SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE PARK
I'm glad I had a jacket in the car, because even though I thought a t-shirt and the shorts that I pulled out of my closet after just storing them away for the winter would be enough (it was 70-something when I left), the afternoon got progressively brisker and need-headlights foggier within a couple of hours.
My goal today was to head south (not as south as I'd like, meaning I'd really like to be in the Florida Keys right now) of the freeway, from the Burnham Park, Muskego Way, and Lincoln Village neighborhoods all the way east into Walker's Point, Harbor View, and the Third Ward. I drove around a lot. A leering man in a minivan followed me for a few blocks as I walked east on Historic Mitchell Street, but I got to be in a part of 53204 I'd never walked in before. I got standard shots of the outside of St. Stanislaus, a freeway shot looking north toward the clock tower, and a cool window shot of Western wear (the guy who worked there kept coming in and out of the store, brushing a black hat). I snapped a picture from my car window of the Basilica of St. Josaphat (53215), too. All in all, 53204 was pretty sleepy this Sunday afternoon, even though it was sunny and warm. (What I didn't realize until later is that I should have been photographing in the bars, as the Packers were playing--I'm obviously not a football watcher.)
I saw a bunch of chill dudes swinging on the swinging tables at Colectivo on KK (53207), so parked and got a few shots, and got a few nice shots on Broadway (53202), but the most interesting shots were the ones of Humboldt Park in 53207. Shots of the green hills and fall leaves would have been picturesque but, frankly, kind of boring, so when I saw a group of about a dozen men and one woman smacking each other with fake swords, I pulled a u-ie and parked nearby.
After introducing myself as a Zipster, they quickly agreed to go full-combat and explain what they were doing along the way. Friendly folks. According to Shane, they were practicing what's called Belegarth. They're in Humboldt Park almost every Sunday, but with the coming winter months will move indoors (for safety reasons, i.e., slipping on wet or frozen grass, even though they were pummeling each other pretty good). Belegarth is a national movement, it turns out, best explained by quoting their official website:
"Belegarth Medieval Combat Society is a fun, safe, and inexpensive sport where participants wear medieval or fantasy-themed clothing and fight with foam-padded weapons. The fighting is hard and fast and has, since 1979, refined into its own brand of martial art. The rules are easy to learn, and after a few practices, you’ll be hooked! Like traditional sport teams, Belegarth groups have themes and symbols. Many groups choose to base themselves on medieval fantasy fiction or history such as Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or ancient Rome. Participants choose a name that represents them and can choose to portray a character or to simply just fight. Since the Belegarth ruleset is for combat and safety only, all role-play is optional. The amount of effort you put into your characterization is up to you! Belegarth provides a great environment for both serious role players and those who would rather just fight."
They got a little close for comfort a few times as they swung their padded foam swords and shields (Shane thwacked my arm a bunch of times to demonstrate how the swords can definitely sting but don't do any harm, given the rules and control of the participants--though he did admit that "accidents do happen"). And I thought I was going to get hit with one of the foam arrows the sole female participant was aiming at the guys. But Shane and the others agreed that they were much more interesting to look at than pictures of grass and trees. I joined their FB page, so now I expect I'll get plenty of updates about Belegarth!
I couldn't have asked for a better encounter: real people enjoying something they love. I'm not done with 53207 yet, but I like my contributions so far!