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May AS XXXIX |
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Bog Business Meeting May 2nd at Hiram G. Andrews Center - 6 p.m. |
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How to write an award recommendation Happy May Day or Merry Beltane Event Announcements: |
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May 2004
02, Sunday -- Bog Baronial Business Meeting at Hiram G. Andrews Center
7-8 -- Crown Tourney (Port Oasis)
11, Tuesday -- Ceili Night at Adams Memorial Library (Latrobe/BSSB)
16, Sunday -- Demo at Green Gables, noon to 4:00 p.m.
20-23 -- War Practice XV (Steltonwald)
June 2004
05, Saturday -- Spring Thing : Murder and Mayhem in the Bog (BSSB)
06, Sunday -- Bog Baronial Business Meeting at Hiram G. Andrews Center
08, Tuesday -- Ceili Night at Adams Memorial Library (Latrobe/BSSB)
12, Saturday -- Something Medieval This Way Come (King's Crossing)
19, Saturday -- AEthelmearc AEcademy (Stormsport)
July 2004
10, Saturday -- Raiders, Invaders and Privateers (Gryffins Keep)
10-11 -- Defenders' Tourney (Sylvan Glen)
16-18 -- Bog Chaos (BSSB)
24, Saturday -- Summer Picnic (Sunderoak)
For more event listings visit the Kingdom of AEthelmearc Home Page
or the SCA's home page.
Heavy Weapons Practice: Sundays, 3:30 - 7:00pm at Hiram G. Andrews Center. (Contact person: Lord Connor MacGregor, a.k.a. Chuck, at 814-736-4885 or gossard@pennswoods.net)
Fencing Practices: Wednesdays, 6pm at Kusar's & Sundays, 3:30pm - 7:00pm at Hiram G. Andrews Center. (Contact person: Lord Kusar, a.k.a. Norm Ed, at 814-244-335; 139 Clinton Street, Johnstown)
Archery Practices: no information. (Contact person: Lord Deryk, a.k.a. Joe, at 724-433-6784)
Scribal Guild: no information. (Contact person: Lady Katya, aka Cindy Leap, at 814-536-0045 or cindleap@charter.net).
Ceili Night: 2nd Tuesday* of the Month, 6:00pm to 7:30pm at Adams Memorial Library (Contact person: Rose Thorne, a.k.a. Beth Rose, at 724-850-7404 or ThornesKeep@att.net)
Bog Business Meetings: 1st Sunday* of the Month, 6:00pm at Hiram G. Andrews Center (727 Goucher Street, Johnstown, PA 15905) (Contact person: Talishar, a.k.a. Cindy Meyers, at 814-262-7189 or talishar@floodcity.net)
*Check the Calendar of Events to verify dates.
Greetings Fellow Boggers
If you haven't pre registered for Pennsic Please do
so now.
We look forward to seeing many of you at the Spring
event in Westmoreland in June and also at the Bog Three Day in July!
Spring is here!!! get ready for a fabulous summer and
as always have a safe and fun event season.
So long as the Raven flies and the Cattails grow...
Baron Aquila and Baroness AElfra
From the Chronicler
Greetings all, My term of office expires in July, and as much as
I’ve enjoyed being your chronicler, it’s time to move on to other offices and
projects. So, anyone interested in taking over, should contact me. The biggest
requirement to holding this office is access to a computer. In service to crown and bog,
As always, if you have any submissions or suggestions or artwork for the
cover or as inside filler, please contact me, Cait (aka Kathleen) at
724-238-0114 (if you get the answering machine, please leave a message) or
bogchronicler@yahoo.com.
Lady Caitilin "Cait" ni Mhaolconaire
From the Chatelaine
Demos:
May 16 – Green Gables from noon - 4:00 pm.
Questions, contact Lord Jorka the Dark.
From the Scribal Mistress
Scribal Guild will resume the first Tuesday of each month starting in May. We will meet at Lady Katya's. For More Information: cindleap@charter.net
From the Knight Marshal
Greetings Bogger's
Hey have ya heard we have a new site!!!! Great place for heavy and to just come and visit with old friends (not yet the RM but it's getting there). It is at the H.G.A. center, and it is easy to find. If you need direction let me know. Practice is from 3:30 till 7:00 on Sunday's. If there are any changes to that, I will post on the e- list and in the Sentinel (if possible). So come and fight and BS.
