Thescorre’s virtual College of Three Ravens is happening this weekend on February 26, and there is a LOT going on!
We have 27 classes, a three-category A&S competition, an amazing Zoom background competition, a heraldry consultation table, Court, and the space and time to enjoy each others’ company.
We also will be posting about site tokens — tangible tokens for an Æthereal event — so stay tuned for that!
Here is the list of relevant links and forms for your enjoyment and event preparation:
We are so very excited for you to join us on this year’s Journey Reimagined as we celebrate newcomers to the SCA, celebrate those embracing new skills, and celebrate the journeys each of us took to get into our beloved Dream.
Thank you to every teacher, artisan, zoom-moderator, attendee, and member of our wonderful Society for helping to make this event happen!
We are ready for an amazing year, with a new tent (YEAH!) and as a formal part of Pennsic University.
We don’t have enough volunteers, so there will be a sheet hanging in the tent.
Teachers, please make a note of the number of people in your class and update it. This is an honor system, please don’t buff your numbers to make yourself look mighty, it doesn’t impact anything but your ego. We all KNOW you are mighty, even if no one shows up, and we want you teaching again. We just wanna track usage.
Please remember that unlike Central Campus, which has a very public space surrounding the classrooms (Kingdom encampments, first aid, parking for the carts, etc.), you are in people’s front and side yards at Bog U. E24 has been incredibly kind and accepting as we’ve grown, and with the move to being a formal Pennsic University extension this year, the block has given up LAND for us. As a long-time, dedicated Boglodyte, my assistant Muirenn is very concerned for her neighbors’ comfort. So, for her sake and her neighbors’, please remember to treat the area the way you would treat anyone else’s yard.
As usual, I will be mostly busy doing other stuff, but if you have any Bog U questions during War Week, see Muirenn at Regnesfolke.
During Peace Week, please direct any Bog U issues to Pennsic University.
Greetings from the Family Activities Staff of the Pennsic War!
The deadline to submit classes for Pennsic that will appear in the site book is mere days away, on May 1st!
The Family Activities department runs three separate tracks of classes and activities, and all three are still looking for teachers. Teachers do not have to have been background checked or have any specific youth qualifications. They just need enthusiasm for their subject and a willingness to teach. Having a second adult for the class is helpful, but not required.
Family Point, focused on those aged under 10, is looking for teachers of hands-on crafts, mostly for Peace Week slots. If you are not sure what to teach, we have pre-packaged activities ready to go, such as Viking bead lacing and rune carving, which just need teachers.
Youth University, aimed at those aged nine to 14 (and located at the playground), is looking for SCA history, persona-specific, and hands-on classes targeted to tweens. We have openings during both Peace and War Week.
Teen University, aimed at those 13 to 17 (and located in the regular university area), is also looking for classes on SCA history, actual history, heraldry, sewing, other hands-on classes, and practically everything in which adults are also interested. Many teens also take classes at the regular university, however we provide a lower-stress entry point for those who need it. We have openings both weeks.
If you are interested in teaching, you can either enter the class in the Pennsic University System in the parent/child category with a note in the additional scheduling for either TeenU, YouthU, or Family Point, or you can email me.
Please help us provide a full slate of classes for each group in order to help our next generation fully integrate and remain interested in our society.
Many thanks,
Mistress Leonete D’Angely, Pennsic Family Activities Coordinator and former teenaged Pennsic attendee
Last year, Ædult Swim welcomed the inclusion of more A&S offerings. This year, the scenery has changed but the sounds of happy artisans will surely ring throughout the hall.
Here is a quick sample of what we have in store:
A&S Saturday Activities 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.*
All Day – A&S Play Spaces for all disciplines
Lunchtime Class – Documentation and Research, All are invited!
*1 to 5 p.m. Scribal Workshop
Afternoon Largess Project – Birka-style wire and bead pendants
A&S Sunday Activities 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Space is available, but no specific planned A&S activities (yet)
A&S Martial Classes
Rattan classes (interactive and stationary) held at the far end of the Heavy Fighter Floor. Schedule TBD
Rapier classes held on the third floor. Contact Master Illadore de Bedegrayne for more information.
This year, A&S activities will be taking over the first floor. While we have use of the space for both days, coordinated actives will only be running Saturday. We will not have many structured classes but we will be offering bountiful space for A&S Play Time for any and all disciplines.
If you want to be sure there is space for you and your art, contact Lady Margareta. We recommend that everyone plan for the possible chilly temperatures inside and if you wish, bring portable heaters.
