Riverwash – 24-26.08.2007 in Szymocice

V-12 5 marca 2010 C64 Party Reports 2,991 Odsłon

„Back to the source” – under this slogan the first edition of multiplatform computer party named Riverwash took place in Szymocice on 24-26th of August 2007. The place of whole event was an exclusive recreational centre called Aqua-Brax, equipped for example with modern camp houses, pool, basketball and beach soccer fields and more other attractions and conveniences. Main organizers of Riverwash was Fei, V0yager, Tygrys and me – V-12, being responsible for collecting the stuff and performing Commodore 64 platform competitions.

For a long and tiring travel I went with Spider and GDR! by a train to Kedzierzyn Kozle direction. There we had to transfer into local train to Szymocice. The starting point of our journey was traditionally train station at Szczecin Dabie where nice woman in ticket-window informed us that she cannot sell us seat tickets for carriage with berths. Moreover, for traveling we had to buy other seat tickets for 3 Polish zlotych per one person without possibility to seat… Thanks for that we had to count for bonhomie of conductor, who shortly after our entering the train told us that there are no free places to lie. Part of the travel (around 2 hours) we had to spend in corridor. Finally some berths became free and soon we could lie easily, as befits for civilized man :).

On the morning we arrived to Kedzierzyn Kozle, where we moved by a local train to Szymocice. During this travel we had to change the train once again in a totally deserted place. Finally after long time we arrived to the target place. Firstly we moved into the wrong direction, but soon we turned out and after several minutes to our eyes appeared Aqua-Brax centre. There we hit directly to lodge and we rent the house.

Party place was presenting quite elegantly. Everything around was clear and modern. Equipment of houses was also blameless. However, it was necessary to save the current, because at the end the timers were written off and we had to add few pennies for owners while leaving the centre.

After telling hello to Fei and other party people I’ve realized that currently nothing specific is going on. Soon we started to disassemble equipment in small room which as it turned out later, had to be closed for a night. Time was passing by and more sceners were arriving. Every willing person could write something in real time by using located on the table Amiga. In meantime I had a possibility for the first time in my life (thanks to courtesy of Tygrys) to use ZX Spectrum 128k equipped with divIDE and also to play demos on big screen. I must admit that the quality and mood of Spectrum demos is really high and what attracted my attention was dynamic effects and really interesting design solutions. By the way I’ve met also sympathetic man named Robert, which Amiga (perhaps 68k or something like that) was used next day as one of compo machines :).

For Friday afternoon and morning any concrete attractions were forecasted except one important event, which was presentation of Efika (alternative small computer 🙂 performed by Stefkos. Of course this didn’t come without a speech of famous Deadman which beginning even someone typed on live one-liner Amiga machine :). Monologue full of memories and emotions was very warmly received by located in tight room audience, although some of them were telling loudly some comments like „Convene a convention of seniors!”, “Deadman for premier!” or “Mister Marshal, turn off microphone!”. Deadman’s performance ended up with choral singing of “100 years” and for a while Silent Riot came on top! In his one and unique style told memorable words: „Even if at 6 AM will come ZOMO and will kick out us from here, this will be the best Polish party this year!”, which received hot applause from sceners :). He also thanked personally to organizers for intention and whole thing got supplemented with showing ass by Deadman :).

Next the presentation of Efika has started, after which Fei organized crazy compo called “Paulina compo”. From what I remember it had to escalate into sports commentator and fill with effusive verbal description of the movie presented on big screen in which the rolling drunk guy tried to rise from the ground. The task was made difficult by the requirement to comment on the situation in such a way like it would have Malysz jump before eyes :). Generally it was quite funny, but with the time people started to miss the creative vein. Good mood was spoiled by one woman from staff of the centre, who said that our computer room must be closed. It can be noted on the carts of computer scene history the first party where no one slept at party place. These ones who didn’t bought places to sleep in houses had to count on courtesy of other sceners (for example Count found a shelter at our house :).

Saturday morning has started with joint breakfast and in the afternoon Fei organized a number of different crazy competitions. First one was compo called “China-Szczecina” consisted of eating on time “paprykarz szczecinski” using rice sticks. The winner was AceMan and distinction for making mess on the table received Count :). Another competition was “Stone Face”. Everyone has the task to eat chips enriched with just one tear of extremely sharp sauce (provided by Deadman), keeping with this impassive facial expression. One of two winners was Robert and among participants there were even few local guys for which sauce consumption was an ordinary thing.

