Officers

Business Meeting Recap and Candlemas Survey

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Greetings Barony! A couple of key pieces of information I want to make sure everyone sees from our September business meeting: – We are voting electronically on what type of bids we want to accept for Candlemas: virtual, in person, both, or neither. Please use the below link to vote! Since this took me an … Read more

Are you excited?! Join us for Populace hangout tonight in Discord

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Tonight, 7pm, BG Discord server! Virtual populace hangout! Join is voice or text chat until 9p. Rapier drills with Orazio! Warm up, Stretch, hone your muscles and learn stuff! Heraldic consultations with Sigrun Minecraft building and event prep! Hop into discord and get your systems ready for our event on Saturday!!! Join the discord server … Read more

Business Meeting and Events and Platforms, oh my!

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Greetings Populace! As many of you know, tomorrow night is our monthly business meeting, the details for which can be found on the Baronial Calendar or the Facebook Event. We have quite a bit of business and would greatly appreciate the attendance and input of our populace. Here is the agenda. 1) The zoom meeting … Read more

Excited about our event but, struggling with Discord? Let us help you!

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We’ve got an event coming up in 8 DAYS! It’s right around the corner, and it’s going to be held in Discord. Some folks are new to Discord and might be nervous about trying it out. We want to help you with that. There are EIGHT opportunities between now and the event to join discord … Read more

Missed the Final NCA Class? We’ve got you covered!

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NCA Badge

That’s right, the final NCA Class of the Summer 2020 offering is now available for watching! Check out the video below View them all on the Newcomer Acadmey website! Catch all of the videos on the Bryn Gwlad YouTube Channel Join us on October 3 to celebrate our Newcomer Academy Graduates at the Bryn Gwlad … Read more

Clothiers Guild Meeting — Tomorrow Night!

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What: Clothier’s Guild MeetingWhen: 24 SeptemberTime: 6pm – 9pmWhere: BG Discord Server, #guild-meetings channel Join us in Discord for our monthly Clothiers Guild meeting! Theme is most useful accessory: fancy or plain, made or bought. Show and tell your purse, hat, belt, ruff, garter, veil, hair-lacing, sewing kit, partlet, hood… Or just come on by … Read more

You have the power to Recognize others!

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Have you seen someone making great SCA art? Have you seen someone doing awesome research? Have you seen someone demonstrating combat skills? Have you seen someone teaching? Have you seen someone volunteering to help with things? Have you seen someone you think should be recognized for what they’re doing? Our Fall Event is fast approaching!This … Read more

Familiar with OBS? Interested in attending a class or two? I need you!

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Good afternoon, Bryn Gwlad! Our event is fast approaching, and I am looking for a few people who are…. 1. Familiar with (or willing to learn about) software like OBS for screen recording 2. Available on 3 October and can attend a class or two during our fall event 3. Able to share the recording … Read more

Fall Baronial Schedule is LIVE!

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Dearest Barony of Bryn Gwlad and Friends,

We are fast approaching the 2 weeks-out-mark for our upcoming event, and I have good news! The class schedule is LIVE (both classes and minecraft activities)! The Discord server is ready!

Please take some time to visit our event page and look at the exciting activities we have planned — classes, discussions, virtual archery shoots, tournaments, and more!

Hunt for the truth behind Heraldry as Art and personal expression…

Discover the secrets to fight analysis…

Dive into the magic of wet felting…

Explore the phenomenal creations in our Minecraft server…

…and much, much more

If you notice information that is incorrect or missing, please feel welcome to DM me via Facebook, Discord, or email (kolfinnakyrii@yahoo.com).

In Service,

Lady kolfinna inn kyrra Ottarsdottir
Fall 2020 Event Steward

VPiP — Tuesday Training — NCA Video Available — Event Prep for You!

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Join us tonight for a virtual populace hangout in Discord! https://discord.gg/kCT4fRu Introduce yourself if you are new to the server Join the “populace” voice channel Want to brush the rust off your rapier muscles? Join us for an hour-long (come and go as you like) session with warm up, stretches, and rapier strengthening drills https://discord.gg/kCT4fRu … Read more

PiP Tonight – Minecraft Challenge Begins – Rapier Drills

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We have a busy night tonight! Tonight is our weekly populace hangout in Discord. Join the server, hang out, talk, see people’s faces. Orazio and I will be running rapier drills starting at 7pm to 8pm in Discord. All skill levels welcome. Join us in the tuesday-training voice channel. We will do: 6 minute warmup … Read more

NCA Class: Events and Volunteering is available to watch!

