Category: Activities

Mellon Park Herb Garden

I recently received a flyer from the Point Breeze Organization about the Mellon Park Herb Garden:

The Elizabethan Herb Garden beds include culinary and medicinal herbs, a fragrance garden, a dye garden, a knot garden, a tea herb garden, a Shakespeare garden, and a rose garden. The Pittsburgh 250 Garden celebrates the 250th birthday of the city of Pittsburgh, and includes vegetables, fruits, and herbs that were grown at Fort Pitt (now Point State Park) at that time. This summer, a section with edible herbs and herbs native to Africa has been added.

Wikipedia lists the Mellon Park Shakespeare Garden/Elizabethan Herb Garden as one of only 34 such gardens in the world!

This garden is definitely worth a visit if you have the chance. Mellon Park is right along 5th Avenue, and quite near the practice site. On Sundays, you can park right on 5th Avenue!

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.

Announcing the New Defender of the Sun!

Hello Debatable Lands! Salve Accolens!

What a lovely day for a Stellar Tournament! Today saw on the field of Honor, seven of our most dedicated heavy fighters, with our outgoing Defender, THL Boden fighting the byes in the List. And in the finals, winning against Master Kieran MacRae…

Master Jussi Laplein!!! Your new Vindex Solis, Defender of the Sun!

The next Sun List (Heavy) will be on October 17th during practice.

Thank you to our Fighters, MoLs (Lady Vika and Jessica), Marshal (Sir Koredono), and Herald (Baron Brandubh), and Master Kieran for the lists.

The next Stellar Tourneys will be Sky List (Archery) on Sept 19th, and Moon List (Rapier) on Oct 3rd. Watch this space for further announcements. See you there!

In Levitate et Caritate,

Baroness Hilda

Henry VIII – Tonight!

It’s Shakespeare Movie Night TONIGHT! We will show Henry VIII
(BBC Production) starting at 8:15pm, followed by a chat after the movie.
This showing will be online only.

He was a man of an unbounded stomach. This performance features the BBC
Production. We hope to see you there! Watch from the comfort of your living
room via the AEther.

Please contact Alaric at alaric (at) pobox (dot) com for the Zoom room
information (or see the linked document). He can also be reached via DM on
Discord (Alaric#9264). Get your information before the movie starts, if
possible, as Alaric is also watching and might not see your request to join
right away.

Henry VIII – Friday Night

Greetings All!

It’s Shakespeare Movie Night! On Friday, August 20th we’ll show Henry VIII
(BBC Production) starting at 8:15pm, followed by a chat after the movie.
Due to the high level of community transmission of COVID in our area, this
showing will be online only. This is also the final Shakespeare Movie
night (for now).

He was a man of an unbounded stomach. This performance features the BBC
Production. We hope to see you there! Watch from the comfort of your living
room via the AEther or join us at Alaric & Elsbeth’s. Some come to take
their ease and sleep an act or two.

Here is the link to the schedule for the movie nights scheduled through
August (including the Zoom link):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EhlgwgRZ923RhRJrCPIXsHEhWI1eJJigCv2YRLEavrE/edit?usp=sharing

Please contact Alaric at alaric (at) pobox (dot) com for the Zoom room
information (or see the linked document). He can also be reached via DM on
Discord (Alaric#9264). Get your information before the movie starts, if
possible, as Alaric is also watching and might not see your request to join
right away.

Hope to see some of you there!

Alaric & Elsbeth

Archery joins the Stellar Tourney this Sunday!

Archers of the Debatable Lands,

As you’ve no doubt already heard, this Sunday a new list will be added to the Stellar Tourney! We have a Defender of the Sun and a Defender of the Moon. Now we seek to name a Defender of the Sky! And who better to defend the sky than the archers?

Join us at the Washington Boulevard site on Sunday August 15th at 11:00am as we hold our usual practice. Then around 12:45 we will shut down the range and begin the tournament at 1:00pm. All are welcome to compete!

The format of the Sky List tournament (like the format for all of our archery championships) is a surprise and the targets and rules will be different every month, so be ready for anything. See if you have what it takes to become the Debatable Lands Defender of the Sky!

If you have any questions or if you would like to request loaner gear please email me at archerymarshal (at) debatablelands (dot) org.

Yours in service,
Rónán Ó Conaill
Captain of Archers

***Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.***

Arts & Sciences in the Park

Your A&S Minister has no organized activity lined up, but if people want to spend some time in the open air working on their own personal projects, I will probably be at the Washington Boulevard practice site some time before noon until some time in the afternoon.

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Tonight!

Greetings All!

It’s Shakespeare Movie Night! On Friday, July 23rd we’ll show The Merry Wives of Windsor (BBC Production) starting at 8:15pm, followed by a chat after the movie. We’re offering in person gatherings, some outdoors, weather permitting.

Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. This performance features the BBC Production. We hope to see you there! Watch from the comfort of your living room via the AEther or join us at Alaric & Elsbeth’s. Thou are the Mars of malcontents.

Here is the link to the schedule for the movie nights scheduled through August (including the Zoom link): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EhlgwgRZ923RhRJrCPIXsHEhWI1eJJigCv2YRLEavrE/edit?usp=sharing

Please contact Alaric at alaric (at) pobox (dot) com for the Zoom room information (or see the linked document). He can also be reached via DM on Discord (Alaric #9264). Get your information before the movie starts, if possible, as Alaric is also watching and might not see your request to join right away.

If you plan to join us in person, you must be fully vaccinated (2 weeks past your last shot) per request of the homeowners. In person attendees must notify me in advance (email: alaric (at) pobox (dot) com, or Alaric #9264 on Discord) that you plan to attend (don’t show up at the door). I’ll provide the address when you request to attend in person. In person requests must be made no later than 5pm on Friday, July 23rd.

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

Hope to see some of you there!

Alaric & Elsbeth

Let’s Make Target Stands

Once more the passage of time (time flies like an arrow, they say) has wrought its depredations on our Barony’s archery target stands. Two years ago, the Debatable Lands A&S community and the Woodworking Guild banded together to make new target stands, and we are planning to do so once again this Sunday, July 18th!

Two of the new stands, at practice.
Two open archery target stands, with archery practice in the background.

Come learn or practice some basic woodworking skills while providing service to the Barony and its Archers! Join us at the Washington Boulevard site from 11am to 2pm, the same time as Archery Practice. Please wear close-toed shoes, and bring your protective gear like gloves, eye protection, and mask.

Captain of Archers Ronan is providing materials, Master Alaric is providing a good set of instructions, and I’ll be bringing tools. Feel free to bring your own tools if you have them.

See you Sunday!

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

Virtual Known World Arts & Sciences Display

I just heard about this today, so I apologize if this notice seems late. (Thank you Scheiny for posting someplace non-Facebook!). It seems that the staff of what would have been the Pennsic Arts & Sciences Display are hosting the display online this year since there is no Pennsic.

https://sites.google.com/view/kwasdisplay

They will be making online space available to host your photos and documentation, and scheduling zoom meetings for people to discuss their work with interested parties. Registration deadline is August First, so get your act together if you are interested! We normally have a pretty good showing at the Pennsic display, so I am hoping some of us have something ready to go.

Let me (ansminister {at} debatablelands {dot} org) know once your stuff is up, and I will post links here to direct viewers to your entry!