The Society For Creative Anachronism is an international, educational, non-profit volunteer organization that devotes itself to research and re-creation of pre-17th century skills, combat, arts and culture. It also employs historical knowledge to enrich the lives of participants through activities, events, meetings and other educational presentations. 

There’s a lot of things people can do at the SCA. Readers may ask what the SCA members do in this organization. As a member myself, I’ll tell you what they do. SCA members study and take part in various activities such as combat, archery, fencing, equestrian activities, costuming, cooking, metalwork, woodworking, music, dance, calligraphy, fiber arts, etc. 

Basically the SCA is like being in a history class that actually time travels and you get to be a part of that timeline. Some members, like my father, actually use a name that resembles a medieval time period and may pretend to be a persona. At some point I may have a persona too, but it’s still a work in progress.

The SCA has existed for more than 50 years. Speaking of age, here’s a brief history on the SCA: In 1966, a few friends, who were fans of history and sci-fi/fantasy, hosted an outdoor party in Berkeley, California. The invitation started a tournament that would be held on the first of May, summoning “all knights to defend in single combat the title of ‘fairest’ for their ladies.”

Everyone enjoyed the tournament and soon after, more tournaments and events followed, which created the famous SCA we know now. The SCA got its name from recreation being “anachronism” and “creation” for the group’s purpose of recreation. 

Ever since the party, the SCA grew into a worldwide organization. Fortunately, to the readers who want to attend the SCA, there are websites to connect to other members and receive notifications for upcoming events. In Indiana, there are plenty of areas where events take place. One of those events is Better War Through Archery and it’s a good start for anyone new to the SCA. I do recommend the SCA for anyone who may be interested in something interesting. For more information on the SCA, the Baron (head of the Barony Of Sternfeld) suggests visiting the websites sca.org or midrealm.org.