In service to the Bog,
Lord Connor MacGregor
Knight Marshal
If you were born in May, please check your authorization card for the expiration date!
The MOL is ready to retire from this position anyone interested
in taking over, should contact her:
Lady Emilia Madigain,
baba7@floodcity.net.
Tuesday, May 11th, from 6:00pm till 7:45pm, is the Bog's Ceili Night at the Adams Memorial Library (1112 Ligonier St., Latrobe, PA; 724-539-1972) - everyone is welcome! If interested or if you have any question, contact Rose Thorne (Beth Rose 724-850-7404 RoseThorne@att.net).
Greetings all,
Ok, if Rose sent me something for this month’s
Sentinel then I apologize to her because I’ve apparently lost her hard work.
With that I shall take it upon myself to write up a quick assessment of things
at this end.
Lady Kat held a successful ceramics class at the
Pottery Playhouse in Greensburg. So successful that the lady who owns the
Playhouse is going to allow her to post signs promoting the next workshop -
which she hopes to have in May. If you are interested in participating, contact
Lady Kat (Lori Mozina-Ogurchak, 724-838-0420 or
mozina1@earthlink.net).
At the Ceili Night, we had a new person attend and a
few new people return. Rose updated us on the status of our incipiency, which
appears to be moving along. In preparation for when we achieve our incipiency,
she asks for someone from the new group to think about running a demo or event.
If you have questions or are interested in doing one or both, please contact
Rose.
And last but not least, Spring Thing! Things are moving
along. Rose has her menu planned for lunch and feast (both sound delicious to
me). There are still a few more people who’s help needs to be enlisted, and I
hope to contact them before the May business meeting. The murder mystery appears
to be a-go, we need only one more male volunteer to participate in our play. If
anyone is welling to help out with Troll, please contact me, Lady Cait
(724-238-0114 or
snowdragon1027@yahoo.com).
I think that pretty much sums things up. We look
forward to seeing everyone at the May gathering and at the event in June!!!
In service,
Lady Caitilin ni Mhaolconaire
How to Write an Award Recommendation
by Duchess Dorinda Courtenay
Introduction
One of the greatest joys of the Crown is the opportunity to give awards to the deserving populace, but it is not always to determine who is deserving in any given reign. No two people can know everyone in a Kingdom, and this is why the Royalty needs the help of the people to advise them on the good work of their subjects. The best way to do this is via a letter of recommendation.
Who Should Write?
There are often misconceptions that only Peers can write letters of recommendation, or that a person should not write a recommendation for an award that they do not have. Neither of these is true. While it may be true that those with higher level awards may have special insight into the criteria and requirements for an award, the knowledge and insight of even the newest member of the Society is welcomed by the Royalty. Anyone who feels strongly that they know someone who is worthy of recognition should write. And write often!
When Should We Write?
The sooner the better! One of the biggest mistakes that people make is to write (or worse yet telephone) the Royalty the week before their local event and try to get awards for local folks. This is a disservice to everyone involved. The Royalty does not have proper time to determine if They wish to give the award. If They make a rush decision to give the award, the poor scribe has only days to get a scroll prepared. There may not be time to get a medallion or other items ready. If the Royalty decide to give the award at a later event, those people close to the recipient may not be present to see the award. If the Royalty decide not to give the award at all, then the person who recommended the potential recipient will be angry, and the potential recipient may not get the recognition they deserve.
A good letter of recommendation for AOAs and Orders of Merit (the Sycamore, Keystone and Golden Alce) will be delivered to the Royalty no later than eight weeks before the date of the event where the award is to be given. Six weeks is sometimes acceptable. Letters of recommendation for Peerages and orders of High Merit (the Nightingale, Millrind, White Scarf, Gage, Scarlet Guard and the White Horn) should be delivered almost as soon as the Heirs are victorious in Crown Tourney. This is necessary because the Royalty need to consult these Orders before making a final decision to give an award. This may require several weeks as they wait for the Orders to meet and discuss the candidate that was recommended.
