Living History Ideas '09

[Patrick Hand]

It would be an addition to the Pyrate Camp...

I figure now that we have enough Pyrates, it would be a good time for some of us to branch out and portray an earlier time period. And show the public a little known or misunderstood period of history.

For some weird reason a lot of people (well not us in the Pub) think Golden Age Pyrates hung (ok... wrong word) caroused in Port Royal and sacked Spanish towns... as shown in the Pirate of the Caribbean rides...

We would be camping in the same area, but with maybe some signs(<1720 Careening Camp> <1669 Buccaneer Camp>or something like that) to let the public know what the camps are...(so we don't confuse them) After hours we'd carouse with everyone, just like the different camps do now...

I didn't see Mission or Dutch giving their demonstrations (I don't think I was taking a nap) but I think it would be cool to have something like that in the Buccaneer Camp also.

Hey... this was us/the Pyrate Camp at PiP 2005

[Capt. Sterling]

Hmmm perhaps we could have the living history tour guides actually work their way up the time line, starting with you all first...If we kept the Living History confined to a certain time, we could toss some more buccaneers your way...and then have them back as pirates for the other bits of the event...

ack...does Jim have ....boots on?? :angry:

Edited December 16, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[Patrick Hand]

Hmmm perhaps we could have the living history tour guides actually work their way up the time line,

Hummm... signs, and tour guides to guide people to the different living history displays in the camps (and with a specific time and schedule so we all would know when to be there)....That would be cool....

[Capt. Sterling]

Right then, we shall work on that...

[Mission]

We would be camping in the same area, but with maybe some signs(<1720 Careening Camp> <1669 Buccaneer Camp>or something like that) to let the public know what the camps are...(so we don't confuse them) After hours we'd carouse with everyone, just like the different camps do now...

I didn't see Mission or Dutch giving their demonstrations (I don't think I was taking a nap) but I think it would be cool to have something like that in the Buccaneer Camp also.

I think large, non-period, easy-to-read signs might be good for the period encampments. Maybe even demarcations for which encampment is which - rope boundaries or such like. However, I don't think we should go overboard with this...the real joy of PiP is that there aren't any period Nazis that I've seen (so far, knock on wood). Too many rules and delineations about who is what and it will muck everything up and encourage thread counting and other primarily irrelevant political nonsense. If that happens, it'll probably be my last trip to PiP.

The demonstrations...I don't know what to say about the demonstrations. I was all for it in here a few months back and everyone kind of shot me down. Then Harry came up with the school thing, which would have been a great idea, but it didn't work out for various reasons. Dutch was a big supporter of the demonstrations and he was also the one that really started it at PiP this year. I don't know how, exactly, he got people on their way to the beach to listen to him, but he did. So I broke out my stuff too. (I have never lectured in front of a woman in a bikini before. I love Key West.) If nothing else, it made the postage to send 35 pounds of medical equipment worth the while. Then a group came over from the fort led by...was it Diosa and some other people? That helped tremendously because that group had made the trip from the fort and were thus invested in seeing the demonstrations. They asked lots of good questions - which shows they were interested.

Of course moving stuff outside the fort will also help merge the folks interested in the pirate doings with the location of the encampment and make such opportunities more prevalent. But as for staffing a booth from x o'clock to y o'clock? I'm not a big fan - I really sort of like the loose organization deal. If we were going to do such, however, it would make sense to do it after a battle when the interest in what pirates did would be at a peak. A nice explanation of guns, food, medicine, navigation and such-like would probably sell pretty well at that point.

[hurricane]

I have to agree. I don't think we'll ever be the X to X time folks. When people visit the buccaneer period tavern, we engage them and ask them if they'd like to play the games of the period. Or we talk about what it was like at the time in Port Royal and show artifacts from the sunken city. It's more interactive and impromptu, like the visitors are simply walking into a snapshot of the time.

I think I'd go mad if I just had to stand there, waiting for a fly to walk into my spider trap. It'd feel like the guy who sells those absorbent towels from Germany... you know, the ones that suck up a whole bottle of soda. But I digress. :)

-- Hurricane

We do plan to do more historical stuff once we get out to the encampment. We weren't able to do it as well this year as last because we were amidst the vendors. It was much easier to do when were were in the casements. With any luck Diosa can do the sugar cane demo again.

