Site Rules

All participants are expected to follow the rules and guidelines of the SCA and the Kingdom of Caid.

The laws and codes of the US Government, the State of California, Kern County and Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area will preside overall and will remain in force at all times. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations will result in the involvement of the relevant modern authorities. We are here to have fun but not at the expense of others. Please be respectful to those around you.

Basic Rules:

No firearms or fireworks are permitted onsite. No refunds will be given to people ejected from the event. No brewing or selling of alcohol is allowed onsite. No rollerblades, skateboards, mopeds, scooters, or motorbikes will be permitted on site. Personal ECVs and electric wheelchairs ARE permitted. Fire play (juggling, twirling, spitting etc.) is not allowed on site.

Emergency Medical Assistance

Paid EMT’s will be onsite during the day according to the following schedule:
10/4 (Tues) 10AM-6PM
10/5 (Wed) 10AM-6PM
10/6 (Thurs) 10AM-6PM
10/7 (Fri) 10AM-6PM
10/8 (Sat) 10AM-6PM
10/9 (Sun) 9AM-3PM
For minor medical issues we have included the locations of local Urgent Care and Hospitals in the area (In case of a serious emergency, call 911)
MERCY SOUTHWEST HOSPITAL (Emergency Facility) 400 Old River Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93311 (18 mi), 661-663- 6100 www.mercybakersfield.org
MERCY MEDI CENTER (Emergency Facility) 400 Old River Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93311 (13 mi), 661-663-6100
PRIORITY URGENT CARE 4821 Panama Ln, Bakersfield, CA. 93313 (19 mi) 661-556-4777 open 8am to 8pm daily
STATMD URGENT CARE 5701 Young St. c201, Bakersfield, CA. 93313 (13 mi) 661-464-5000 open Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun 8am-6pm

(These are the closest urgent care facilities with the longest hours.) If you or a friend/family member needs immediate emergency medical help when the EMT’s are not onsite please call 9-1-1. Next notify the event Constables or anyone with an event radio right away. Our event staff will make sure that our gates are open and they will guide the Emergency responders to you or your camp as quickly as possible.

Harassment & Bullying
The SCA prohibits harassment and bullying of all individuals and groups. Participants engaging in this behavior are subject to appropriate sanctions. If you are subjected to harassment, bullying or retaliation, or if you become aware of anyone being harassed or bullied, contact a seneschal, President of the SCA, or your Kingdom’s Board Ombudsman.

Park and Event property:
Persons shall not remove, destroy, or mutilate any park or event property. Any person who moves event property without the express permission of the event staff will be subject to immediate ejection from the event. These properties include but are not limited to: road signs and markers, tents, tables and chairs, markers used for activities, restroom or shower facilities, etc.

Buckets and Sand
There will be buckets and shovels left on the “beach” at the lake edge. Campers are welcome to use the buckets and shovels to collect sand and fill any ground squirrel or gopher holes in their camp or on the interior roads. We ask you not to collect sand from just one spot so that it creates a pit. Please spread out your collection space and remove sand from a larger area. Buckets and shovels must be returned to the beach as soon as possible so that other campers can use them as well.

Communal Water Spigots
Hoses will be attached to the spigots at the drinking fountains throughout the site to be used for filling your containers. Please be considerate of other campers’ water needs and do not block access to the water spigots with tents, vehicles or equipment. Be polite and drought conscious: don’t leave the water running to flood the area around the spigots. Campers are welcome to attach “splitters” and their own hoses, at the spigots and reattach the events short hose to one of the outlets. Event Stewards reserve the right to resolve any disagreements regarding the sites water spigots access. DO NOT TAKE THE EVENTS SHORT HOSES HOME WITH YOU AT THE END OF THE EVENT. We will need them again next year.

Swimming: Per Kern County:
No swimming or wading is allowed in Lake Evans.

Lost or Found items:
Contact the Constable regarding any Lost or Found items. You may retrieve your lost items at the Event Headquarters tent located near Merchant Village.

Approved Parking
For safety and our ability to provide adequate services, there are areas onsite where we must ask guests not to park. Please use common sense and courtesy when parking. County emergency vehicles must be able to maneuver through our roads and parking lots and turn on our interior roads. Any car parked where a No Parking sign is posted will be towed at the vehicle owners’ expense. Anyone seen moving a No Parking sign to allow improper parking may be ejected from the site. Do not park within 15’ of any trash dumpster or the Equestrian waste pit. Any vehicle blocking access to these will be towed. Remember that the trucks that must pick up and deliver the large dumpsters need a lot of room to maneuver.

