What do a two-week medieval war reenactment at Cooper’s Lake in Worth Township and a massive three-day church festival in Cranberry Township have in common?

They are both signs of life returning to semi-normalcy in this post-pandemic world. And while life hasn’t turned back completely to those pre-COVID days, recent events give hints as to how society will be moving forward from here.

The 49th Pennsic War began at Cooper’s Lake Campground July 29, bringing in more than 8,000 medieval reenactors and enthusiasts. The event was canceled in 2020 and in 2021 because of COVID-19.

The two-week camping event is organized through the Society for Creative Anachronism and invites people to stay on a campground that simulates experiences of sixth- through 16th-century life.

Last year, the thought of spending two weeks sharing classes, food and even the same air as thousands of other people determined to live in as close to medieval conditions as possible would have been unthinkable. The participants look on it as a combination of homecoming and family reunion.

The return of the Parish Family Festival at St. Ferdinand Roman Catholic Church in Cranberry Township last weekend also took place after a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic. Three days of live entertainment, midway food and games, a huge white elephant sale and 600 to 700 sit-down dinners being served each night would have seemed impossible at the height of social distancing, grab-and-go meals and mask mandates.

With the introduction of vaccines, boosters and oral medications for the treatment of COVID it appears the country — while not beating the virus — has at least fought it to a draw.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently there are encouraging signs that the latest viral resurgence may be abating.

The latest viral surge has been driven largely by highly infectious variants. It has been more than eight months since the original omicron variant emerged, and although the original strain is no longer circulating in the U.S., its subvariants continue to spread.

While the chance of hospitalization and death continues to affect primarily unvacccinated individuals, as well as those at highest risk, as long as the COVID virus continues to mutate, wearing masks around the vulnerable, frequent hand washing and booster vaccinations look to be the “new normal.”

Still, it’s a normal none of us ever thought we would see two years ago.

— EKF