To Whom Should We Write?
When in doubt, write to everyone! Early in a reign, letters may be sent to King and Queen. After Crown Tournament, the Heirs should also receive a copy of all letters. At some point and time in a reign, the King and Queen may request that all further letters be sent to Their Heirs. In addition to the Royalty, it does not hurt to send a copy of the recommendation for a Peerage or Order of High Merit to the Principal and the Clerk of the applicable Order. This way, the Order can get a head start on discussing the candidate.
How do I write a letter and how should it be delivered?
Recommendations should not be verbal! Some Royalty welcome recommendations via e-mail, but you should make sure that individual couples have agreed to this. Some Royalty is not comfortable with e-mail, and may not be able to keep track of your letter. Others may prefer it. A regular old paper letter, sent by the US postal service, is the most reliable method. Many people try to hand a letter to Royalty at an event, but this is risky. How many other things will they need to deal with at the event? Mail it to Their house! What Should the Letter Include? To be complete, a letter of recommendation should contain the following information:
q
· SCA name of the potential recipient (PR for short)q
· Modern name of the PRq
· Home group of the PRq
· Award for which you are recommending the PRq
· Detailed explanation of why they deserve the award -- may include past awards, offices held, competitions won, work done and moreq
· A list of events you believe they will be attendingq
· Your nameThere are sample letters attached that might be useful. One other tip is to include different recommendations for different people on separate pages. If the Royalty keep different folders for different awards, They might have trouble sorting your letter if there are too many people on each page.
Why Was the Award Not Given?
Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, a person will not receive the award you recommended. Why is that? There can be several reasons.
1. Some Royalty requires that more than one letter is received. It can not hurt to encourage your friends to join in a letter writing campaign to get someone an award. Individual letters are better than petitions, but a petition is better than no letter.
2. Your letter may have arrived too late for Their reign or not at all. (Although the Postal Service does not lose nearly as much mail as it gets blamed for losing!)
3. Your friend may just not be ready for the award yet. This is a tough one to accept, because we see all the work that our loved ones have done and we want them recognized. However, there are many criteria for receiving an award and they must all be met.
Conclusion
Don't give up! Without your input, the Royalty will be unable to recognize those individuals who have given of themselves for the good of the Society. They will look forward to hearing from you.
Sample Letters
Poor Example:
To Morguhn and Meirwen, King and Queen of AEthelmearc,
I would like to recommend my brother Charles Norris for a fighting award. He is an excellent fighter and should be recognized.
Thank you,
Mary
Notes:
We don't know who this letter is from. What is her full name? How can we contact her with questions? Does she have any credentials? The letter should contain the potential recipients SCA and modern names. Which is this? The letter does not clearly state which award level is appropriate for the recipient. There are no details around why the person should receive an award. Is the fact that he is her brother the only reason for the letter? At this point, it is a bit late to write the King and Queen - Their decisions are almost certainly already made.
Better Example
To Morguhn and Meirwen, King and Queen of AEthelmearc, Cygnus and Dorinda, Heir and Heiress and Sir James Ahearn, Principal of the Order of the Gage, does Lady Mary of London, Earl Marshal for your Shire of Endless Valleys send fond greetings.
I would like to recommend my brother, Lord Charles the Bloodthirsty (m.k.a. Charles Norris) for induction into the Order of the Gage. Charles has been an active heavy weapons fighter for the last six years, and his skills have increased significantly during that time. He is currently squired to Sir Robin of the Hood. He recently made it the quarterfinals of your Crown Tourney, and he won two local tournaments -- one here in Endless Valleys and one in your Barony of Ashland -- this past month. I feel his fighting skill is on par with those who have been previously inducted into the Gage, and I ask that you consider him.
Charles is also our local Minister of Arts and Sciences, and a fine brewer and woodworker. He is active in our local group, and he never fails to work at a local event. Last, but definitely not least, he is courteous and kind, and he brings honor to everything he touches.
Charles will almost certainly be attending all of the upcoming War Practices, the Turnip event in Endless Valleys and the annual Anvil Festival in the Canton of Worpshire.