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The most recent NCA class, Events and Volunteering, is now available to watch on our YouTube Channel!! We are in the process of collecting the recording files for the other classes from this summer, and will add them to the playlist as we get the files. In service, kolfinna inn kyrra Otarsdottir BG Webmin

Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes

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What is this? WALKING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOESAwareness Training Activity (Feb 2019)Gigi Coulson, Interim Society DEI Officer This is an Awareness Training Activity created by Gigi Coulson. The activity consists of two parts: Reading the experiences and feedback shared by people on the following categories Comfortableness with the Climate of DEI in the SCA Do … Read more

Covid 19 Update for the Barony

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Greetings, populace and friends of Bryn Gwlad! I am writing you to provide an update on the state of activities within the barony and our plans locally for when we will resume in-person activities. Currently, Bryn Gwlad just entered our second week at phase 1 on the Ansteorran Martialate Practices Reopen Plan. The officers of … Read more

Equity and Inclusion 101 – Slides

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Equity and Inclusion 101DEI in the SCA Gigi Coulson, May 2019 Goals of the presentation: Build a shared understanding of the concepts of equity and inclusion Increase awareness of DEI in the Society Develop skills to promote equity and inclusion Sections of the presentation: Terms DEI Officer, SCA Mission, Core Values, Chivalric Virtues, Agreements we … Read more

Tuesday Activity Lineup – 4 Aug

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Looking for some SCA time tonight? There are a few things you can jump into! Things happening tonight, 4 August 2020: Bryn Gwlad’s Virtual Populace Hangout starting around 7pm — hop into Discord for text, voice, and video chat New to discord? Check out these guides and join the Bryn Gwlad server here! Heraldic Consultation … Read more

DEI – What does that mean?

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You’ve probably seen or heard the terms “diversity”, “equity”, and “inclusion” before. We’ve said them a number of times in this blog already. …but what do they actually mean? What does it mean to “be diverse” or “foster diversity?” Can you have a “diverse person?” What does it mean to “be inclusive?” What does it … Read more

Populace Hangout Tonight!

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Looking to spend some time chatting with fellow Bryn Gwladers? Want an excuse to check out Discord before our event in October? Join us tonight (28 July) from 7pm til 9pm (ish) for our Tuesday night Populace Hangout! Who: Anyone in Bryn Gwlad, anyone in the SCA, anyone interested in socializing with usWhen: 7pm – … Read more

Business Meeting tonight, 07/27; round table this weekend

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Greetings, populace! I know it has been hard not being able to meet in person. Practices have been halted and events cancelled or postponed while we do our part to ensure the pandemic gets under control, but there are still opportunities to see all your favorite Bryn Gwladers and Ansteorrans! Tonight is our monthly business … Read more

Automatic Cross-Post from Website to Email List

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Good evening! Your neighborhood, friendly Bryn Gwlad Webminister here! I have been working on a project to establish an automatic cross-posting from our website blog to the Bryn Gwlad Email List. This will allow us to move one step closer to having a centralize source of Baronial Announcements and Info (the next step will be … Read more

Newcomer Academy Class – Tonight!

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Pursue your passion and discover a world of opportunity!  Come learn about the martialate activities available here at the SCA! This includes heavy/chivalric fighting (think knights of Camelot), light/rapier fighting (think the three musketeers), target and combat archery, equestrian, thrown weapons (axes, knives and spears), and more!  Teacher: Sir Maelgwyn Dda This is the 4th … Read more

Heraldry Class Zoom

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July 15th 7:00pm Zoom class for information Heraldry style – questions about a NAME ? DEVICE? BADGE? VOLUNTEERING? VOICE HERALDING ? SUBMISSIONS? Come visit – see whats happening Sigrun de Birca is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Time: Jul 15, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/4101260148?pwd=aE9LZUxlODEwdE9xRUpiQS9RZnlxdz09 Meeting ID: … Read more

King’s College: Online Event tomorrow, 13 June!

