Society for Creative Anachronism

Welcome to Society for Creative Anachronism, New York City chapter, known as the Crown Province of Ostgardr. We are a non-profit educational organization with chapters worldwide, whose members study life during the medieval and renaissance periods, utilizing scholarly works, archeological evidence and knowledge acquired by trying to re-create the arts and sciences of the time.

Our focus is on the cultures of Europe, as well as those cultures having contact with Europe through trade or perhaps through war, during the thousand years from 600 to 1600 CE. You might find some of our members striving for the ideals of knighthood, learning not only martial arts, but chivalry and courtesy. Others may be more interested in the gentler arts of cooking, sewing, dancing, or countless other activities of ages past.

To recreate medieval life we hold events, where there might be a tournament to crown a champion, or a feast with foods that a medieval table would have seen, and perhaps some entertainment by storytellers, singers, jugglers, play-actors, poets, etc. Other events might focus on classes from beginner to expert, on any subject you can imagine, and taught by our members, some of whom are published scholars in their field.

We also participate in public demonstrations, such as the Riverdale RiverFest or the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park. It is a chance for us to show off the things we study, and perhaps find other people who share our interests.

Wherever we gather, whatever we do, we are mindful of the places we do these things. Since we are merely borrowers of these lands for a short time, our members strive to leave a place cleaner and greener than they found it. Let us all remember that we are stewards of the Earth, whatever time period we live (or try to live) in!

For more information on the Society, you can go to www.sca.org or for our local chapter www.ostgardr.org.