[Lily Alexander]

We would be camping in the same area, but with maybe some signs(<1720 Careening Camp> <1669 Buccaneer Camp>or something like that) to let the public know what the camps are...(so we don't confuse them) After hours we'd carouse with everyone, just like the different camps do now...

I didn't see Mission or Dutch giving their demonstrations (I don't think I was taking a nap) but I think it would be cool to have something like that in the Buccaneer Camp also.

The demonstrations...I don't know what to say about the demonstrations. I was all for it in here a few months back and everyone kind of shot me down.

Mission, the objection wasn't about the demonstrations. It was having them inside the Fort instead of the encampment where several of us felt that it would be a good way to get people into the encampment. Which was severely lacking the year before. The intent was not to shoot your idea down. It was a wonderful idea.

Edited December 16, 2008 by Haunting Lily

[hurricane]

The Sally Port is an ideal place for that or the mess tent, which was underutilized. I know when we did demos in the fort the year before, we had good crowds. I'm planning to do a presentation on Port Royal in the Sally next year.

We told Harry and Spike we need more content to keep visitors at the festival and going back and forth between the two areas. Diosa even suggested leading groups back and forth between the two and having pirates (or pirate hunters) in the woods to roust them along the way. If I had an ideal we would add soldiers on horseback to chase the raiders away and lead them to the edge of the path. We cold liberate those poor horses at the Navy yard, he says slyly.

-- Hurricane

[michaelsbagley]

If I had an ideal we would add soldiers on horseback to chase the raiders away and lead them to the edge of the path. We cold liberate those poor horses at the Navy yard, he says slyly.

-- Hurricane

Soldiers on Horses?!? But I don't have a horse... Now if you can find someone to loan me one ... I would happily change my portrayal from infantry to dragoon...

[Mission]

Mission, the objection wasn't about the demonstrations. It was having them inside the Fort instead of the encampment where several of us felt that it would be a good way to get people into the encampment. Which was severely lacking the year before. The intent was not to shoot your idea down. It was a wonderful idea.

Actually, there were a couple of different objections, some of which were most definitely valid. I think the action between the fort and encampment was a little more balanced this year. Last year it seemed like the fort was the only game in town as far as the public was concerned. Maybe going from 9 tents (or whatever someone said it was in 2007) to 29 had some impact on that.

[Diosa De Cancion]

The demonstrations...I don't know what to say about the demonstrations. I was all for it in here a few months back and everyone kind of shot me down. Then Harry came up with the school thing, which would have been a great idea, but it didn't work out for various reasons. Dutch was a big supporter of the demonstrations and he was also the one that really started it at PiP this year. I don't know how, exactly, he got people on their way to the beach to listen to him, but he did. So I broke out my stuff too. (I have never lectured in front of a woman in a bikini before. I love Key West.) If nothing else, it made the postage to send 35 pounds of medical equipment worth the while. Then a group came over from the fort led by...was it Diosa and some other people? That helped tremendously because that group had made the trip from the fort and were thus invested in seeing the demonstrations. They asked lots of good questions - which shows they were interested.

I brought a couple of people out one time when I was coming over because they mentioned they didn't know where/what the encampment was...

I already mentioned to Spike that it would be great if there were 'organized' trips out to the encampment from time to time to 'show the way' I have volunteered my crewe to do a lot of those trips (say leaving the fort at the top of the hour and heading back to the fort from the encampment at :50 after so they're ready to get the next one) That way people can get back and forth and not wonder where the heck they are.

Additionally, if we were to do this, we may be able to have even more fun with it from time to time with pirates attacking along the way, or pirate hunters giving everyone a good roughing up trying to see if they're pirates...etc.....

Just as a side note, I know we all have a lot of ideas. Heck, I have lots of ideas. But I also try to make sure I have a way to make them happen as the BIB's work their arses off and shouldn't be expected to take any more things on.... It's up to us (with the approval of the BIB's and Harry) to make it happen. So as you think of things, try to come up with a way we can solve it and not put more work on them...

[Diosa De Cancion]

If I had an ideal we would add soldiers on horseback to chase the raiders away and lead them to the edge of the path. We cold liberate those poor horses at the Navy yard, he says slyly.

-- Hurricane

Soldiers on Horses?!? But I don't have a horse... Now if you can find someone to loan me one ... I would happily change my portrayal from infantry to dragoon...

Let's get some horses, I'll ride with ya!

[Lily Alexander]

I brought a couple of people out one time when I was coming over because they mentioned they didn't know where/what the encampment was...