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Greetings unto the friends and populace of Bryn Gwlad! Tomorrow, Saturday the 13th of June, is Kings College! Kings College is a class-focused event where you can attend discussions and demonstrations ranging from studies of historical events to how-to guides for historical candies to round tables discussing running events in the SCA. There are 12 … Read more

Purpose for the DEI Blog

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“The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Office of the SCA is committed to promoting the values of inclusion throughout the SCA. The focus is equity, which is just and fair inclusion into an organization in which all can participate, prosper, benefit, and reach their full potential.” https://www.sca.org/dei-office/ What do “diversity”, “equity”, and “inclusion” even mean? … Read more

NCA Costume/Persona Class — Watch Here!

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The 1 June Newcomer Academy Costume/Persona Class was recorded! It is now available online for people to watch! The link below will direct you to the Zoom Recording. You do not need a Zoom account to watch the video. It’s approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes long. The full video is available here! Password:  7e$oE&0j

Upcoming Activities in May!

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Good morrow to the Barony! We have a few activities that have been added to the calendar I want to draw your attention to. Check them out below! 19 May (tonight) – Populace in the Virtual Park1900 – 2100 CSTVoice/video chat in the Baronial Discord Server 24 May – Flameworks Guild Watch Party1400 – 1530 … Read more

Officer & Guild Leads — Making Posts on the Blog

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One of the core features of WordPress is the blog. We have the ability to make announcements, blog posts, through our website to let the populace know of upcoming activities, recent changes, useful or educational information, and more. We still have to follow SCA policy, however, so I’ve summarized the relevant website policies here as … Read more

SCA 101 — 4 May — Updated Class Details

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Update for SCA101! As previously announced, the first class of the 2020 Bryn Glad Newcomer’s Academy will be held next Monday, May 4, 2020. Due to the plague ravaging the Current Middle Ages, we are moving this class online to Zoom! P.S. A reminder – this class will NOT be held in person at Nosh … Read more

Virtual Combat Resources!

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Have you been searching for a way to keep up your combat skills while we are sheltering in place? Well, SCAdians all around have been putting together online classes, demos, and discussions that you can join in on! Knowne World SCA Virtual Fighter Practice (Facebook Group) SCA Virtual Classroom and Artisan Display (Facebook Group) Virtual … Read more

Bids are in for Fall Baronial – VOTE TODAY!!

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Fall Baronial 2020 is the first weekend of October this year. We have had two presentations for event bids tonight during our Zoom Business Meeting.We are going to be using Survey Monkey to vote on which bid will be chosen.

If you want to look at the documents for each bid you can find them here on a Google Drive Folder;

Bid#1 Camp Arrow Head
Bid#2 Rockdale Fair Park

Survey Monkey Voting Link;
Voting will be open for 24 hours (Closing 8PM 4/28/2020) only so please spread the word and the links and use this chance to voice your opinion and choice.

Robert de Bray
Bryn Gwlad Seneschal

Reminder: Offices are Open for Application

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The offices of Seneschal, Rapier Marshal, Minister of Children and Webminister are Open for Applications! Applications for Rapier Marshal are due by APRIL 30, 2020. Applications for Webminsiter are due by APRIL 30, 2020. Applications for Seneschal are due by MAY 31, 2020. Applications for Minister of Children are being accepted at any time. Want … Read more

SCA 101 — Newcomer’s Academy Class – 4 May

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Good evening Newcomers! In one weeks time (Monday, May 4) we will be hosting our first class of this years session of the Bryn Gwlad’s Newcomers Academy: SCA 101. Come learn the basics of what the SCA is all about! Due to the state of affairs in the current Middle Ages, instead of meeting at … Read more

Populace in the Park is going Virtual!

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Join us tonight, 31 March 2020, at 7pm for a virtual gathering of the Populace! We had our first-ever virtual business meeting last night via Zoom, and we’re going to continue our path into an online realm by using the BG Discord to gather the populace for voice chat, text chat, and just generally hanging out. There won’t be video for this chat, though individuals can screen share if there’s something you want to show everyone.

Grab a snack, grab a drink, consider ordering food from your favorite local establishment, and log into Discord tonight for social time with the Barony!

At-Home Archery Drills!

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For all the archers that don’t have a range to visit or cannot shoot safely at home. Here are some exercises to help us maintain or build our strength. Stay safe and healthy. Looking forward to when we can all shoot together again. Practice will remain on hiatus until we receive word that it is safe to gather for shooting. Miss seeing all of you.

