Erin Haluschak
Record staff
From archery to wars, bookbinding to crafts, The Shire of Hartwood hopes its celebration of pre-17th-century Europe will tickle the fancy of those in the Comox Valley.
Hartwood is the northern Vancouver Island chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) - an international organization dedicated to researching and recreating the arts and activities from medieval times.
While SCA has more than 20 kingdoms with more than 30,000 members, the local chapter has about 40 members and is looking for more, explained senior member John Macandrew.
He’s hoping an event Saturday will help introduce people to the SCA.
“It’s great for anyone who is passionate about history,” he said. “In school, we learn about the details and dates, but what we do is really hands on - we build from scratch. It’s really quite eye-opening for kids.”
The Hartwood Newcomers’ event has options “for all interests,” noted Macandrew. There will be a variety of classes and demos including Celtic knotwork, intro to nalbinding and making quills for calligraphy.
Macandrew said other activities include archery, dance, arts and science.
“If we aren’t doing what your interest is in, we can find someone who is.”
He added once the weather gets warmer, the members of the group practise archery twice a week, and there is a weekly arts/science night. Other interests include fibre arts and costuming. Over the course of the year, Macandrew explained Hartwood participates in a number of events around the Island, competing in ‘wars’ with other groups in Victoria and Vancouver.
The event Saturday is set from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Royston Community Club, with a potluck scheduled for the evening. For more information, visit hartwood.tirright.org or search Shire of Hartwood on Facebook.