I already mentioned to Spike that it would be great if there were 'organized' trips out to the encampment from time to time to 'show the way' I have volunteered my crewe to do a lot of those trips (say leaving the fort at the top of the hour and heading back to the fort from the encampment at :50 after so they're ready to get the next one) That way people can get back and forth and not wonder where the heck they are.

Additionally, if we were to do this, we may be able to have even more fun with it from time to time with pirates attacking along the way, or pirate hunters giving everyone a good roughing up trying to see if they're pirates...etc.....

Just as a side note, I know we all have a lot of ideas. Heck, I have lots of ideas. But I also try to make sure I have a way to make them happen as the BIB's work their arses off and shouldn't be expected to take any more things on.... It's up to us (with the approval of the BIB's and Harry) to make it happen. So as you think of things, try to come up with a way we can solve it and not put more work on them...

Perhaps we could get a couple of volunteers from each crew to share in the group leading party's from the Fort to the encampment. This would relieve some of the task from your crew as well.

[Capt. Sterling]

If I had an ideal we would add soldiers on horseback to chase the raiders away and lead them to the edge of the path. We cold liberate those poor horses at the Navy yard, he says slyly.

-- Hurricane

Soldiers on Horses?!? But I don't have a horse... Now if you can find someone to loan me one ... I would happily change my portrayal from infantry to dragoon...

Coming from an ex-dragoon, this would be too damn tempting....

[Capt. Sterling]

What I would like to see, ye I'll toss that old monkey wrench in now...

I would like to see the battle first, then give folks a few minutes to relax and get back to camp to set up their demos... then have tour guides (like we tried out for the first time this year and btw, worked out very nicely) lead the folks over from the Fort/battle field to come through for the demos...

now if we train up the tour guides correctly, some folks could even do living history, by staying in character to demonstrate their skill instead of doing just the dry lecture and the tour guides would be able to handle the questions, so, them that wanted to didn't have to break character but just remain doing... for instance... whilst folks are playing games of chance in the ordinary, a quarrel breaks out about someone cheating, the rules to the game can actually be taught during the quarrel without someone actually standing there stating them... not only teaches about the game, but teaches about the hot headedness of the times, folks could be betting on the outcome of the duel/fight... very realistic, and then the tour guides would be able to do the educatiing without the fight being interuppted until it comes to its own conclusion...

Another instance, Dutch teaches navigation by using the snotties as his students and treating the TOURISTS as IF they were just more midshipmen coming to the class, he's still teaching, the audience is still learning, and he doesn't have to break character EVEN when answering questions...

The buccaneers could teach about the birds and shot per bird, by doing, egging each other on with the shots... and pretending to get loaded on ice tea...(sorry I still say save the real alcohol for after the public goes home). and of course doing the cooking, the skinning, and whatever... set the cat and fiddle up close by to hear the gents discussing their plans and the politics of the times....

I would still like to see the surgeon actually operating on someone and actually educating while explaining to his assistant what the hell he is doing... besides nothing draws a crowd like blood and guts... But I also know Mission's equipment is so complicated that at times he needs to stand and lecture....

Have some of the qirls that might be interested demonstrate laundry, candle making, etc... but educate by doing, not just standing there talking...have a captain shouting at Bess about her terms of indentureship and if she screws up the mending of the officers' shirts once more, she'll have more time added to her contract..she dares to stand up to him and bingo, folks can learn a good deal bout indentured servants without one person playing teacher. turn it into a period appropriate skit, that will hold folks attention and teach... not everyone learns audibly....make things visiual... that is why places like Jamestown and Williamsburg are so successful... and allow the tour guides to be the bridge between the past and the audience...

okay my two cents...

right, this will take time to build up to, but damnation, I know ye all can do it... I have watched ye... all it takes is time and practice... ye all have the talent...

Edited December 16, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[Mission]

I would still like to see the surgeon actually operating on someone and actually educating while explaining to his assistant what the hell he is doing... besides nothing draws a crowd like blood and guts... But I also know Mission's equipment is so complicated that at times he needs to stand and lecture....

It could happen. I'll think on it. I don't want to do an amputation, though. MAD Dogge had a good idea in '07 about bullet removal that I might try.

Mission just likes to stand and lecture. Mission was a professor in another life. Possibly in the future of this one, too.

[Diosa De Cancion]

What I would like to see, ye I'll toss that old monkey wrench in now...