At-Home Archery Drills, courtesy of World Archery

Lady Maria Donald of Windmasters Hill
Bryn Gwlad Archery Marshal

Photographer’s Series – #6

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Assignment 6: take the best 5 images you created and make them even better!

This is all about post-processing using tools like Capture One, Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera RAW or whatever tool you prefer. Use skills you have or ask questions.I can help you with this at almost any skill level—seriously.

If you do not have a tool you like, most have free trials you can download.Capture One even has completely free versions if you use Sony or Fuji cameras.

Maybe Knott
Photographer’s Guild Principal

Check out the Photography Guild Page and Share your progress, ask about specific phot-editing tools, and join the discussion on the Photographer’s Guild Facebook Group!

Photographers Series – #5

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Assignment 5: time to use the skills from 1-4. Create 5 great images of your chosen subject in good light!

So you have worked on finding good angles and perspectives for your subject. You have learned about light angles and how they look on your subject. You have explored how window light works (which contributes a lot to the use of strobes, if you have not tried that yet).

Now take your chosen subject and try to create five distinct images using what you learned in the first assignments.If your subject is a person or pet, how can you get the best or most interesting expressions?

If you are not already using RAW files on your camera, please start doing so. You can set your camera to shoot RAW plus jpeg, so you still have jpegs you might be used to. But, trust me, you will be happier in the future if you get in the habit of shooting RAW now. (Plus, you’ll want RAW files for the next assignment!)

Maybe Knott
Photographer’s Guild Principal

Check out the Photography Guild Page and Share your progress and join the discussion on the Photographer’s Guild Facebook Group!

Photographer’s Assignment Series – #3

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Assignment 3: use a window for light

So this is fantastic for people, naturally, but window light is also fantastic for food or almost anything.

The relationship of the light source to the subject, as we learned in the last experiment, makes a difference. So does the angle and distance, as we learned from the first. So keep going as long as patience lasts and find out new things!

Maybe Knott
Photographer’s Guild Principal

Check out the Photography Guild Page and Share your progress and join the discussion on the Photographer’s Guild Facebook Group!

COVID-19 Update from Kingdom Seneschal

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Greetings Ansteorra,

I hope all are well and finding ways to deal with our mutual isolation. Thank you to all who have been helping put out content for people to enjoy and to all the groups having virtual meetings. Connection is still needs, glad to see folks doing so.

Originally, we had announced that all SCA Official activities would not happen in Ansteorra until March 30. Given that the situation is what it is, and mostly that it is so fluid and not predictable, I, in agreement with the Crown, am going to change that statement to not include an end date. For now, we will continue the “no official activities” for as long as needed. We will wait and see how things are looking, we will comply with government directives. I will make sure to update as we move forward. Let me know if you have questions.

We are still planning on Coronation to happen, along with Queen’s Champion and King’s Champion, on May 9th. We have been given permission by Society to hold a Virtual Event for Coronation, if needed. This permission also includes the ability of the Crown to give awards at that time, up to and including Peerages. Hopefully, we will not have to do that, but it is good to already have permission if needed.

Take care of each other, stay safe. We are Ansteorra, we are stronger than anything this situation can throw at us. We will rise again.

Avery
Kingdom Seneschal

Virtual Viking Treasure Chain Class on 26 Mar!

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Greetings, BG! Tomorrow evening [Thursday, 26 March 2020], at 7 PM on FB live, I’ll be teaching my Viking Treasure Chains (AKA Norse Festoons) class for Bonwicke’s A&S night. I hope you’ll make some time and tune in! I’ll be discussing the history of the festoons, extant examples from Norse graves, and how to make your own.

Lairde Hextilda Corbett

For more information about the class, links to join the stream, and more, check out the Class on Viking Treasure Chains (Norse Festoons) Facebook event!

Monthly Business Meeting – 30 Mar – Virtual!

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The March Business meeting for the Barony has been rescheduled for 30 March and it will be held virtually via Zoom. The officers will be having a test-run meeting tonight to make sure everything works without a hitch!

This month we will be meeting virtually via Zoom. You can download the app for your phone or tablet if you want to be able to speak and be visible. Otherwise you can just join the meeting via the link to watch and listen.https://zoom.us/j/7104142920
Meeting ID is 710 414 2920 

Sir Robert deBray
Bryn Gwlad Seneschal

Photographer’s Guild Series – #2

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Assignment 2: Pick a single subject and a light source. Keep the subject and camera in the same place and move your light source to different places.

