June Update from Mayor 51

    Unto the Populace of the Known World, Greetings! The staff of Pennsic and I have been hard at work with the planning of Pennsic 51 for quite some time now, but as we roll into the new year, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I went to my first SCA event in 1996, and my first Pennsic was Pennsic 27. Over the years I have had a few names/personas; first, I was Angus Kerr, then Angus Pembridge, where I focused on the 14th Century, including being a founding combatant in the first Combat of the Thirty at Pennsic. For the last 9 years, I have shifted my focus and have been portraying an 8th century Anglo-Saxon, Estgar æt Hrofeceastre. I first volunteered at Pennsic 27, pulling a few golf cart shifts at the Watch; my friends told me it was the best way to see Pennsic, and they were right. I started working for the Land Department at Pennsic 30. In the years between now and then, I’ve also worked in the Watch, Cultural Affairs, and most recently, I have been in Technical Services, where I was in charge of the Sign/Road Crew. You likely have seen me driving around repairing broken road signs. Over the two decades of working staff at Pennsic, I have arrived at one immutable truth: Pennsic runs because people help. Without volunteers, Pennsic would not happen; it is as simple as that. And that is what makes Pennsic amazing. Ten thousand people can have a great vacation because some of them are willing to put in hours, sometimes days and weeks, to make it happen. And while we’re here, let me take a moment to dispel a myth that pops up on the internet every year. None of the senior staff are paid; we are all volunteers. We all still pay our pre-registration and gate fees. And my salary as the Mayor is the same as it was when I was the sign guy; I get paid in helping my friends have a good vacation. So, if you’ve heard that we get paid, rest assured, we do not. So, why do we do it? Why did I sign up for a three-year stint to be Mayor of Pennsic 51? (Two years on deck, and then a year after). Because without volunteers, Pennsic doesn’t happen. Many years ago, I was standing in front of the Watch tent, having a cigarette with my friend, who happened to be the Mayor that year, and he turned to me and asked, “When are you going to be Mayor of Pennsic?” I told him that it would be many years in the future, if ever. At the time, I couldn’t conceive of being the Mayor of Pennsic. How far we’ve come. If you’re already a regular on staff, you have my most heartfelt thanks. If you’ve just dipped your toes into working at Pennsic, thank you for your service, and we’d love to see more