I would like to see the battle first, then give folks a few minutes to relax and get back to camp to set up their demos... then have tour guides (like we tried out for the first time this year and btw, worked out very nicely) lead the folks over from the Fort/battle field to come through for the demos...

now if we train up the tour guides correctly, some folks could even do living history, by staying in character to demonstrate their skill instead of doing just the dry lecture and the tour guides would be able to handle the questions, so, them that wanted to didn't have to break character but just remain doing... for instance... whilst folks are playing games of chance in the ordinary, a quarrel breaks out about someone cheating, the rules to the game can actually be taught during the quarrel without someone actually standing there stating them... not only teaches about the game, but teaches about the hot headedness of the times, folks could be betting on the outcome of the duel/fight... very realistic, and then the tour guides would be able to do the educatiing without the fight being interuppted until it comes to its own conclusion...

Another instance, Dutch teaches navigation by using the snotties as his students and treating the TOURISTS as IF they were just more midshipmen coming to the class, he's still teaching, the audience is still learning, and he doesn't have to break character EVEN when answering questions...

The buccaneers could teach about the birds and shot per bird, by doing, egging each other on with the shots... and pretending to get loaded on ice tea...(sorry I still say save the real alcohol for after the public goes home). and of course doing the cooking, the skinning, and whatever... set the cat and fiddle up close by to hear the gents discussing their plans and the politics of the times....

I would still like to see the surgeon actually operating on someone and actually educating while explaining to his assistant what the hell he is doing... besides nothing draws a crowd like blood and guts... But I also know Mission's equipment is so complicated that at times he needs to stand and lecture....

Have some of the qirls that might be interested demonstrate laundry, candle making, etc... but educate by doing, not just standing there talking...have a captain shouting at Bess about her terms of indentureship and if she screws up the mending of the officers' shirts once more, she'll have more time added to her contract..she dares to stand up to him and bingo, folks can learn a good deal bout indentured servants without one person playing teacher. turn it into a period appropriate skit, that will hold folks attention and teach... not everyone learns audibly....make things visiual... that is why places like Jamestown and Williamsburg are so successful... and allow the tour guides to be the bridge between the past and the audience...

okay my two cents...

I love it!

A couple of notes.... First, in the Catt & Fiddle we do teach the period games to the public... but that could happen after the tour comes through and people are still 'milling about' and can be educated on the games (then we accuse them of cheating :) ).... I don't see the people having to go back immediately. I think they would be able to mill about after their tour and ask questions and such... I have a feeling some people would hang out for a couple hours out there once they know what there is to offer.

Now comes making the rest of it work

We'd need an idea of what order the displays would be in.... who is willing to be there at a pre-determined time and then have a general outline for what needs to be explained at each stop and move on..... I also have an idea for the ending of the tour when I am running it of doing the Mary Read duel on the beach where she fights the man who was challenging the man she loved, shows him her breast then kills him off. More on that later.....

While I love the idea of lots of tours, because of battles and such I think it may be a little harder to do so many.... but what about a noon and 3 or 4pm big tour..... the noon would be the regular tour... and the 3 or 4 would be the post-battle one where Mission could be doing surgery (or lecturing while doing the surgery and teaching his students about it), the fighters could be celebrating or mourning their loss in the ordinary... prepping for a funeral to bury the dead...weapons cleaning... etc....

If everyone lets me know what they are going to show and a little info I would be happy to come up with a tour guide script

If we only do two a day I would say Hurricane and I can take those on and bring the crowds over....

Edited December 16, 2008 by Goddess in the Bodice

[Capt. Sterling]

All right then, think on this... ye given your assistant the knife, in order to learn how to do what ye as the surgeon would do... ye talk/lecture him through the entire operation... mean while the poor sod on the table is kicking and screaming... you could arrange any number of twists... the assistant fumbles, ye need to step in to clean up his mess, the assistant does a brilliant job because you talk him through it... etc. etc... mean while, you're still lecturing and the folks are still learning both visiually and audibly... sorry the teacher is coming out... most of us now a days do NOT stand in the front of the classroom and talk...

Edited December 16, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[Mission]

most of us now a days do NOT stand in the front of the classroom and talk...

It sounds so easy when you say it. Being an inveterate college student, I can tell you that is not the way it happens in college. I am well-suited to college teaching and will eventually do that before I move along. (Unless the moving along happens sooner than I expect...)

