ICT Comic Con (8/31-9/1) and Ren Fair (9/28-9/29)

With the renn fair in 2 weeks, i’ll probably be posting a meetup on the calendar soon to see where we are at and what help is still needed.

  1. New castle wont be ready so we’ll probably be taking the old one.
  2. The replacement parts for the tent have shown up
  3. We’ll probably need to do more talking with the event coordinators with the new area we’ll be setup in and make sure we have our bases covered
  4. We’ll probably need more help coming up with interactive activities for kids and kid-ults (we have a few 3d printed catapults and laser cut throwns, but we may need to get creative on more targets for them to fire at and scenes to have fun with)

I have about 50 catapults printed off right now that may need some cleanup before we hand them to kids, and LaDeana has quiet a few throwns ready to go, but if someone has ideas for more interactive projects, feel free to share, especially if you already have a design ready to print or cut.

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I’m setting up a ‘tagup’ meeting for saturday at 11am to see where we’re at on everything for the renaissance fair.

I think we have about 100 catapults and 200 thrones at this point, but we may still need to come up with some targets and amunition.

We’ll probably do a once over on the castle and see if there are any repairs needed as well as retrieve the yellow tent stakes from garden committee.

At 1pm Saturday, i’ll be meeting up with a couple of the event planners to see how the new site for the seige contest is going to worm out.

…we should also come up with a more period correct looking water bucket for the ammunition over the Lowes bucket.

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Sharpie over Lowe’s “Loweth”

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Thank you for everyone that showed up today, there was a lot of productive discussion, and I think we may have found a big niche we can help fill at the renaissance fair. I also met up with the event coordinators to find out what all was going on for next weekend.

Setup

  • Our old spot is being taken over by a pirate experience (with pet goats and apparently a 2nd massive ship)
  • Our new spot will be behind the short stop by the entrance, with Arkillion being next to us, and the authors between Arkillion and the Siege War field (there isn’t much shade, so sunscreen and water are a must!!!)
  • Vendor registration has been closed for next weekend, which means it’s gonna be packed
  • There are a few new acts for this year and the ‘pirate smoker’ is being replaced with the ‘pirate power hour’… keep in mind that the fair is meant to be kept PG-13
  • We’ll try to get the castle out to the hallway Thursday night around 7pm, and then meetup around 1pm Friday (if not sooner) to load up and roll out

Stuff to do:

  • finish the kits for the catapults, thrones, and possibly a 3rd project (hand fans?)
  • come up with a wooden barrel (they’re friggin’ expensive online! over $150 for one big enough to hold all the ammunition!)
  • retrieve the big yellow forged tent stakes from the garden
  • make/build new hex head bolts to replace the square bolts
  • come up with foam or random weaponry
  • make a new bow string for the ballista
  • come up with some outdoor friendly items to display (especially is someone has a wax seal project, stained glass, tapestry, other fun project they would like to display for the weekend)

Events:
Meet Your Makers

  • So we have a lot of people wanting to do videography and phototgraphy, turns out there aren’t a lot of people at fair that take the time to document their work (sounds like a familiar problem)
  • The idea behind Meet Your Maker is to give MakeICT members, Ren Faire Actors, and Playtrons a chance to showoff and spotlight their work
  • The event promotors have greenlighted the idea and would like to see us tag GPRF and coordinate with their digital team to post the videos in more places
  • So far, it sounds like we have at least 4 people interested in helping with doing the filming and the interviews
  • We do need to come up with a basic ‘script’ to help people that might get stage fright before the camera

Siege Engine Warfare

  • We’ll do our typical fight at 3:15, but it will be on a new field
  • 3 sides will be barricaded off with the 4th being the outside edge of the fair ground
  • there isn’t going to be much shade on the field (beyond what the actors throw at each other)
  • We’ll use the same targets, but we’re trying to figure out how to make them louder and more exciting (they need more cow bell!)
  • Davis, Jessi, and I have also been asked to come up for more filler for between rounds… possibly including live combat

Siege Engine Science

  • Arkillion and MakeICT have been asked to bring out our toys for kids can get a closer look at these marvelous machines and learn more about what makes them work and why they were such devastating weapons on the battlefield
  • This may mean another opportunity to fire the ballista

Maybe for next time:

  • Finish the new castle build
  • Figure out how to make more exciting targets (we might have to do some experimenting with confetti cannons)
  • sand burr roller - we have an idea of how to build one from concrete sonotubes, closed cell foam, and screen door mesh, but it would take a couple more hands to make it happen in less than a week
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I would put converting the bolts to hex head low on the list. The hex nuts I put in the toolbox will alone make it 87 times easier to assemble. I recommend taking a 1/2" deep socket, extension, and ratchet or a drill/impact driver.

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Sorry I had to miss the meeting! Is setup all happening Friday afternoon or is there any help needed later - Friday night or Saturday morning? If not I’ll just get there Saturday morning at opening time to help staff our tent and teach kids to make thrones like last time.

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For Friday, the plan is still to meet up at the space at or before 1pm to load up everything and head to the site. Depending on how much help we have, it could take 3hrs, or more. The new location by the entrance may take some adjustment.

The current to do / to done list:

  • bolts are taken care of
  • parts have been picked up for the bow string
  • matthew may have a metal bucket we can use for the event
  • throne kits are in good shape, catapults are still being cleaned up, materials are on hand for the fans, but we probably need to try making a few before the event
  • yellow stakes have been gathered up, and realizing that there is also a set of orange stakes added if needed
  • materials have been picked up for the seige engine contest ‘weaponry’… i may need a sparing partner…
  • we might consider a faux wall if we decide to store stuff behind the tent (there won’t be much covering the backside from the parking area)

New map:

Also, they are looking for help Thursday with setting up the entrance and marking stalls if anyone would like to help out before hand, probably starting around noon.

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You’re making boffers?

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When do you want to restring the Balista?

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Partially. :wink:

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Would tomorrow evening around 7pm work?

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Yes. Do you need me to pick up anything?

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Unfortunately, i just got an order update saying the 3 1/2in fluff balls for the ballista won’t be in until Monday…

We may have to do some hunting around Michael’s or JoAnns to see if they carry any. I’m not sure where else to hunt for them at this point.

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Side hustle opportunity:

The event organizer is looking for help selling water this weekend.

DM Richard Cathey on facebook for more information.

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Good morning all. Hopefully the pain killers find you well this morning.

Balista After Action Report:

  1. The three year old string finally broke.
    • New string made in field and fitted.
    • Back up field repair string made.
  2. New string came loose on the end (crimp failed)
  3. Field repair string installed -mid combat- and worked beyond expectations.

Balista Repair List:

  1. New string and at least 2 back up strings.
    -Suggest making a flemmish twist jig and making our own made to fit strings without crimps.
  2. There is a loose tension string on one of the arms.
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