West Farmington woman takes on medieval alter ego
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WEST FARMINGTON -- Anywhere you go, there's bound to be special clubs or groups dedicated to bringing history to life.
In some instances it's a Revolutionary War or Civil War re-enactment, but for Jennifer Blazek, better known as Lady Jendriska Bellascz, it's of a medieval kind.
As a 17-year-old student at Kent State University at Trumbull, Blazek got a taste of the medieval life and for almost 40 years, she's been hooked.
"There was an international day where all the ethnicities would set up their booths, and over in the corner there were these people that didn't quite go with the rest of the booths," Blazek said. "They were playing these strange instruments, and I went up and they introduced themselves at the 'March of Gwyntarian.'"
She saw the group singing, dancing in costumes and some fighting with homemade, plywood weapons. She was interested in what they were doing and said, "I've done it ever since."
It wasn't until the '80s, '90s and 2000s that medieval fairs were almost commonplace, Blazek said.
"It's way more prevalent now than it used to be," she said.
THE BEGINNING
Since being exposed to the group, Blazek has been involved any way she can. At one point, she was the president, known as the seneschal. Her husband, Scott Bitner, whom she met at Kent State at Trumbull during this time, was the treasurer, known as the exchequer.
The overseeing group called the Society for Creative Anachronism was founded in the late 1960s in California by an English teacher at a college who was teaching about King Arthur. The class had a huge festival in the teacher's backyard, and Blazek said it just grew from there.
"It's international, and there's lots of kingdoms across the country," she said.
According to the society's website, the "Known World" is divided into 20 regions called kingdoms, and within the kingdoms hundreds of local groups are known as cantons, shires and baronies. The local group is called the Shire of Rivenvale. The kingdom the group belongs to is called the Kingdom of the Middle, better known as Midrealm.
The local group holds a couple of events yearly. The location varies, but Blazek said they host them "anywhere there is enough space.
"The general events we have bring no more than 30 to 50 people. Sometimes the events are so big there's anywhere from 250 to 500 people. Those are usually our coronations. They're the biggest because it's where the king and queen are crowned," she said.
Once per year a three-week event in the summer called the Pennsic War is held in either Slippery Rock or Butler, Pa., that brings anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 people.
Within realm of these medieval re-enactments, awards can be earned in a wide range of areas, including armored combat, arts, science and research, service, rapier combat, archery and equestrian. Within each category of awards, levels determine which one a person or group may receive. Blazek has earned one for service called the Award of the Purple Fret, awarded for long and devoted service to a group, office or kingdom. She said getting the award is one of her fondest memories.
"I got a little scroll for being in the club for 30 years, and I'm pretty proud of it," she said. "To me, it's not about awards. It's about participation."
FAMILY AFFAIR
Blazek and her husband have two children together and a 3-year-old grandchild. She said her family has been intertwined with the medieval life. She spoke of her family going to these events and talked of involving her grandchild.
"People raise their families in it," Blazek said. "It's become a lot more family oriented. I got my family involved, and my husband loved to make feasts -- he was what's called a feast-o-crat. My daughter got heavily involved in archery. "
She said she didn't require her children to be involved. They happened to enjoy it as well. Much like Blazek and her husband, her daughters made lifelong friends and brought their school friends to the fairs.
"They would talk to their friends about it and their friends would come with us to the events. They were the kids at Bristol High School that would bring in something medieval for their show and tell. They got a lot of attention at school for that sort of thing," Blazek said.
Blazek's favorite memory is the first time she was exposed to it so many years ago.
"As you get deeper into it, you appreciate the more quiet things like the things that go unnoticed," she said. "It's a lifelong learning experience in all ways … you learn who wants to be your friend and who you want to be your friend."
She added some of the best experiences come from the lengths people go to in order to recreate the environment and the dedication these people have.
"Creativity is the best thing about it. The creativity people bring to these fairs," Blazek said.
She added the attention the group gets is a bonus as well.
"The awe you get from seeing how many people can come together to create something so beautiful and so spectacular despite diverse opinions and arguments," she said. "My family has benefited from it."