Category: Officers

End of Year Letter

With the end of one year and the beginning of another, it is the traditional time to reflect on the year past and the year to come. I am always pressed to find the words to express just how highly I think of everyone in this Barony. I am honored to serve as your Seneschal and proud of what we as a Barony accomplish every year. The kindness, talent, generosity, enthusiasm, knowledge, and volunteerism shown by all of you is inspiring.
From gathering items for gift baskets for the Royalty to sharing your expertise to train new martial participants you are all amazing volunteers. The countless hours that you put towards helping make the Barony, the Kingdom, and the SCA a vibrant organization is truly a gift to each of us. Your efforts are seen and appreciated.

Here are some highlights from the last year:

January
This year started with a lovely, smallish Baronial Twelfth Night, run by THL Elss and Lady Kathryn, where so many people received recognition from our Baron and Baroness, including the The Royal Livery Company (the first time they were recognized). It was also where we got to see Mistress Graidhne elevated to the Order of the Laurel.

February
Lady Zianna generously donated new list ropes for our use in indoor combat. They were immediately used for the Carnegie Science Center Demo where we had over 100 people join us to make this Demo so successful we are invited back and in a leading role. The William Blackfox awards were announced and the BMDL took home six awards. We also had a very successful Tavern in the Park event autocratted by THL Elss and Lady Elsa.

April
Baron Leonard passed away mid-month, which was a significant blow to the Barony as a whole. We had a demo at CCAC South that was very successful. The Comet Persuivant began a project to make Baldrics for everyone participating in a martial activity at Pennsic. The Brewers Guild came out of dormancy and set their first meeting date.

June
We hosted the Known World Heralds and Scribes event, coordinated by Master Alaric and THL The baldrics for martial activities at Pennsic were finished and handed out to as many people as possible, the rest to be distributed at Pennsic. We also had an Iron Comet event, autocratted by Don Jorundr and the Barony got new Champions.

July/August
PENNSIC – As always, the BMDL was everywhere – volunteering, coordinating,

September
The Barony hosted the first ever Known World Commedia gathering. We had the pleasure of hosting so many talented visitors and rumor has it that it’s going to be held again.

October
Agincourt, now in its 12th year, was held during its traditional weekend and was autocratted by Baroness Constance and Meesteres Odriana.

November
We had our traditional Harvest Revel Barony Meeting at the Castle – there was pie, GLORY!!!, singing, pumpkin launching, and fellowship.

December
We had our first joint fencing practice with Broken Plow, which will now be held the first Sunday of the month at the Broken Plow studios in Creighton, PA. We also had end-of-year retrospectives from quite a few people published on Stórfréttir. We also saw the untimely passing of Lady Amanda and Jamie MacMichael, over which most of us are still processing our grief and our hearts are with their families.

The coming year is starting out just as full as last year —
Kingdom Twelfth Night on 5 January.
Baronial Twelfth Night a week later, 12 January, where we will also have our Barony Meeting.
Aethelmearc Grand Tournament on 2 February.

There was a recent call for letters for the Office of Baronial Minister of Arts and Sciences, those letters are due at our February Business Meeting on Wednesday, 6 February. If you are interested in the position or serving as a Deputy to learn more about the realities of the office, please check out the call for letters on Stórfréttir. We welcome new people to put in letters and become part of the Barony’s Leadership.

We also have a call for letters for the Office of the Comet Persuivant. While the current Persuivant is interested in serving another two-year term, if you are interested in the position or would like to serve as a Deputy Herald to get an idea of what that job entails, please read the call for letters on Stórfréttir. Those letters are also due at our February Business Meeting.

We have the most amazing Barony in the Known World and I am perpetually impressed by the breadth and depth of opportunities that we have here, not only in knowledge but also in service and martial skill.

aude aliqid dignum*,

Odriana, Senschal

*dare something worthy

A and S — Sewing Circle – December 30th

Extra A&S Meeting in December!!

Date: SUNDAY December 30th
Time: 1 PM – 3PM more or less
NEW Location:
HackPGH
1936 5th Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(In the garage around the back of the building on Watson St.)

You can also put 1960 Watson Street, Pittsburgh, PA into your GPS.

Home

This A&S day is for all equestrians (or anyone actually) who would like to work on barding or garb. There will be sewing machines available. Please let me know if you are interested in a specific project, such as banners.

HackPGH is a maker space — sort of like the best basement or hobby room ever. We’ll be getting a tour of the facility – you won’t want to miss it.

Standard disclaimers here:
We are accessible to our less mobile friends, and have free parking on the street.

If you need assistance or have questions, please call or text me at 724-759-3333.

Thank you for asking! These meetings are free and we are generously supported by the Barony and the teachers themselves.
Elss

Call for Letters — Minister of Arts and Sciences

Greetings to the Barony from your Minister of Arts and Sciences!

It has been my privilege and great pleasure to serve the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands as the Minister of Arts and Sciences for two years. My term is coming to an end and so I call for letters from anyone who wishes to run for the office. I will not be seeking a second term, as I would like to work on activating the Food Guild.