SCA Dress Policy
All participants must be in SCA dress while on site during this event. SCA dress is at the very least an attempt at medieval clothing (garb).

Site Tokens
Your site token issued at Gate is your receipt to the campgrounds. Be sure to wear your site token at all times. You must show your site token to re-enter the site. Without the site token, you must pay to reenter. If you cannot show your site token on request, you will be escorted to your encampment to retrieve your site token or to the gate for a token purchase. Anyone who cannot produce a site token and who refuses to purchase one will be ejected from the event without refund. The main Buena Vista Aquatic Park front gate off of S. Enos Lane does not recognize Great Western War site tokens. Only use this gate if you have a reservation with Kern County Parks for full RV camping. All other guests, be sure to enter by the park using the rear entrance off of Golf Course Road, this is the official entrance for the Great Western War event.

Basic Hygiene & Grey Water Disposal Clarification:
“Grey Water” is dish and bath water. It contains no human or animal waste. All human waste (diapers, private porta-potties, etc.) must be appropriately disposed of in the restroom facilities. Animal waste should be bagged and put into the trash. Do not allow any human waste to drain onto the ground and do not leave bagged human waste for the trash crew to dispose of.
Grey water should be disposed of in grey water tanks or white man-hole funnels only; please do not put it in the sinks in the stone privy, or into the porta-privies. This can quickly fill or clog the tanks. Please do not dispose of food in gray water or restroom facilities; food scraps should be disposed of with your trash. When using the gray water tanks, please be extremely careful to avoid spilling – spills can be very difficult to clean up and can be very unsanitary.
There may be no substances intentionally disposed of on the ground. Do not dig a grease pit or dishwater hole. Pour hot grease into an empty can, let it cool and then dispose of it in the trash containers. Please use the gray water tanks or white man-hole funnels for gray water only. Do not bathe in the sinks in the stone privies.

Trash:
Due to a lack of volunteers, there will be no recycling by the event this year. As of this writing, Kern County has not yet required the separation of food waste and trash. Please place your food scraps in a trash bag and secure it. The trash crew will circle the site once or twice a day. Please have your bags secured and bring them to the road when you hear the trash crew call out. If you will not be in camp during the day you can leave your bags next to the road in clear sight, in front of your camp for collection. DO NOT pile bags next to or around the porta privies or roadway intersections. The smaller 3-yard dumpster in the parking lot behind the food merchants is for their use only.  Guests are welcome to dispose of their bagged and secured camp trash in any of the other dumpsters onsite. We welcome your help. Among other fees, GWW pays per ton of trash to have it removed. Please do not bring equipment or furniture to the event with the intent to dispose of it here. If you bring it, take it home. The trash crews shouldn’t have to pick up this stuff.

Trespassing:
Trespassing is against the law and is a punishable offense. Gate crashing or sneaking onto the site using false or expired tokens is considered trespassing. Anyone caught trespassing or aiding in the act of gate crashing, etc., will be ejected from the site without refund.

Golf Carts:
Golf Carts are private property; they are not for personal use at any time. Any unauthorized persons found operating, moving, or altering the condition of any golf cart may be subject to removal from the site and/or severe civil and or criminal penalties. All persons operating a golf cart must be pre-authorized to do so and must have attended an approved driver safety and maintenance class prior to the war.

Alcohol / Illegal Substances
The legal drinking age in California is 21 years. Underage drinking will not be tolerated. Intoxicated underage adults and Intoxicated minors, along with their parents/guardians, will be removed from the site and the local authorities will be called. If a household or individual is found serving alcohol to underage individuals, that individual or household will be removed from site and the local authorities will be called. If a household is hosting a party, that household is expected to check IDs appropriately before serving alcohol. No refunds will be given to people ejected from the event.

No Smoking or Vaping Areas
Due to extreme fire danger, there is No Smoking allowed near hay bales. Hay bales will be located in the following areas: battlefields, archery and thrown weapons ranges and equestrian area. Some merchants may display No Smoking signs in their booth space. This includes e-cigarettes. Please be mindful of those around you and move to a clear area to smoke. Please abide by this “No Smoking” policy.

