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This weekend, Arcata hosted its first-ever Magic in the Redwoods event — a three-day affair celebrating all things Magic: The Gathering.
The event featured tournament play in a variety of formats, a chance to meet local as well as nationally renowned artists, a variety of vendors, food and more.
“We’ve never done anything like this in Humboldt County, and the people are showing up,” Cora Moore, a co-organizer of the event and owner of North Coast Supports and Rec, said Saturday afternoon. “We’ve got people from Washington, Nevada, Southern California — we have vendors from all over the state … So, I think for the first time, Magic in the Redwoods, we’re knocking it out of the park.”
Moore said that the event owed a debt of gratitude to Joe Sapp, who lent the organizers his expertise having organized Sonoma Con in the past, and Moore credited the hard work of “superstar” co-organizers Gina Montagna and Pedro Lucero.
“This is a whole lot of work, and we shouldn’t have scheduled ourselves for 12 hours a day, but we did,” said Lucero, who described himself as an “arbiter of fun” at the event. Lucero said that in previous years, the kind of experience that Magic in the Redwoods brought to Humboldt County wasn’t available without traveling hundreds of miles to Sacramento or Portland.
Lucero also credited the event’s volunteer staff with making Magic in the Redwoods run.
Rose Long, a volunteer at the event, said that Magic in the Redwoods, despite its smaller size, managed to have the feel of larger events she had attended while living in Portland. She helped operate Magic in the Redwoods’ Command Zone — an area designated for games in the Commander — or Elder Dragon Highlander — format.
An MTG veteran with over 10 years of experience playing — as well as studying to be a judge and working at game shops, Long said that she valued the event’s sense of fun and camaraderie and the way in which it was a more diverse and accessible crowd than is sometimes associated with MTG.
“In the main room, I love how much art there is. I saw somebody had Lego earrings for sale and other pretty fantasy-based earrings. And I’m not sure if you would have seen that in other places and times … I like how the community is opening up and becoming more accessible to women,” Long said. “I know it’s like a very male-dominated game, but I have found some of the best experiences and most educational, fun, really heart-of-the-game experiences that I have had to be with other women.”
Participating in the magic
Shayne Jarvie was the jewelry maker that made the aforementioned earrings. She participated in the event as a vendor, selling handmade jewelry in a Bohemian style. She also participated in Sunday’s cosplay contest. “It was really fun … I am an elf — just a generic elf. I made my jewelry, headpiece and earrings,” she said.
Enthusiasm for Magic in the Redwoods was palpable, with many suggesting that it become an annual event. Jesse Baltierra, owner of Next Level Games at 417 2nd Street in Eureka and a 30-year fan of MTG, said as much.
“So far, this event is great,” Baltierra told the Times-Standard on Saturday morning. “I can’t wait to do it again. I think people are enjoying themselves, and I think it’s something that can continue to bring pleasure to the community.”
Baltierra said that he had started Next Level Games with “zero dollars and a dream,” turning a hobby he started as a young kid into a business. He said he has recently achieved Wizard Play Network (WPN) certification and is looking forward to hosting more events to give back to a community that “welcomed (him) with open arms.”
Keith Drewett, owner of Prouddragon Games, a recently opened game store at 219 D Street in Old Town Eureka, was also among the vendors at the event. As a recently opened business — started just 16 weeks ago — Drewett told the Times-Standard that Magic in the Redwoods presented a unique opportunity to promote his shop and its try-before-you-buy model.
“It’s a chance for me to just spread the word — to let people know who we are and what we do, where we are,” Drewett said. “I feel like a lot of people in Eureka know about us but maybe not the rest of Humboldt County, and I feel like a big turnout like this would be a great way to let them know about us and also people from out of town.”
R.K. Post, an artist and illustrator who designs MTG cards, was in attendance, having made the trip down from northern Washington. Post has illustrated MTG cards for the last 27 years; he’s also worked with LucasFilms, Nintendo, Ballantine Books, Marvel and D.C. Comics, Blizzard Entertainment, and a variety of other science fiction and fantasy-related companies.
“I think it’s exceeded what I was expecting, and people are treating me exceptionally well, so it’s all good,” Post said. “They’ve never really had a Magic-specific event here before … so I’m more than happy to be here.”
“I love a good small to mid-sized event. It just feels like you have a really good community around it, and it’s been neat seeing that people are traveling to come out too,” said Jennifer He, who drove up from Oakland to help Post run his booth. He made the drive up from Oakland — describing it as picturesque and “dreamy,” and said that she was pleased with the Magic in the Redwoods experience.
“I’ve been to a pretty good number of (MTG) events, both as a participant and on the vendor side, and I’ve really appreciated how clear a lot of the promotion seems for me,” said He. “I’ve been seeing it on social media; I’ve been seeing it organically come up among my friends through word of mouth. I love that it’s an RCQ event — that feels big and important, and the staff’s really nice. I’m super delighted by how delighted people are to have R.K. here.”
Magic in the Redwoods also featured a board game room where attendees could stop in and play a number of games.
Dan Gilkey, owner of Dandar’s Boardgames and Books, oversaw the event’s board game room. Dandar’s is currently in the process of moving from 1264 Giuntoli Lane in Arcata to a new 959 H Street location in Arcata, and the event was an opportunity to get the word out.
“We’re a family-owned board game and book store. We sell a wide variety of games — everything from Magic cards to Warhammer miniatures … We have a lot of family games and a selection of sci-fi and fantasy books,” Gilkey said Saturday morning. He noted that he was impressed by the turnout and the enthusiasm of the event’s participants.
Matt Manzano, who runs a board game group in Fortuna and the Fortuna Board Game Enthusiasts Facebook page, said that games — be they MTG or other tabletop games — represent an opportunity to connect with people outside of the mediation of technology and politics. “It’s a little social contract. You sit down with four people, and you all agree on certain silly rules, and you play those rules out … and that’s kind of a social space that we’ve forgotten over the years. It’s a catalyst for having conversations and hanging out as opposed to staring at a screen.”
Robert Schaulis can be reached at 707-441-0585.