The light above or at least at the same height is “traditional” since the sun is above, but you should feel free to experiment with it. Play with light behind, change angles around the subject. Change angle up and down. Change the way the light faces if this can be changed. So many options.

Maybe Knott
Photographer’s Guild Principal

Check out the Photography Guild Page and Share your progress and join the discussion on the Photographer’s Guild Facebook Group!

Photographer’s Guild Assignment Series – #1

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Assignment 1: pick a subject and photograph it or them from five distinct angles.

You can be in front, next to, behind, above, below, closer or further away. This could be something you have made, a family member, a pet, garb, armor or anything else.

Maybe Knott
Photography Guild Principal

Check out the Photography Guild Page and Share your progress and join the discussion on the Photographer’s Guild Facebook Group!

Photographer’s Guild Assignment Series

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Virus keeping you from going to events? Want to get your camera out and learn, practice, and discuss photography with other people? Well, the Bryn Gwlad Photographer’s Guild has an assignment series for you! Every few days, Maybe Knott (Guild Leader) will be posting assignments to the guild. Look for assignments posted here, and join … Read more

16 Mar 2020 – COVID-19 Update

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Announcement from the Bryn Gwlad Seneschal: UPDATE: All baronial activities are now cancelled until March 30th per our Kingdom Seneshcal. We will be notifying Sherwood that we will be suspending our participation for the season. Please stay tuned on details on when we will arrange to remove our booth and demo items out at Sherwood. … Read more

Bryn Gwlad is Live via WordPress!

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This has been a work in progress for some time now, but I am happy to announce that the Bryn Gwlad website on WordPress (this site, you’re on it!) is now live!

Please feel welcome to peruse the site. I’ve tried to have as much up-to-date content on here as possible. But, this is intended to be a living, growing, dynamic resource for our Barony.

If you see content that is missing, can’t find what you’re looking for, want to make an announcement, need to update calendar items, please submit feedback! There are links on each page that will allow you to submit feedback and request updates.

Lady kolfinna inn kyrra Otarsdottir
Deputy Bryn Gwlad Webminister

Greetings from the Baron & Baroness!

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Good day, good Gentles, and Welcome to the Fairest Barony in the Knowne World!

Let us extend the hand of friendship and fellowship to those brave individuals who have chosen to find out what all those people in costume are doing! We are people from all walks of life and careers: high-tech and low, college age, middle age, mom-and-dad age and children. But we all share the love of Things Medieval. We thrill to the stories of knights in shining armor and ladies fair, to minstrels singing heroic tales in the Great Hall—and we yearn to wear a sword, or don a flowing gown and veil and enter those stories. Here in the Society for Creative Anachronism you can do exactly that! Come and join us; be a part of our Baronial Champions Tournament where armor glitters and knights compete for honor and glory. Or our Feast of Candlemas, where artisans and scholars display their work, where song, poetry and dance abound, and candlelight flickers over a feast fit for a king! Welcome, my friends, to this great barony, and the Current Middle Ages.

If you have seen great acts of skill, guile, service, or note worthy actions by the populous of Bryn Gwlad or wish to contact the Baron or Baroness for any other reason please feel free to email us.

Don’t forget great acts can be acknowledged at the Kingdom level, too.

Gavin mac Giolla Ruaidh & Wentiliana le Chandeler
Baron and Baroness of Bryn Gwlad

Candlemas Class Schedule is NOW AVAILABLE!

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Update from the Candlemas Class Coordinator: The Candlemas 2020 — Festa della Candelora — class schedule is not available! There are two tabs on the sheet below, one with the class listing and one with the class schedule. Colors correlate to areas where the classes will be held to be indicated with a banner. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kLz48XoWU7nr6KJyBb-XDg3XGI1D4BH9LygvNE-YeaU/edit?usp=sharing … Read more

An Archer’s Journey

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Years ago, I was invited to attend Pennsic War by a friend of a friend who was a vendor.  This was my first introduction to the Society.  It was the equivalent of drinking from the firehose.  After a week of that craziness, I was overwhelmed, but I wanted to know more.  I’d always been a fan of the Renaissance Fairs, and thought that this was just an extension of that.  I was pleased to find that it was… and wasn’t!

Read moreAn Archer’s Journey