We currently have space/interest set for sewing and fiber arts, scribal, and leather work. From 1 to 5 p.m., we will have the Morgan Bible Part 1 Scribal Tour Workshop. In the afternoon there will be a roundtable discussion for brewers. We have some cooks who will be dabbling with the idea of a field kitchen and siege cooking. There will be more on this as we get closer to the event, but if anyone would like to join in the fun, our chefs would love the company and may be calling for food donations. “Stones” for stone soup are always appreciated.
During the Lunch Hour (from 12-1(ish)), we will be opening space for food and a class on documentation and research led by Lady Rosie Dubroc (MKA Susan Holder).
There is a possibility of a group order of pizza; more on that later after quotes have been arranged. There is food for purchase on the second floor for a school fundraiser, and as always, we strongly encourage people to bring coolers and their own food.
Don’t forget to bring snacks!
After the class, there will be space and supplies for those who wish to participate in a largess project (Birka-style wire and bead pendants); items will be donated to the Kingdom of Æthelmearc. Donations of beads, wire, etc. are welcomed and can be dropped off the day of Ædult Swim or interested parties can contact Lady Margareta for drop off prior to the event.
Recently, the Æthelmearc Guild of Brewers, Vintners, and Meadhers (affectionately known simply as the Brewers Guild) implemented a program designed to promote greater participation among its members as well as to entice new people to join the ranks: Points for Participation.
“We have been struggling for a couple of years to increase participation in guild activities,” said THL Madoc Arundel, the current head of the guild. “There are a lot of really decent brewers in this kingdom, and guild activities provide an opportunity for them to showcase their product.”
The goal of the new program is not just to get more brewers involved in A&S competitions, but to promote participation in many of the other opportunities available, such as roundtable discussions, teaching and attending classes, and largess.
“We looked at the archery and thrown weapon communities for inspiration. The ranking programs they have encourage people to shoot or throw as often as possible while rewarding improvement in their skills,” said Madoc. “The programs did not translate directly to the brewing community, but we were able to adapt the basic concept to a construct that works for us.”
Harvest Raid roundtable, 2017.
The new program works on an individual rolling 12-month cycle, meaning that brewers can jump in at any time without missing out on opportunities. Points are awarded for attending or hosting roundtables; organizing, judging, entering, and winning competitions; publishing research or informative articles; contributing to social activities or largess; and teaching or attending classes with a brewing theme. The scale rewards both the breadth and depth of participation. As points are tallied, and thresholds are met, guild members receive a token of recognition of their advancement from Novice to Grandmaster.
Leading into the implementation of this new program, the guild has been promoting greater visibility of its members throughout the Kingdom. Beginning with the regional representatives reaching out within their regions to provide more organized opportunities. Currently, the goal is a minimum of one roundtable and one regional competition within each region every year. Regional representatives are also reaching out to event stewards and local A&S officers to ensure brewing considerations are taken into account whenever an A&S activity is planned for an event. Regional representatives and their contact information can be found at http://brewers.aethelmearc.org/org.html.
Since the implementation of the program in late September, roundtables appeared in Regions 2 and 4 with a focus on the historical ingredients in the various beverages brought by the participants. “I think a big part of AE brewers … is that they also don’t focus on the historic part of the drink. Isn’t that what we’re trying to change?” quipped THL Elska á Fjárfellí, the Region 5 guild representative. Elska is the point person on revamping and restructuring the guild’s competition program to make it easier for local groups to conduct a brewing competition either as a standalone activity or as part of a larger A&S activity. Additionally, the Fall Æcademy included three classes focused on alcoholic beverages: “What the Irish Drank” by Baron Charles O’Connor; “Judging an SCA Brewing Competition” by THL Madoc; and “Brewing a Basic Beer” by Lord Ulf the Barelegged. Classes are being developed or encouraged in future Æcademy and schola events, as well as War Practice.
Since the inception of the new program, sixteen people have qualified for the initial activity level of reward and two people have qualified for advanced levels. Any brewer, judge, teacher, student, activity coordinator, or A&S officer can report brewing activity for themselves or their constituency by sending an email to BVMGuild.Points@hotmail.com with the type of activity, the date/event, and the names of the people participating. “We are planning to announce the first group of achievers at BMDL Twelfth Night,” stated Madoc.
Do you like to cook? Are you a new cook? An experienced one? Do you just like to help in kitchens?
Æthelmearc’s Cooks Collegium this weekend (June 24, 2017) has something for all of you!
If creating modern, workable recipes from period texts is baffling, Mistress Rowan de la Garnison will guide you through Basic Redacting.
For first-time head cooks who want to learn the whole process of planning a meal and running a kitchen — or experienced cooks who want a refresher or learn another cook’s methods — Master Jamal Damien Marcus is teaching The Feast – Kitchen management to Clean Up.
