Ragnarok Expectations

What to Expect

Ragnarok is literally the END OF THE WORLD!!! We pack up all our things, kiss our kids goodbye, and drive across the country to camp in the rain for a week. Somehow, one week of camping takes us away from home for two weeks. And as anyone knows that’s survived Ragnarok before there’s a week of post-event sickness, depression, comatose zombie-like extreme fatigue that’s inevitable. Unfortunately, a one-week event is costing us three weeks of delay for online orders. Sorry. Not sorry. Wish we had cloning devices or employees that didn’t actually love foam sword fighting and wanted to stay home and work. lol #weloveragnarok

Final Shipments

Monday June 10th is our final shipping day. We might also have a few shipments go out on Tuesday June 11th. Some orders will be split so that customers don’t have to wait too long for everything. If your order hasn’t shipped by June 11th then it will be put on hold until we return. We promise to begin shipping again by July 1st. Technically we’ll be back to work the week of the 25th but it takes time to put the shop back together and start rebuilding stock before we can box orders as quickly as normal.

Ragnarok Packing

The Gorgtech Ragnarok Booth is a 20×40 temporary storefront. We hope that the 2019 Rag Store will be better organized with more walking space. The number of racks needed for this once a year masterpiece requires that we pillage our workshop before leaving town. We steal tables and supplies from both our stock room and work stations to help build an amazing place for you to shop. Unfortunately, this may add to shipping delays. But, if you visit our Ragnarok store you’ll see that it’s #worthit!

Trailer Hauling

Ragnarok requires TWO trailer loads of stuff for Gorg The Blacksmith. We fill one with all the inventory and stock. The other trailer is full of the supplies needed to build the store. And of course, we are also bringing: tents, all of our best garb, armor, and our personal foam weapons. Now double that stuff because we also have friends working with us. We put so much effort into our Gorg shop that our KOTOS camp is definitely not worthy of any of the cool CAMP AWARDS available this year! #bestcampentrance #bestperiodcamp #bestmonstercamp #notourcamp

Over the years, we’ve learned how to be more prepared for trailer troubles. Getting the trailer serviced before leaving is KEY! It’s annoying to pay $100 for service but it’s incredibly better than breaking an axle. I don’t completely understand what’s supposed to be greased how it’s bearings work but after that year our axle snapped I know it’s worth the maintenance! We also get the lights checked, but that’s obvious!

The most brilliant thing we’ve done for trailer towing is adding a FRICTION BAR. It makes the highways smoother. The sway from driving next to a semi-truck is slightly noticable with a friction bar. The only trouble is city driving. So we have to pay extra attention when we stop. If you’re pulling a trailer, please get it serviced and consider a sway bar!!!

Ragnarok Driving

We drive 2 vehicles, with 2 trailers, for 2 days. 2x2x2=exhausting!!! But we make the most out of it 😀 Music, audio books and pokemon go keep the road exciting. So we leave Florida Wednesday Morning to arrive at Cooper’s Lake PA on Friday Morning. Sometimes we wish we were young and foolish enough to drive through the night. But considering the importance of all that we’re carrying, we’ve planned to only drive 8-10 hours a day. #safetyfirst

Friday Friday Friday

Friday. Friday. Friday. Friday is a whirlwind of a day. We arrive on site. Pay for entry. Prove we pay PA sales tax. Prove we have General Liability Insurance. Try not to excitedly talk to old friends too long. Then build a store from scratch before dark. Friday is a long day. Friday is a hot day. Friday is a hard day.

Super Saturday

Saturday is SUPER! We start selling on Saturday. The store is open. The displays are spectacular. The people pore into the event site. Saturday starts to feel Special.

Also, Saturday is LAND GRAB… Saturday we play the game of camps. Who gets shade? power? flooding? They pull out the map and draw the lines. Then we build a camp. And hopefully this year we’ll order firewood and cover it with a good tarp before it RAINS!

Sunday

Sunday feels like Saturday again. Except our tents are set up already. We hang out. We sell foam swords. Watch people set up their tents. Hope the rain doesn’t destroy their tents. And eagerly await MONDAY.

Monday

Monday is everything!!! Finally, the fighting begins! But before we can fight we must have WEAPONS CHECK. Weapon’s Check!!! Sometimes weapons fail. It’s always a sad sight. We do guarantee new gorgtech weapons will pass the first Dagorhir Weapon’s Check. So Monday morning we hold our breath from 8-10 am while everything we sold over the weekend goes through check. Usually, there are only one or two fluke weapons that we end up swapping out. Then everyone treks out to the field to fight. Hopefully, their garb passes the gates and they don’t forget their event tag. The road is long. The gear is heavy. The sun is hot. That’s why we now sell field stools and weapons bags, they make the journey easier!

