If you're in the Southern California area on October 3rd, SCRAP will be participating as naval reenactors within the Marching Thru History Exposition ( http://www.marchingthruhistory.com ) event. We'll have a booth with demonstrations and a complete day of battling is scheduled. Last year, over 10,000 spectators attended the event.
That looks like fun. Having battled at the Maker Faire, I'm a bit curious about safety considerations. How will any spectators be protected from shots and ricochets during battle?
We use caution tape to keep most people away from the battle area with googles for those that wish to get closer to the action. We did this at the Norco U. S. Naval Weapons Captain's Invitational event a few years ago and it worked very well. Unprotected spectators in the pit/battle area cause the battle to stop immediately. The trick is to catch them BEFORE they get into the danger area which means everyone will be on safety patrol the entire day. A few non-battlers will be drafted into keeping an eye on people while the battle is underway.