[Capt. Sterling]

While I love the idea of lots of tours, because of battles and such I think it may be a little harder to do so many.... but what about a noon and 3 or 4pm big tour..... the noon would be the regular tour... and the 3 or 4 would be the post-battle one where Mission could be doing surgery (or lecturing while doing the surgery and teaching his students about it), the fighters could be celebrating or mourning their loss in the ordinary... prepping for a funeral to bury the dead...weapons cleaning... etc....

If everyone lets me know what they are going to show and a little info I would be happy to come up with a tour guide script

If we only do two a day I would say Hurricane and I can take those on and bring the crowds over....

see now yer thinking... the living history could actually start in the camp as a prep which leads to the battle, then the battle in the field, and then bring em back for the surgery, and preparing the dead... well done... a day long scenario and it works... ask Maddogge, Tiger Bill and Cheeky, they have been day long scenarios for years with Wild West, and they work... most folks do stay the entire day to see the outcome... and yes folks still get their breaks, and we could schedule it for a set time instead of doing the usual nine to five...so folks that are new at this don't feel overwhelmed...

[Diosa De Cancion]

All right then, think on this... ye given your assistant the knife, in order to learn how to do what ye as the surgeon would do... ye talk/lecture him through the entire operation... mean while the poor sod on the table is kicking and screaming... you could arrange any number of twists... the assistant fumbles, ye need to step in to clean up his mess, the assistant does a brilliant job because you talk him through it... etc. etc... mean while, you're still lecturing and the folks are still learning both visiually and audibly... sorry the teacher is coming out... most of us now a days do NOT stand in the front of the classroom and talk...

Hurricane has offered to come running with the hot poker from the fire that he can sink into the flesh (chicken breast or whatnot) beside the victim to cauterize the wound.....

[Capt. Sterling]

most of us now a days do NOT stand in the front of the classroom and talk...

It sounds so easy when you say it. Being an inveterate college student, I can tell you that is not the way it happens in college. I am well-suited to college teaching and will eventually do that before I move along. (Unless the moving along happens sooner than I expect...)

Hell Mission, one of us will serve as your idiot loblolly boy... I promise not only will we keep you lecturing, but you'll be pulling yer hair out by the time yer done... and we wonder why the surgeon is a drunk.... Geeze just get Cheeky in there...."Your going to do what to him?!!! NO!! WAIT!!!" not only that, but I guarantee her screams will be the cue for the tour guides to move to your part of the demo...

Edited December 16, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[Diosa De Cancion]

While I love the idea of lots of tours, because of battles and such I think it may be a little harder to do so many.... but what about a noon and 3 or 4pm big tour..... the noon would be the regular tour... and the 3 or 4 would be the post-battle one where Mission could be doing surgery (or lecturing while doing the surgery and teaching his students about it), the fighters could be celebrating or mourning their loss in the ordinary... prepping for a funeral to bury the dead...weapons cleaning... etc....

If everyone lets me know what they are going to show and a little info I would be happy to come up with a tour guide script

If we only do two a day I would say Hurricane and I can take those on and bring the crowds over....

see now yer thinking... the living history could actually start in the camp as a prep which leads to the battle, then the battle in the field, and then bring em back for the surgery, and preparing the dead... well done... a day long scenario and it works... ask Maddogge, Tiger Bill and Cheeky, they have been day long scenarios for years with Wild West, and they work... most folks do stay the entire day to see the outcome... and yes folks still get their breaks, and we could schedule it for a set time instead of doing the usual nine to five...so folks that are new at this don't feel overwhelmed...

Yep, that is why I was figuring more of a 12-5 thing...

On Saturday I am on trial until 12 anyways :) but then we take them over for the first part... bring them back in time for the battle while explaining what is happening (where we would get a lunch break while they watch the battle) pick them up post battle and bring them back out for all the post battle goings on out there.

The other thing is that I am sure we will get some people who join up part way through and we can always point out that they missed the morning, which was different which hopefully brings them back the next day... more $$$ for the fort.

I'm in!

[Brig]

If everyone lets me know what they are going to show and a little info I would be happy to come up with a tour guide script

If we only do two a day I would say Hurricane and I can take those on and bring the crowds over....

Mae and I plan to have our candle-making extravaganza up and running within a month or so, so that's definitely something we'd be glad to do at PiP next year!

[Mission]

And Sophia never got a chance to break out her spice trading materials at all!