My activities for the last two years have been:
** Collecting information on A&S-related activities in the Barony and reporting it to the Kingdom.
** Encouraging others to explore the arts and sciences by holding regular meetings with interesting guests who demonstrate their expertise in many and varied activities.
** Participating in activities such as demos and classes to support the wider A&S community.

Should you have questions about the duties associated with this position, please email me at ansminister@debatablelands.org.

Any gentle who would be considered for this two-year position is invited to send an email with a list of qualifications to me at ansminister@debatablelands.org and to the Seneshale, Meestres Odriana vander Brugghe, at seneschal@debatablelands.org.

In service to the Barony-Marche,
THL Elss of Augsburg
BMDL Minister of Arts and Sciences

A and S — Laser Cutter – December 2nd

At Protohaven this Sunday, we are using the laser cutter to make escarbaubles! (These are paper ornaments with escarbuncles on them.)

Please do find other projects more to your liking! We can help you find things on Protohaven’s computers. But if you want to search for something else, this site will give you some ideas:
https://www.thingiverse.com/search?=laser+wood&dwh=795c031f742b4de

THLady Rufina Saavedra will run the laser cutter for us, and cut out our items so we can assemble and keep them.

–Date: Sunday, December 2nd
–Time: 1 PM – 3PM
–Location: Protohaven
–Address: 214 N Trenton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
–Directions: See http://debatablelands.org/arts-and-sciences/

There is much parking on the street and in the lot, and the building is  accessible to all. The accessible entrance is not obvious, so text me when you are close so I can point the way. (724.759.3333)

Standard disclaimers here:
Protohaven takes safety very seriously, and operation of the machinery is limited to those who have been taught how to use them. Fortunately, there are people to help us, and we will still be able to complete projects with their assistance.

We are accessible to our less mobile friends, and have free parking, both on the street and in the parking lot. Service animals are welcome.

If you need assistance or have questions, please call or text me at 724-759-3333.

Thank you for asking! These meetings are free and we are generously supported by the Barony and the teachers themselves. We cannot guarantee that we will have the materials for your specific product, so feel free to bring it along.

In service to the dream,

THL Elss of Augsburg
BMDL Minister of Arts and Sciences

Thank You, from the Baron and Baroness

My Dear Barony,

The Baron and I would like to thank each and every one of you. In you, we have found friends, chosen family, teachers, mentors, inspirerers, people who are passionate about and generous with their interests, time and talents. And most beautifully, you all share these with each other – for the joy of it, and for the love of it.

We are proud, we are humbled, and most of all we are grateful. Thank you for making this hobby that is more than a hobby a place of learning, levity, and affection.

~Baron Brandubh and Baroness Hilda

A and S — NEW Location! – November 4th

A&S IS MOVING!

WHY?___The weather continues to limit our activities at Washington Boulevard, and the coming winter means we need an indoor space.

WHERE?___It is very exciting to be meeting at Protohaven! We will be able to do so many more things! This is a maker space at 214 N Trenton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. It is a couple of miles from the martial practice field, very near Wilkensburg. See the website below for a link to directions.

WHEN?___Starting November 4th, we will meet there every first Sunday of the month from 1pm to 3pm. We may need to reschedule because of the weather or holidays, but there will be at least one A&S meeting every month, and possibly more.

WHAT?___Protohaven has lots of cool equipment, such as sewing machines, laser cutters, a wood shop, and tons of other things to play with. There is plenty of parking in the lot and on the street, and is accessible to all.

Possible projects include making keepsake boxes, armor stands, banner-painting, and making a frame to paint your banner on. Let’s hear your ideas!

WHO?___As always, everyone is welcome. Service animals are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER___Protohaven takes safety very seriously, and operation of the machinery is limited to those who have been taught how to use them. Fortunately, there are people to help us, and we will still be able to complete projects with their assistance.

See http://debatablelands.org/arts-and-sciences/ for directions.

In service to the dream,

THL Elss of Augsburg
BMDL Minister of Arts and Sciences

As always, if you need to contact me, text 724.759.3333 or email me at ansminister@debatablelands.org

A and S — Trinket Boxes – November 4th

What do you keep all your site tokens in? What about a box?

At Protohaven this Sunday, we will make boxes, using the laser cutter. On this our first visit, we will get a tour of the space, and learn what equipment we can use. Then comes the exciting part: THLady Rufina Saavedra will run the laser cutter for us, and cut out wooden boxes so we can assemble and keep them.

Date: Sunday, November 4th
Time: 1 PM – 3PM    Did you turn your clock back 1 hour??
Location: Protohaven
Address: 214 N Trenton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Directions: See http://debatablelands.org/arts-and-sciences/
There is much parking on the street and in the lot, and the building is accessible to all. The accessible entrance is not obvious, so text me when you are close so I can point the way. (724.759.3333)

Standard disclaimers here:
We are accessible to our less mobile friends, and have free parking, both on the street and in the parking lot.

If you need assistance or have questions, please call or text me at 724-759-3333.

Thank you for asking! These meetings are free and we are generously supported by the Barony and the teachers themselves.
Elss