets are used to organize this office. Training will be provided to bring you up to speed with technology.

Applicants for PW staff must be willing/able to arrive for early-in at Pennsic, Thursday before land grab is ideal.
If you are interested in doing more please contact me:

[email protected]

Please do not send me your SCA-resume.

Yours in Service,
Helewyse de Birkestad

03/02/2025

Greetings from your friends at Pennsic University!

Guess what day it is? It’s the opening day for class registration for Pennsic War 52!

Please go to Thing 2.0 to start registering classes you want to teach as well as any other activities that are usually scheduled through Thing. Classes are scheduled in the order they are submitted, so to get the time slots and locations you may want, register early!

Since we are a little late getting started, the registration deadline for being included in the on-line book will be extended until June 1st.

Notes for Teachers

1) Teachers that taught last year, use the username and password you created last year for Thing 2. Once you log in, you should find all your legacy classes available. Be sure to check your inactive classes if you think some are missing.

2) Teachers that did not teach last year will need to create a new profile. However, if you have taught in the last five years, your class information will still be available. When creating your new profile, there will be a box to provide the email you used in Thing, if you fill this in it will automatically bring your legacy classes into your Thing 2.0 account. We apologize, but if you are unable to remember the email you used in Thing, we have no way to look it up.

3) If you taught in a merchant booth or a private camp last year and wish to do so again this year, you can select your location from the track drop down menu. Once we have been given the go ahead for scheduling you will be able to schedule your preferred date and time for your class.

4) You must acknowledge the Policies, and update your availability to teach using a new calendar feature before you will be able to create classes.

5) Once you have entered the days and times you are available to teach, don’t forget to click the “Submit Availability” button or your information will not be saved.

6) If your classes are in one of the covered "tracks”, submit your classes through Thing 2.0 as normal. If you think your class belongs in a specific track, select that track from the drop down menu in the track field. If your classes sort clearly into one of the Tracks, you may be contacted by your track coordinator to make sure your request is adequately resourced.

7) Once the online book has been created, if we are forced to reschedule a class because of a conflict, we will make every attempt to contact the teacher to let them know about the change.

ALL tents at Pennsic University are a limited resource but we will attempt to meet specific location requests.

As always, it is because of our teachers and students that we do this, and we want you to know how much we appreciate all of you. We look forward to seeing all our returning teachers and students, and meeting all the new students and teachers this summer!

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about the University as well as any difficulties you encounter. Send your comments to: [email protected]

Staff list for Pennsic University, PW52:
Chancellor: Mistress Ciara McRobbie
[email protected]

University Point Coordinator: Baroness Gina Dragoni [email protected]

Registrar: Mistress Gwynnyd of York [email protected]

Deputy Registrar: Mistress Angharad ferch Tangwystl [email protected]

ThingWrangler (Development Lead): Lord John Cholemodeley [email protected]

ThingWhisperer (Support): Mistress Artemisia Lacebrayder [email protected]

02/15/2025

Hi All!

Battlefield Pavilion Coordinator here!

If you would like to reserve space around the battlefield for your group pavilion / day shade please fill out the linked form at

https://forms.gle/aXLB1zvaTdZxEBnH9

Any questions please contact us at [email protected] send an IM to Hadley Rochyby

Please fill out the form to request a pavilion space around the Pennsic battlefield. Any questions please contact us at [email protected]. We will confirm your registration and space once we receive the completed registration form (24-48 hours).

01/30/2025

Would you like to host a ball in the European Dance tent at Pennsic?

Please fill out the form (see first comment) to let us know you are interested. We will try to accommodate everyone's wishes to the best of our ability.

Forms due on March 1, 2025.

Link
https://tinyurl.com/Pennsic52Revels

01/19/2025

Do you want to learn what goes into putting our battlefields together for our Pennsic War? Do you want to have fun and grow with our awesome mentors?

If so, apply to our Martial Activities Mentorship for Pennsic War 52!

Application is linked below and applications with be accepted until April 1, 2025.

Application link:

Our program is designed to give young adults, 18 to 24, opportunities to learn from Pennsic staff and develop leadership skills to facilitate the growth of the SCA for future generations! To apply, please complete the form below.

01/13/2025

Change 4:

Smaller clarifications in rules to comply or update in compliance with modern law

• Rules about firewood, straw, and mulch.
There is now an explicit section and rules concerning the use and acquisition of firewood and straw as well as the preclusion of use of mulch. The firewood importation ban in Butler County, PA is also included as reference to explain why firewood is restricted to only local sources. While this ban has been in place for some time, it was never explicitly included in the rules.
• Clarification and explicit language on the rules barring sale of alcohol.
This is more of a clarification than a change. In the section on alcohol at the event, language has been added to emphasize modern law concerning the “sale” of alcohol at the event. This was done to comply with Pennsylvania law (reference available in the document itself) and makes it explicit that sale of any item (e.g. a cup/mug) in lieu of paying for alcohol is as illegal as the sale of alcohol itself. The wording is as follows: “The sale of alcohol by any attendee while on-site is illegal. This includes the use of ‘free with purchase of a mug’ schemes and other cover charges/fees which otherwise disguise the purchase. Tips may be collected but must be entirely voluntary.” Pennsylvania law is clear that there is no way to circumvent the restriction on paying for alcohol, by any means, to liquor licensees.
• Use of “Registration” and “Check-in” as official terms for those processes at Pennsic.
There is a very common word which has, in the past, been used to refer to the process of registering and checking-in to an event as well as reference to the people who assist in this process. This word is no longer contained in any official document related to Pennsic and while we understand that it is nigh impossible to remove a word from colloquial use, there are legal liability reasons why we’ve chosen to make this change. Staff, along with likely every other attendee is bound to slip. But we have removed the name/word for this from our documents to avoid negative connotations. Moving forward, the processes of “registration” and “check-in” will only be referred to in documentation using those terms.

(If the meaning and the “word” of this part of the message has been lost on you the reader, it is a reference to a particular mythical creature commonly found in underground locations. It is also a word commonly used for aggressive online agitating behavior. If you wish to understand the reasons about this change, please come speak to the Deputy Mayor for Event Safety during Pennsic and he will gladly share the reasons as to why this change was decided on.)

…..
The remainder of the “changes” in the document are related to formatting and simplification of wording. Again, the intent was to ensure all the rules were in a single place and easily (or at least more easily) findable and readable. Questions or concerns about the rules should be directed to appropriate Pennsic Staff. Our hope is that in providing both the entirety of the rules and this explanation of key changes, we will provide attendees with a chance to understand, ask questions, and plan accordingly.