Tuesday & Wednesday

These 2 days feel the same. They totally blur. We fight. We eat. We party. We shower and do laundry. We hope no rain gets inside our tent. We wait for our other friends to arrive for the weekend. And I pass the time sending people on Lady G Quests to help with the Assassin’s Tournament that runs all week. At some point, I’ll squeeze in a nap and a quick cry because I miss my sweet kiddos and I’m super tired. We’ll also eat way too much Chinese Food! Did you know Gorg won an egg roll eating contest last year!?!

Thursday

Thursday is Official Tournament Day! No one wants to help run the Gorg Shop on tournament day. It’s the day everyone wants to watch the fights. Weapons are checked again. Phones and camera batteries and recharged. Hype is Huge to see who will win this years incredible belt flags.

Friday

Friday is filled with fun. Multiple knight’s trials at every corner. The assassin’s tournament comes to a close. Unfortunately, someone will go to the emergency room. The blood horde builds the most amazing CARNIVAL on merchant’s road. The sun sets. Then I put on my favorite dress and Midnight Madness begins. Whatever stock is left is on SALE. Your choice… Save 10% or Roll a dice for a discount. The die is a giant 20 sided die. Roll 1-5 for only 5% savings. Every other number saves that percent. Last year we had more 18-20% savings than I anticipated. I’m not sure how long this gambling game will last. I will always remember fondly how it originally started with Singing Songs and Telling Jokes to get a deal. I always have time for a good show. Bring your song or silly story and it might save you a little during Midnight Madness.

The Second Saturday

And like that, it’s all over. The second Saturday is a frenzy of packing. All the cardboard boxes go to the trash pile while our friends battle it out for the KING OF DAGORHIR. Before dark, we drive away. My favorite site is to see how the once green grass under our tent changes color and texture in only a week.

A Temporary Home

Home really is where the heart is. I am surprised to say that I have laughed, cried, loved, hated, mourned and rejoiced inside that muggy plastic tent we rent every year. Friends I’ve nearly forgotten great me such joy that I jump and scream with delight. Emotions are higher than ever during our week of adventure. It’s a sad site to leave the once beautiful and boisterous tent empty for another 2 days of driving. But such is Ragnarok the End of the World.

A Long Drive Home

We usually hotel Saturday night. Take real showers and sleep in real beds. This is all in hopes of feeling refreshed and energetic. But really we know that zombies will be driving us home for the next two days. I wish is didn’t take that long but trailers really slow things down.

Finally Home

Once we’re back, we shower again. Eat, sleep, shower, repeat. And we watch TV! Never do I enjoy facebook and netflix as much as when I am fresh home from an event. Snuggling up with my kiddos checking out event pics online is the best!!!

Back to Work

Anything we didn’t sell gets moved into the stock room. We’ll return the tables and shelves to their original homes. Laundry lasts for DAYS! Gorg will build stock orders before touching customs. Mike will read mountains of emails before shipping. Molly will help me reorganize everything I tore apart before leaving. Picnik will help finish building while really dreaming of better ways to build new stuff. By the second week of July, everything will be back to normal. Until then, be patient with us as we journey to the end of the world and back.

The Good Stuff in the Middle

Some of the best moments are what happens when you don’t realize it. My favorite memories include the times I actually showed up to organized events. Or when we wandered around looking for adventures. This includes but is not limited to:

Book Binding Class @RagU
The Garb Fashion Show!!!
Bilbo Baggins’ Birthday Party – the year there was NO CAKE!!!
Thunderdome – The first was better than the sequel. I’m glad they’re taking a break this year!
That amazing drum circle Kevat invited me to one year!
Everything about the Barbarian Trading Post
Night Fighting… Only Night Fighting… Always Night Fighting
That time we didn’t have fun at the masquerade ball was a blast!
The Arts & Sciences Award Ceremony
Always & Forever the Assasin’s Tournament and my QUESTS
Midnight super salty french fries from the Chinese food guys YUM!!!

Official Ragnarok Event Info

Need to pre-register? Want to check out the event for yourself. Click here.

Ragnarok Tournament Belt Flags

We LOVE making belt flags every year. This year’s tournament prizes are better than ever! View Ragnarok XXXIV Belt Flags in our photo album on Facebook.