The Thirty-seventh Year

Poke in the Park -- Alpensee
April 4-6, 2003 (AS XXXVII)

It was a blustery, cold day in Carson City, the kind that high deserts are known for. The sky was overcast, but when the sun shone through, it was brilliant. Countess Berengaria [de Montfort of Carcassonne] and I were either more hardy, more adventurous, or less intelligent than the ladies who had accompanied their lords to this event: we spent most of the afternoon huddled in our cloaks watching the fighting, while they spent the afternoon sewing and chatting inside a pavilion with a propane heater going. We arrived slightly after noon, after braving a potential snowfall over the Sierras and through the Tahoe Basin. (On the drive back a light snowfall kept our wipers going, but we didn’t need chains.)

There were several scenarios run. One involved her Excellency and I choosing a “Queen” to be guarded. Other scenarios were invented on the spot, with most of them being created by “the gallery” (the two of us). In spite of the biting cold wind, we had a good time. -- Alison Grey of Owlwood

"I was at the Poke in the park event of Anno Societatis XXXVII. It was a great event to be a fencer at, it was cool enough that we never really got too over heated and the fencing went on longer.
     "The reason this event was held was to give fencers in the Silver Desert, Alpensee, and all others on the east side of the Sierra Nevadas a chance to take the melee course offered by Kingdom Rapier Marshall, Michael Of Castlekeep. This course is the only way to become authorized for rapier melee in the West Kingdom.
     "All present passed the safety and technical portions of the course and all in attendance were authorized to partake in melee scenarios.
     "At night Lady Aldyet organized a catered dinner and presented The Royal Guild of Fence with lovely banners of the guild emblazon." -- Leopolde Wolfegange

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Description of this event (if any), taken from The Page, or from memory of at least one person who attended the event.

The West Kingdom History Website was created by and is maintained by Hirsch von Henford (mka Ken Mayer).