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 of you. If you’ve never worked at Pennsic, or if this is your first Pennsic, let me suggest pulling a shift on a Watch cart; there’s no better way to see Pennsic, trust me on this.

Keep an eye on this space for new information or changes as they become finalized.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me or my staff.

I remain, Yours in Service,

Estgar