Those who want to focus on keeping their feasts and lunches on budget will want to go to Baroness Oddkatla Jonsdottir’s class on How to Make a Period Dayboard for $2. Afterward, check out the roundtable discussion Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina is leading on Saving Feast Costs.
Need to improve some cooking or baking skills? Mistress Rowan will show you how to make and roll out Pie Crust! Lady Ragna Feilan walks you through Cleaning and Cooking with Cast Iron 101. Lord Bovvi will teach you How to Clean Fish. And if you’re interested in Cheesemaking, wander outside so Master Gille MacDhnouill can show you how to make a simple soft cheese over the firepit.
Speaking of outside…Master Gille is running an Open Fire Cooking throughout the morning for anyone who wants to play with the fire and cooking equipment available. Master Mezaros Janos is making the Medieval Food Lab available all day to teach live fire skills (including maintaining a stable temperature). There are also plans to cook various dishes, starting with simple pottages, baking, and possibly some roasting.
Inside, hands-on cooking classes include Baroness Oddkatla’s Introduction to Medieval Spanish Cooking, where you’ll make macrones, figs in the French manner, and roasted almond-stuffed dates, and Mistress Mathilde des Pyrenees demonstration on making Sambocade: An Early Cheesecake.
And if you haven’t taken Baroness Sadira bint Wassouf’s always-popular incredibly delicious Dim Sum class… go, don’t question it, just go!
Are you a bread baker? Lady Ragna will lead you on A Journey into Viking Bread, while Lady Katerin Starcke will show you how to make Bread From Beer.
We didn’t forget about the brewers; Wentliana Verch Meuric and Meuric ap Gwillim will explain how Soda Pop Is Period or the Basics of Fermentation.
If you’re trying to figure out what books to add to your personal library, Mistress Alicia Langland has organized a cookbook and food resource library for you to peruse. The books will not leave the library area, but gentles are welcome to use the copier/scanner or snap photos of pages.
Mistress Alicia is also leading a roundtable discussion on Medieval Gardens for those who like to grow food as much as cook it!
By the way, both lunch and dinner are included in your event registration and all of the food cooked in the morning’s classes will be served for lunch. Yes, everything cooked in the afternoon classes will be served for dinner. Don’t worry — there will be a break to eat, so you won’t miss any classes.
From Mistress Alicia Langland, Chancellor of the Æthelmearc Æcademy:
Were you one of the many artisans who devoted uncounted hours to researching, crafting, and documenting your Ice Dragon entry?
Photo by Lady Aine ny Allane.
So much time and effort went into your piece … Wouldn’t it be nice to have all that work transcend a single event?
Why not have your Pent entry do double duty by using what you’ve created as the basis for a class?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Historical Background Class
The research you did for your entry provides you with the historical background and practices needed to understand who, when, where, why, and how someone in the Middle Ages would have crafted your item. This information would also be of interest to students in a class. In a Historical Background class based on your research, you might include information about:
the item’s time period, culture, or geographical area
the artifact, illustration or painting, historical document, or website that inspired your work
how your item would have been produced in the Middle Ages or Renaissance
additional books, websites, and other sources you used for researching your project
Sharing this information will speed your students on their way toward creating their own versions.
How-I-Did-It Class
Chances are, as you created your item, you had to make decisions along the way. A class in which you describe in detail the decisions you made — about tools, materials, and procedures — would be of immense help to someone who’s always wanted to try doing what you’ve accomplished. In a How-I-Did-It class based on your entry, you might include information about:
what tools and materials you used to make your item, why you chose them, and where you obtained them (If you made the tools you used, include how you did that as well!)
what techniques you used and why you used them
any particular steps you would change if you were to do this project again
Especially helpful — in addition to your finished project, of course — would be any practice pieces or missteps. Sharing problems to avoid or solutions that worked for you would give your students confidence that they, too, can be successful.
Make-and-Take Class
With the knowledge and skills gained by creating your entry, you can help others make their own great thing. By providing tried-and-tested materials and demonstrating recommended techniques, you can help your students avoid time-consuming and costly mistakes. In a Make-and-Take class based on your entry, you might provide:
(for a reasonable fee) supplies and materials needed to make the item
loaner tools needed to make the item
step-by-step instructions needed to make the item
If you took progress photos of your entry as you worked on it, these would provide you with a step-by-step format to follow in your class. Sharing the photos with the class would help visual learners — those who learn best by seeing — understand and remember what you’ve said. They would also serve as a reminder for students who continue working after the class is over.
You’ve already done so much work to create your piece … in fact, much of the work of putting together a class is already done!
If you have questions about how to turn your Ice Dragon entry into a class, please contact me at ae.aecademy@aethelmearc.org
azing Zoom background competition, a heraldry consultation table, Court, and the space and time to enjoy each others’ company.
