Somewhere In Time, Limited, summons up the colorful past
On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21, the Queen Anne Christian Church was transformed into a bustling Georgian Market with vendors offering their wares. There were tables with brightly colored costumes and accessories, creating a festive and fun atmosphere, provided by the imagination of the good people of Somewhere in Time Unlimited [SITU]. The invitation in their newsletter read as follows:
Hear ye! Hear ye! King George declares a time for cleaning out the old to let in the new! Come to the Market in blessed Queen Anne's Church to offer for sale the fripperies and fancies of old
-that medieval gown that has grown smaller while in the wardrobe
-that wig that isn't really in any time period you want to visit
-all the patterns and fabrics that will never see completion
-the boots, the baubles, the ribbons, the too small, the too big, too loud and too much!
Bring it all to the Somewhere in Time, Unlimited, costume sale this fall. We are inviting the public to come to purchase for fair coin the makings of a Halloween outfit to serve their wayward intent. Jongleurs and wandering musicians are welcome!
Dress in the time of our King George III, 1740 to 1776. Dress as a tradesman, a laborer, a bawd, a pickpocket, a housekeeper, a maid, a lady or a gentleman.
Join us for gossip, a gloat, a trick or a trade. Before the fall sets our teeth to chatter, come share with those who matter.
The success of the event proved that the ingenuity and imagination of the SITU group was indeed unlimited, proved by the variety of the costumes and characters of those attending and the diversity of items for sale.
Somewhere in Time, Unlimited, was formed in 1979 by members of the Society for Creative Anachronism who wished to extend the historical boundaries from the medieval period to encompass more colorful eras - the Edwardian, the Victorian, the Roaring '20s, right up to the present.
The SITU "season" commences with an opulent holiday ball. They have danced their way through Old Vienna, Georgian and Dickensian England, and the Russia of the Romanovs. Spring and autumn events are typically smaller and more informal. Themes have included an 18th-century fair, a Gothic literary tea, a 19th-century explorers' gathering, a 1920s speakeasy, a nightclub in Shanghai of the 1930s and murder mysteries. Summer features al fresco events such as garden parties, Victorian bathing parties, a day at the horse races, a cricket match and a tiger hunt in the India of the Raj.
Social activities are produced by SITU members, and all are encouraged to participate in planning and creating the events.
Costumes need not be elaborate or expert; they ask only that those who attend an event make an attempt at period costume to add to the atmosphere and enjoyment of occasion. Help with costumes is also available from their members, and there is a sewing circle that meets regularly.
Over the years SITU has produced such interesting events as Queen Victoria's Ambassador's Ball, Sherlock Holmes Murder Mysteries (1880-1900) and A Christmas in Early Seattle (1870-1910) with sailors, seamstresses and Mercer Girls.
Membership includes many Queen Anne and Magnolia residents as well as others throughout the Puget Sound area and the state of Washington. There are artists, educators, accountants, secretaries, scientists, singers - in fact, anyone with lots of imagination and an interest in history and costuming is welcome.
At their next big event SITU will celebrate Scotland's favorite son, the romantic poet Robert Burns. The time is Saturday, Jan. 26, from 6:30 to 11 p.m., on the moors of Magnolia, in the parish hall of a country church, Magnolia Lutheran. Dress in your family tartan, ready to dance a reel, recite a line, propose a toast or just enjoy the winter warmth of good friends.
SITR now has its own Web site at which you can find further details: www.SITUseattle.com.
