Life in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) can be a very hectic thing, however, the rewards are without measure.  The SCA, like many other organizations, lets you participate to the level of your desires.  You can attend a medieval event every weekend, if you can afford to do so.  You can attend all of the meetings of your local group (business meetings, fighter practice meetings, arts and sciences gatherings, event planning meetings, etc.).   You get out of the SCA what you put into the SCA.

A typical week in the life of a die hard member of the SCA might consist of the following:  On Monday, you go to a friends house for an arts and sciences gathering, maybe called a project night, and you work on whatever project you happen to be working on at the time.  You might also go to these gatherings to teach people about the project that you are working on so that they can work on similar projects themselves.  On a day later in the week, you might attend your business meeting for your local group where you discuss upcoming activities of the group.

If you happen to be attending an event that coming weekend, you spend most of the day Thursday packing all that you will need to take to this event into the containers that you will be carrying these item in.  You must pack things like medieval clothing (known in the SCA as garb), armor, weapons, shields, crafts that you are working on (looms, paints and brushes, calligraphy set, armoring tools, etc.), your pavilion (medieval tent), which includes the canvas, poles, ropes, and stakes, your tables and chairs that you will be using, your bed and your bedding, and any regalia that you will be taking (your station within the SCA will determine the level of regalia you will be taking, but it often includes the award medallions that you have earned, your banners and pennants or ganfalons, and your armor display stands), and of course you have to take your feast gear (medieval looking plates, bowls and utensils that you will eat feast with).

On Friday, you pack all of the packed containers into the vehicle that you plan on taking to the event (if you have been in the SCA for a while, this will probably require the use of a trailer).  You travel to the event, which could be from one hour to several hours away.  When you get to site, you have to visit the Troll and either sign in to the event (if you are prereserved and prepaid), or sign in and pay for the event.  During the event, you will go through a myriad of scheduled events (albeit loosely scheduled as the first tournament ever held in the SCA, in Berkley, California in 1965, started two hours late giving rise to the term SCA time).  Once the event is over, generally on Sunday, you pack up everything that you brought with you and head for home.

This is just a typical week in the life of a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism.  With all of the hectic scheduling and activities in the SCA, many might wonder why it is so popular.  Well, the SCa is an organization based on the principals of Honor and Chivalry, so the friendships that you make in the SCA are generally strong and lasting, and that is the ultimate pay off for all of the hard work that can be associated with the Society for Creative Anachronism.