Another competitions were: playing some melody on so-called jubilee trumpet, “What kind of beer?”, “Loda compo” (modeling original ice creams from plasticine and part of wafer) and at the end – collecting tazoo on time. Three participants (Spider, AceMan and Voicer) had to dress a Scottish skirts for which they had to collect the biggest amount of tazoo lying in the grass. Spider perhaps didn’t understood the task on the beginning, because he threw into a run around the pool (accompanied by also confused Voicer) and in meantime AceMan lonely was collecting tazoo and he finally won the whole competition :).

After crazy competitions we made a collective photo where most of us are showing Scottish gesture (being probably a sign of threat, using by English archers against Scots) dedicated to Azzaro :). Later party people got invited for demonstration of a new graphics engine called Pico Engine, performed by Bonzaj. Next the time has come to start with music competitions. Firstly V0yager was playing works in individual categories on PC and later came turn on me. In Msx Chip category flew 3 tunes from C64 (my, Klax and Surgeon) and in Msx oldskool I’ve played 2 samples (my and Vegeta). Important event was a celebration of 20th anniversary of Amiga music editor called Soundtracker. In appropriately dedicated for that purpose category, 4 works were reported which have been reproduced (with few technical problems) on Robert’s machine. Fortunately everything was held successfully and the only drawback was the low attendance of partisans engaged in listening.

After music competitions some preparations for live concert of Wiekszy Obciach band has started and whole event was planned to happen several meters further in a garden at eating house. Dreamweb and team soon picked up number of people for insane fun and my hat in the meantime was used to collect donations. Count in the background was picking up some two women and from eating house started to serve dinner. To my misfortune someone consumed my portion, but somehow I’ve survived it :). Moving around on recreational centre I’ve accidentally found Dreamweb’s ident and of course I gave it back to him without hesitation :). By the way I bought demo CD and button of Wiekszy Obciach and also compilation punk record named „Irokez Vol. 2” :).

After a concert we continued with competitions. Firstly flew graphics with 3 works painted on C64 and next unexpectedly were played Wild compo. After them the audience enjoyed their perceptual bodies with intros and demos. In Demo compo two works were done on PC, one on Macinthosh (which was adopted with slight contempt by some people 🙂 and also one by Kiero on Amiga (titled “Nameless”).

The climax was to perform competitions in debut category named Kwit Compo (Receipt Compo). You had to dig from own (or someone’s) archive for unreleased recordings or photo showing scene people in the unique situation. Totally freestyle approach to the topic resulted in different receipts. However the undisputed winner was Londzi which unique jump into the pool has been immortalized by Zuza under name “Out from the threshold” and a receipt in the form of photography from this feat knocked to the ground everyone from the laughter :).

After competitions some sceners decided to cool the ardor bathing in the pool after dark (although in theory it seems it was forbidden) and I went to the house for a well deserved rest. In the meantime party people could vote for the production of competitions. Every ident was used to identify on whose back was a bar code (entered to the computer memory during registration).

On the morning I had to leave party place fairly quickly because it was imposed on me by PKP schedule. With Spider and GDR! we said goodbye to anyone which we met and we went to train station in Szymocice. As it turned out we missed two Sunday’s crazy competitions. First one was a flight simulation of plastic plane from River Raid game, where it was needed to fly under the bridge :). Second crazy compo was… washing in the river! Exactly in brook flowing across the recreational centre. Four party people (in two pairs) stood in the reins for about who will better wash legendary Voicer socks, which stench would knock to the ground even bear :). The fight won apparently Bonzaj, which was cheered up by his wife Kinga :).

Without a doubt I consider this party as very successful, mainly because we didn’t had any serious troubles with performing all competitions (from which each of us organizers was happy:). Amount of sceners which came on Riverwash also didn’t let us down, because several doze of people arrived, also with few missed faces in the action :). It was also first party on which any kind of widely understood evil wasn’t made, perhaps because of exclusive nature of recreational centre and big amount of holidaymakers moving around everywhere all the time.

At the end, closing the topic of memories from first edition of Riverwash, I would like only to quote myself from real time text written at party on Amiga :).

“Greetings to RaV, who some time ago sold me graphic card, which yesterday got burned out 😛 Greetings also for the human meen Tomasz which didn’t wanted to come here to wash in the river ;] And rest of weak people which they preferred to ride on the weddings ;] and rest which were too lazy to come. Also greetings for big meen SilentRiot (ssijlont;). If there will be no Symphony 2008, don’t show me to my eyes in Szczecin at high school ;)”.

Riverwash – photo gallery. Authors: Dreamweb, Gorzyga, MCR, MoVeR and Stefkos