Additional A+S at Iris Festival

In addition to the two activities listed in the previous Iris Festival Arts and Sciences post, here are two Arts and Sciences activities being run at this weekend’s Japanese Iris Festival event (June 4, 2022 – 121 Brady’s Run Rd, Beaver Falls, PA 15010).

The first (third?) is the Kingdom Equestrian Championship A&S Competition. This competition is required for anyone competing for the Kingdom Equestrian Championship. Only those participating in the championship will be judged towards that competition, though items can be cross-entered in the Iron Comet A&S Competition and Festival A&S Display.

The second (fourth?) is origami instruction from Lady Maire ni Cathal ui Conchobar. This is intended as a children’s activity, but Lady Maire will not be checking the IDs of participants, so all are welcome. If you or your companions want to try out some origami paper folding, please stop by the A&S pavilion.

The Festival A&S Display and Iron Comet A&S Competition are both still planned for this event. Performance entries for the Iron Comet competition are scheduled to be presented from 1pm-2pm in the A&S Pavilion.

Locals Receive A&S Recognition at War Practice

From the court report of Æthelmearc War Practice XXXI:

  • The Honorable Lady Shirin al-Sussiyya elevated into the Order of the Laurel
  • Lady Aurelia Argentia Prima inducted into the Order of the Fleur

Scrolls went out from the following local scribes:

  • Youth Champion scroll for Hjotr Sigvardison, calligraphy by The Honorable Lady Nichola Beese
  • Fleur promissory scroll for Baroness Elena de la Palma by The Honorable Lady Rachel Daliceaux
  • Award of Arms scroll for Natalia Nighteskias with illumination by Katrina Beese and calligraphy by Mistress Graidhne ni Ruaidh
  • Millrind scroll for Lady Aaliz de Gant by The Honorable Lady Gesa von Wellenstein
  • Laurel scroll for The Honorable Lady Shirin al-Sussiyya by Lady Rose O’Tierrany
  • Pelican writ to Sir Michael of Northwood by Master Kieran MacRae
  • Laurel writ to The Honorable Lady Ottilige Rappoltsweiler by The Honorable Lady Aurelia Argentia Prima

My apologies if I missed anybody. Please let me know and I will add items to this list for the permanent record.

Iris Festival Arts and Sciences

There are two Arts and Sciences activities being run at next month’s Japanese Iris Festival event (June 4, 2022 – 121 Brady’s Run Rd, Beaver Falls, PA 15010).

The first is the Iron Comet A&S Competition. The competition has no theme, and accepts all types of projects. The competition is mandatory for anyone in the Iron Comet Challenge, but it is open to everyone. Anyone can win, but only those participating in the martial competitions will receive tournament points.

The second is the Festival A&S Display. The display is also open to any type of project, but projects displaying arts of Eastern Asia are encouraged. There are no points awarded, no judging, and no winner. Please bring all your most interesting, most useful, most attractive, and most intense projects to show. Research and instruction are not required, but we would love to see any supporting documentation if you have it, and enjoy having you answer questions about your work if you’re not busy elsewhere. You can display as many items as you wish, but if you need a lot of room please consider bringing your own tables and possibly your own shelter.

Both activities will be under shelter, but this event is primarily outdoors so please be prepared to protect your entries from stray raindrops and errant breezes. By site policy, no glass bottles are allowed.

You do not need to register your entries or display items ahead of time, but if you want to send email to let event staff know what you are bringing or if you have any questions, please contact “ansminister (at) debatablelands.org”.

Missive from the Ice Dragon A&S Pentathlon Coordinator

The folks who are planning on entering special instruction categories need to contact me by midnight tonight [February 15th]:

Several categories have special preparation needs, especially this year Entrants are required to contact the Pent Coordinator before registering

These categories are:
 – Beverages
 – Culinary Arts
 – Curiosa
 – Performance Arts

They have until the regular registration deadline of March 1st to upload their documentation, etc. – today is only pre-registration to indicate intent of entering.

Everybody’s documentation and photos, etc in all categories except written word and the written part of Applied Research needs to be uploaded by March 1st.

You cannot keep finetuning your documentation and turn the final version in at the event. The judges will start looking at stuff on March 2.

Mistress Cori

Virtual Æcademy This Saturday!

Don’t forget, Æ thelmearc’s Virtual Æ cademy and War College is this Saturday! Here’s the schedule and Zoom login info. Take a look!

