Rat Pucking???

[DonaCatalina]

Rat Pucking seems to have mostly died out at Scarborough. Was it a passing fad?

[Rowan MacD]

  That's another game we need to adopt for DMRF.  
 We 'bowl' through the crowd with Bocci Balls every now and then.  The Pirates vs Royals/Nobles.  Loud heralds are a must.  Patrons in the way become wickets, or obstacles for extra points, hard to tell who cheats more.  


edit for correct word....

[raevyncait]

DC: Sadly, I think Rat Pucking has pretty well died out at Scarborough. At one time there was a group of, oh, about 8-10 rogues who were at faire virtually every weekend, and they pucked twice daily (morning puck in Crown Meadow, afternoon puck in Pecan Grove). There was even a cabinet built onto one of the small stages in which they stored their pucking sticks. There was a tournament every year, with a Master Pucker being crowned at the end of the season, and being awarded an official Master Pucking Stick, which he then used the following season to defend (albeit poorly, as it isn't the best balanced stick) his title.  Unfortunately, a couple have moved away, one is part of the Celtic Troupe and otherwise occupied much of the day, and only I think one of the originals is still at faire every weekend. 
For a few seasons, there was a Royal Puck on Closing weekend in which the King, Queen Anne, and some of the other nobles participated. I honestly cannot recall Queen Margaret's participation, but I wasn't always there when it was happening (it was during Morning Puck, and that began smack in the middle of a Rogues performance on the Ivanhoe Stage...)

The Shoppe at Middlefaire which sells both rats AND pucking sticks is called Once Upon a Tree. I do not recall all the details, but Rae and Andrew (who own the shoppe with their wives) are indeed authorized by Emrys to sell the rats (I think some of what they sell are actually ones they've gotten from him, and others they've made, but I could be mistaken). Also, one or the other of them is authorized by Emrys to "christen" the rats once they've been purchased. 

A note, the rats are filled with rice, so you REALLY don't want to get your rat wet, lest it split open, and for some reason the leather rats are a little more prone to splitting and really shouldn't be pucked.

I purchased two rats from Emrys at Sterling a few years ago, one for myself and one for a friend. both are virgins having never been pucked, but Braille (mine, who has no eyes) is perfectly content to ride around in my cleavage a few times a year.

[Sir Ironhead]

As of 2010 there was a weekly rat puck on Sundays at the Kentucky faire

[Merlin the Elder]

Okay... this has to be one of the strangest pucking things I've seen in a while. Looks as if it could be some fun, though... I like the Bocci thing too, Rowen!

[Anna Iram]

I have a rat and a stick and played once. I should have practiced  way more as the puckers at BARF take their game seriously. If I ever play again, I'll make sure I know what I'm doing!

[McGuinness]

What a coincidence to see this thread at the top today. Rat Pucking will be at PaRF this year. In fact, the cast was just learning how to play this afternoon from the Master Pucker himself!

[BLAKDUKE]

O.K.  I will weigh in here.  Rat pucking is the sole ownership of Jim Greene, unless he has relinquished that right, He will have to chime in on that.  Rat Pucking started on a cold rainy weekend in the Maryland faire when it was held in Columbia.  I first saw it at Sterling in 1983.  As to some of the terms: 'Clear the Faireway! Flying rats coming through'  I have not heard that one before, the bawdy translation is 'clear the puckingway'   Have a care, Rats at high velocity, you could be killed.  Also he just made a puck in one.  You may touch your rat only on the initial Puck - off. After that the methodology decribed, with the foot is the rule.  As of my last knowledge you may have a Rat-Pucking tournement only if Jim Greene is in attendence.  You play at Rat-pucking but you may not hold a tournement.  Of course the grand prize is the crimson rodent which can never be bought or adopted, only won in a tournement.  Jim, at last knowledge would only adopt out his rats, never sold them.  Of course there was an adotion fee, but it was minor.  Also there are rules for the end of the Pucking stick.  It may be notched flat on the end, but no more that the width of your thumb and it may no more that 2 fingers in length.  I will keep my eye on this thread and proffer any info as I remember it.  Lastly just so you don't think I'm Pucking up the wrong rat-hole I hold a master puckers degree, having won the crimson rodent at a tourney in the keys faire many years before it closed.   I have aptly named both of my rats.  The rat that I pucked with to win the tourney is called Rhett rat, and the crimson rodent I have named..................................................

Wait for it









Scarlett O'ratta  

[Rowan MacD]

Okay... this has to be one of the strangest pucking things I've seen in a while. Looks as if it could be some fun, though... I like the Bocci thing too, Rowen!

Indeed.   I'll need to see how to make a stick and a rat of my own, since we don't have any puckers or pucking venders around here....

[BLAKDUKE]

Rowen:


Not a problem.   Go online and look up rat-pucking and/or Jim Greene.  Get his address, I believe it is in Upstate New York.  This will be a good time to reach him as he is most likely doing Sterling and goes home during the week.  He will no doubt sell/adopt you a rat and mail it to you.  He did for me when I lost my first rat 'Mortimer' in Atlanta some years ago.  As to a stick again no problem.  Go out in the woods and find youself a length of blow down, a stout branch is good, a piece that would make a good walkng staff.    Strip the bark from it, sand it smooth, varnish or shellac, notch the end as I have described above and viola you have a dual purpose piece, a walking staff and a pucking stick.  Where are you located BTW....

The BLAKDUKE 

[NoBill Lurker]

http://scarlettrat.com/stuff.html

http://www.thewildhunt.com/thegreen/ratpuck.shtml

[Merlin the Elder]

...bunch of pucking foolishness...

[Gauwyn of Bracknell]

...bunch of pucking foolishness...

Careful 

[BLAKDUKE]

you've never lived until ye've pucked a rat.

[Merlin the Elder]

Should I wear protection, Blakduke?