What: We will be having an encampment at the 2018 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. This is one of the largest fan expos in North America with about 100,000 attendee’s expected.
When: Thursday Apr 26 – 4pm-9pm, Friday Apr 27 – 12pm-8pm, Saturday Apr 28 – 10am-7pm
Sunday Apr 29 – 10am-5pm
Where: Stampede Park Outside the BMO centre Our camp will consist of 3 pavilions, 2 tents, a cooking Fire, and an artisans area.
What’s going on?
Artisans:
We hope to have artisans crafting/talking the entire time the show is open. Shifts will be for 2 hours at a time. We need everyone! Weavers, armorers, fletchers, spinners, embroiderers, singers, dancers, musicians, etc. If people want to craft at the Expo please see Bliath the Red.
Displays:
We want to showcase what a great Kingdom we have! So we are looking for some very
cool stuff to show off in the tents, so armor, saddles, calligraphy, Garb, embroidery, banners, etc. Our encampment will be under 24 hour security so items can be left overnight. Having items that attendee’s can handle would be ideal. There will be a system in place to label pieces so they find their way back to their owners. if you are volunteering in the Montengarde tent you will be showing people all kinds of cool things. Most will be able to be handled by the public. Please see Skald the Peacemaker if you have items to display.
Martial Tournaments: There will be an Armoured and Rapier prize tournament running for all 4 days.
Prizes for the winning team after the end of the Expo. We would also like some youth fighters to show off their stuff. In addition to fighters we need marshals, heralds, and cheerleaders. Water will be provided by the Expo. You must have a valid authorization to fight. No missile, or thrown weapons of any kind. If you are interested in participating please see Countess Kiera.
Chatelaine’s point: This will be our centre for volunteers. Here you can find food (1 meal per volunteer per day), schedules, future activities, sign in and sign out, or if you find your self at leisure sign up!
Draws: We will be doing a draw at the end of each day for a cool item. This will be a by number draw, that the winner must be present to win. We will not be collecting any personal information.
We have 2 drinking horns and a period leather bound book to hand out currently.
“What can I do?”: Marshall, Herald, craft, play games, fight, discuss the SCA, monitor the art tables, set up tents (Wednesday night), cheer-lead, invite people to come in and try out what we do. Give out business cards, Help kids with crafts or trying on armor… tear down (Sunday Night)
FAQ:
Can we show off archery? We cannot shoot anything on the Stampede grounds. Feel free to bring archery related equipment, but it cannot be loosed at the demo.
Do I need a pass to volunteer? No, the demo is outside the ticketed area
If I volunteer can I get a free pass? If you volunteer, and there are passes available, you can take one to look around the Expo for a bit. Tonis and Amielia will be handling passes, they must be returned at a pre-arranged time. Priority will go to panelists, and those engaged in official Expo promotions. As the passes are marked for the SCA you should be in garb while using them.
If I bought my pass, can I still hang out at the encampment? Yes.
My friend has come to the Expo, can I borrow a pass to take them inside? No, Expo passes are for SCA volunteers only.
I am signed up to demonstrate my craft for 2 hours, but want to stay longer can I? Yes! As long as there is space, the more people we have crafting the better. We want to make sure no one burns out.
I need a place to stay, who do I talk to? Bou has reserved a block of rooms, and is coordinating crash space.
Where do I Park? We are just outside the Victoria park C-train station, which will be the best way to access our site. Stampede park charges $15 a day to park. There is limited street parking in the area.
I’m hungry…. 1 meal a day will be provided, we will not be able to accommodate special diets. We will be right next to a line of food trucks so you will be able to acquire food there.
Are there showers? No there are no showers on site.
Are there change rooms? Yes, one tent is set aside for changing/storage
I am volunteering on multiple days, can I leave my garb/crafting gear on site? Yes, there will be a security guard on our site 24/7.
Can I merchant at the camp? No, we cannot have anyone merchanting at the camp
Will there be equestrian activities? No we can’t have horses, though any equipment or items you wish to show off are welcome.
Someone saw us at the Expo wants to arm up, can they fight? No, only authorized fighters can fight at the Expo. Invite them to the post expo tavern or to Fight practice.
Can my children volunteer? Yes! Normal rules regarding children at an SCA event will apply, as well as the Expo’s rules. So Children under the age of 16 cannot volunteer inside the Expo buildings in any capacity. Children also cannot participate in setup or tear down of the camp.
I wear a sword as part of my garb, can I walk around the Expo with it? Live steel is prohibited inside the Halls, but can be worn around the camp and outside. Rattan weapons are allowed in the Halls while on walk throughs. If you are unsure, please consult the Weapons volunteers at the Expo.
Weather… Weather happens, this is Spring is Alberta, so it can be cold, hot, dry or rainy, or snowing and all at the same time! So be ready, we are an outside demo so we don’t have the option to move inside. We will adjust activities to suit the weather.
But what about…..? Ask one of our coordinators, direct an email to expo@montengarde.org , or ask
on any of our facebook groups.
Our team:
General Coordinator: Skald the Peacemaker
Hospitality: Bothilter Siguardottir
Encampment: Asa Nordoster
Martial Tournaments: Kiera of the Shadows
Panels: Lorette de Chatenuef
Artisans: Bliath the Red