The Virtual Æcademy class schedule for Saturday is live on the Kingdom A&S Website:http://aeans.aethelmearc.org/sched-aecad-f21/

There are TWO sheets! The class schedule on the opening page and the description of the classes on the next sheet. Also there are EIGHT breakout class rooms, so use those horizontal and vertical scrollbars!


The zoom info for the event is:
Topic: 2021 Fall Æcademy and War College
Time: Dec 11, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/88342585365?pwd=bUpuOHA5NXQxdEF6YmZYaDkzMVBWZz09
Meeting ID: 883 4258 5365
Passcode: 123456

One tap mobile+19292056099,,88342585365# US (New York)+13126266799,,88342585365# US (Chicago)

November Stellar Tourneys!

Hello Debatable Lands!

The next Stellar Tournaments will be:

Sky List – Archery – Sunday, November 14th at practice
Sun List – Heavy Fighting – Sunday, November 21st, at practice
Moon List – Rapier Fighting – Sunday, November 21st, at practice

(Weather, permitting of course. If our marshals cancel practice, the tourneys will be likewise canceled.)

Read more about this month’s Sky List (Archery) here.

We have a special treat for November’s Sun and Moon List, in that both the heavy and rapier fighters will be competing in side-by-side lists!

This special cross-over is a great opportunity for fighters to observe similarities and differences in fighting styles, and enjoy each others’ camaraderie. This is likewise an opportunity for MoLs, Heralds, and Listrunners to gain experience in running multiple lists at once.

We will be breaking from Stellar Tournaments in December, but will resume (if safe) in the new year!

Turlough’s Pouch Project

If you were able to attend the recent coronation event, or if you are an avid reader of Court Reports, you probably saw this item:

Her Majesty was very pleased by the Arts and Sciences display and wanted to recognize her choices for the day, Turlough Feolain and Douceline de la Hay, with rings from her hand.

Final Court of Maynard and Liadain Coronation, 25 September a.s. 56

Turlough is local to the Barony, but he and his spouse Finé (fee-nyuh) joined just before lockdown, so not everybody knows them well. Together they built the vardo camping trailer that you may have seen at the Barony meeting. So what was Turlough displaying at Coronation? I reached out to Turlough regarding this project and he sends:

This is a fancy kidney pouch with brass mounts and buckle. The body has “accordion” side panels that allow it to hold more than one would guess, a modern contrivance for cell phone accommodations. The fine black leather is layered with a second thicker leather for sturdiness. The pouch is decorated with red stitching and the closure strap has a simple tooling pattern for added visual interest.

Crown: A Banner Day for the Debatable Lands!

Salve Accolens! Hello Debatable Lands!

I bring you news of Crown Tournament, held in the Shire of Misty Highlands on August 21st. VIVANT to the Kingdom’s new Heirs, Prince Gareth and Princess Juliana!!! So many wonderful things happened for and by our Barony members and former members. Time to share!

In Royal Court, Their Majesties in Their wisdom:

-Awarded Mistress Antoinette a Golden Escarbuncle and Baroness Shirin an Award of Excellence and wished them well as they transferred the office of Slyvan Signet to Master Jonathan

-Awarded now-Lady Forveleth Arms

– Awarded 3 other AoAs to Debatable Landers not present and bade Baroness Hilda to convey them. We will do so at our Baronial Court on Sept 11.

-Named the Moneyers’ Guild the Principal of a new order – the Order of Crowns Treasure, which is for those that go above and beyond in contributing largesse. The Guild is a Kingdom Guild, but many are Debatable Landers! The new Bookmaker activity at Crown Tourney, for example, was run and coins made by Earl Byron, THL Guillaume, Lady Violetta, Lady Argentia, THL Nicola (ooh, spoiler!) and our neighbors Master Ian and Master Annais.

-Awarded Lady Dorothea a Keystone for service

-Gave Lord Ronan a Cornelian, the Kingdom’s award for Courtesy

-Surprised His Excellency Baron Brandubh with an Augmentation of Arms, which allows the recipient to use elements of the Kingdom Arms in their own personal heraldry.

-Inducted THL Nicola Beese into the Order of the Fleur d’Aethelmearc, the Grant Order for Arts and Sciences

-Inducted our neighbor THL Sumayya al Ghaziyah into the Order of the Millrind, the Grant Order for Service.