Be respectful of the facilities
Please demonstrate to the park staff the courtesy and responsibility for which the SCA is famous — be mindful of any instructions given to you by the rangers and leave the park grounds clean and undamaged. No modifications may be made to any park property. Do not intentionally break the cement pads, do not remove tree branches, do not attach anything to a tree with nails or spikes, do not dig a trench or pit of any kind in the lawn areas. We are expected to leave the site as we found it. If you find or cause any damage, please report it to the event staff right away. Hazardous conditions will be addressed and must be reported.

Fire Regulations
No ground fires are allowed.
Braziers, Briquette/charcoal barbeques and propane camp stoves are allowed but must be at least 12” above the ground.
Each brazier, barbeque, and camp stove must have a chemical fire extinguisher or a bucket of sand or water and a spade in plain view and immediately available at all times.
Camp or cooking fires, torches and candles may not be left unattended at any time. Constables are authorized to enter empty camps and extinguish open or unattended fires.
Tiki torches must be staked in a firm and stable fashion and must not be placed in hay bales. Do not use Coleman Fuel (white gas) in Tiki torches. Liquid fuels should be stored and transported in their original container or other state-approved container.

Vehicles on the lawn/turf:
Guests may drive onto the lawn/turf to load and unload their vehicles. Once loaded/unloaded, vehicles must be moved to a designated parking area as soon as possible. The park staff has made an exception to their normal rules and have allowed us to park certain vehicles on the lawn with the following restrictions. Please do your part to respect their rules and let us continue to enjoy this privilege.
Certain pre-approved small RV’s (what we’re calling Shepard Wagons) are allowed to camp on the lawn/turf during the event, with restrictions. -Owners must have made an attempt to give their Shepard Wagon a period appearance. – Shepard Wagons over 15’ long (not including the tongue) may not park on the lawn/turf. These RV’s must park in the event designated Dry RV locations only. -Special parking passes will be provided at Gate to those whose Shepard Wagons have been pre-approved, and data has been logged by the Event Stewards. Contact stewards@gww.sca-caid.org for approval.
-Shepard Wagons must be parked at least 20 ft. away from the base of any tree. -Please avoid causing damage to any tree or park fixtures on site. Be mindful of low hanging branches and do not break or remove them. If you do cause damage, report it to event staff right away so that dangerous situations can be addressed ASAP and the damage can be noted.
-Nothing may be allowed to drain or leak from the Shepard Wagon. -Please be mindful of sprinklers and ground vaults and do not park your Shepard Wagon wheels on them, or within a few feet of them. -Shepard Wagons may not block access to any ground vault, access gate, valve, restroom building, communal water spigot, Porta Potty or other fixture. Park and event staff, other campers and vendors must be able to use and maintain these features freely.
– Buena Vista park and event staff reserve the right to revoke the privilege of any camper to park their Shepard Wagon on the lawn/turf if deemed necessary to protect our agreement with the county.
GWW can only offer “dry” camping space for Shepard Wagons and RVs. Completely modern RV’s and larger units (over 15’ long, not including tongue.) are required to park in the designated Dry RV lots. Campers who require full utility hookups will be directed to the modern campground at the other end of Buena Vista Park. Prior reservations through the county are usually required and GWW is not responsible for those reservations.

Be courteous to your neighbors
Remember that we are all here to accomplish the same task: Having an enjoyable and successful war. There are a variety of ways in which we all do this. We ask that you be mindful of others in pursuit of your own fun. Please be courteous to your neighbors, particularly in regard to noise. Don’t forget to ask permission before entering or walking through someone else’s camp. Often, a little forethought will not only keep your neighbors happy, but it might even give you some assistance in your efforts!

Pets at the war
Per our county contract, the only animals allowed on site are dogs, cats, and horses. We must have special permission to have any other types of animals on site. Contact the Main event Stewards for more information if needed. See the articles for Hound coursing and Equestrian activities for detailed information about those activities and helpful advice.

Please help the war effort
The Constables of Caid invite you to join us on patrols if you have the desire. We spend our evenings strolling from camp to camp, meeting new friends and helping people in need of assistance. Any help in our service of the Dream and the war will be greatly appreciated. And if you find the duties of a Constable suit you, please make sure to volunteer! The constable shift lead can provide on-the-job training.

Quiet hours
Quiet hours will be enforced from midnight to 7 AM throughout the entire site.