-Inducted our former Baronial Seneschal (now Kingdom Seneschal) Mistress Illadore into the Order of the Pelican

-(and other wonderful things for our neighbors around the Kingdom!)

The Baron and I would like to thank the folks that contributed to the gift basket for the new Baron and Baroness of Blackstone Mountain: The Debatable Lands Brewers’ Guild, Lady Tristan for her beautiful embroidered napkins, and Mistress Arianna for her lovely handwoven trim! And to THL Hara and Lord Owen for retaining for us. Vivant!

A VERY special thank you to Master Ishiyama for handing me a HUGE stack of new Baronial stickers!! one with the black comet badge and one with our motto, Salve Accolens (which means “Hello Neighbors!”) on a yellow background. Ask me (or him) for them!

A BIG WELCOME to the folks for whom it was their first in-person SCA event: Rei, Eleanor, Austin, and Lady Forveleth (our Exchequer), and anyone I missed!

Also, to the Debatable Landers serving at the event, you rock! I’m sure I didn’t see everyone, so forgive me if I miss you: Meesteres Odriana and Baroness Soteria for MOLing; Lord Ronan, Baron Edward, THL Kuma, and Forveleth as Heralds for the tourney and procession; THL Boden, Master Ishiyama, THL Hara, and Otto as banner-bearers (Boden resplendent in his Defender of the Sun baldric!) Don Jorundr, Baron Brandubh, Lord Owen and Master Kieran for heralding for the Kingdom; the Moneyers Guild folks (above) for the new Bookmaker activity and the site tokens; the MANY folks who ran Mistress Illadore’s reception and provided reception food; Countess Ali, who provided social media updates; Duke Sven and Duchess Siobhan for serving as Their Majesties Chamberlains; many folks that helped set-up and tear-down (so many I didn’t write them down!) A special thank you to Otto, Makilah, Don Marcus, and THL Sumayya for helping with our personal pack-in and pack-out, too!

And of course, to the combatants and their inspirations who fought and inspired honorably: Count Byron and Countess Ariella for each other, Sir Maghnus for Brehyres Gwendolyn, our neighbor Syr Hagar for Baroness Anna Eisenkopf, our former members THL Lothar for THL Sumayya, and Lord Patrokles for Fox.

A Banner Day for the Barony! Celebrate!

In Levitate et Caritate,
Baroness Hilda

AAR – Arts and Sciences Practice

It was a small but mighty A&S practice this past Sunday at the Washington Boulevard practice site. The day was sunny and beautiful, and there was only a faint occasional whiff of sulfur from the sewer vent.

Ishiyama brought a wooden bench he’d made, then sat on it while practicing braiding. Forveleth showed off some wire and bead jewelry, and some tablet weaving, and worked on an embroidery project. Li stopped by on the way to Archery practice, and showed off a Chinese helm and a small but mighty crossbow.

It was a wonderful day to spend in the park, and so amazing to see real people again in person now that it is safe. We wore our masks and kept our distance anyway, but amazing to be together with our neighbors enjoying the day. Salve Accolens!

AAR – Woodworking Field Trip

This is just a brief After Activity Report about the Woodworking Guild Field Trip this past Friday. Only a few of us managed to make it, but it was totally worth the trip. The main reason we went there was that Morikawa Rei mentioned that even though the price of construction lumber has gone up five-fold over the past year, woodworking lumber places like Woodcraft have not re-priced their stock. So, what looked like expensive specialty materials a year ago now looks like reasonably priced wood.

In addition to that, when Rei, Turlough Feolain, and I arrived on Friday; Woodcraft had just received a shipment of off-cuts that they were selling at a serious discount. They had a stock of rough cut cherry, maple, cypress, and oak boards, in 4/4 and 8/4 thickness for $5 and $10 each! Not very wide and most only ~3 feet long, but still.

Turlough was looking to make some tool handles, so the thick lumber was just perfect. Rei is planning to make some furniture, so being able to get more than enough furniture-grade lumber at a discount price was perfect. I bought some lumber, too, but I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with it. I’ve been thinking of doing some turning.

Oak (top) and Cherry (bottom) 2 Inches Thick!

Anyway, they probably still have a lot of that stuff left, so if you need nice lumber at a nice price, it’s worth the drive down to Canonsburg. Thanks for suggesting the field trip, Rei! I also spoke briefly to an employee, and they have a classroom there where we might be able to have meetings or workshops.