If you are in need of any additional info, please feel free to contact me at:
Mary of London
c/o Mary Smith
123 East 1st Street
Metropolis, NY 11111
(176) 555-5555
E-mail: mary@juno.com
Yours in service,
Come all ye lads and lassies
Join in the festive scene
Come dance around the maypole
That will stand upon the green.
May Day, known to Celts as Beltane, celebrated the end of winter and return of vegetation - it was also considered by some to be the first day of summer. Celebrations often included the carrying of branches or garlands, the appointment of a May king and May queen and the setting up of a May tree or Maypole.
Please to smell my garland 'cause it is the first of May.
A branch of May I have brought you, and at your door I stand;
It is but a sprout, but it's well budded out,
The work of our Lady's hand.
– Traditional English chant used when passing out the May baskets.
In Medieval and Tudor England, May day was a great public holiday. All classes of people were up with the dawn and went "a-maying." Maypoles, decorated with colorful ribbons and wreaths, were the center of processions that included the carrying of branches of trees and flowers borne back in triumph to the towns and villages.
Away before me to sweet beds of flowers:
Love thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers.
– William Shakespeare
Beltane ("bright fire") is the Celtic name for May Day. The Celts celebrated the day with the intent of ensuring fertility to the crops, and by extension to the cattle and humans. In later centuries the lighting of bonfires became quite significant relating to the druidical whorship of the sun-god. The word is believed to derive from the Celtic god of sun, Bel or Baal or Bil, and teine, which means "fire."
One of the more interesting superstitions that came from the day was the belief that if you washed your face in the May Day morning dew you would beautify your skin.
Yesterday, being the first of May, a number of persons went
into the fields and
bathed their faces with the dew on the grass, with the idea
that it would render them beautiful.
– a London paper, 1791
In the SCA, May brings with it a new SCAdian year, more outdoor events and activities, an eagerness to meet up with old friends who we’ve not seen over the harsh winter, and a desire to make some new friends. No matter your beliefs or whether or not you celebrate the first of May, I hope you enjoy the return of the flower and leaves and (hopefully) warmer weather and sunny skies!
Sources:
Encyclopedia Britannica; and
'Round the Maypole : celebrating May Day:
www.umkc.edu/imc/mayday.htm
It was a dark and stormy night when two members of
the Barony of St. Swithin’s Bog gathered to plot a day of Murder and Mayhem. Ok,
so it wasn’t really stormy, but we did plot... and Murder and Mayhem will be the
theme for the 6th annual Spring Thing event to be held June 5, 2004 at the Flax
Scutching Grounds in Stahlstown, PA (no street address). The mistresses of
murder OR mayhem will be autocrat, Caitilin ni Mhaolconaire, and assistant
autocrat/featocrat, Rose
Thorne.
All marshal activities are welcome. The lists will open
at 10:30 am with the first tourney scheduled to begin at 11:30 am. An A&S
competition will also be held. And a Bardic competition for which we encourage
all bards to find your best song or poem about murder or mayhem (funny or
serious). Children’s activities will be planned as well, please contact Morrigan
of the Willowbrook (Robbin Ford – 814-495-4018;
morriganofthewillowbrook@hotmail.com).
And what event focused on the merriment of murder and
mayhem would be complete without a little murder? To heighten the enjoyment,
we’re hoping to stage a murder mystery. As the event unfolds, a murder will be
committed, and participants will have the chance to practice their skills as a
sleuth and attempt to solve the crime.
A light lunch and murderously delicious Feast shall be
created by the hands of Rose Thorne (Sue Beth Rose –– 39 N Urania Ave.,
Greensburg, PA 15601; 724-850-7405; rosethorne@att.net)
and her assistant Sandy Hutchinson. If you have any dietary restrictions or questions,
please contact her. Feast shall be served near the hour of 5pm.
The gates for the event shall open at 10:00 am and
close at 10:00 pm. Cost of this event will be as follows: Onboard (includes site
fee, lunch & feast) – Adults - $8.00, Children ages 6-12 - $4.00; Off-board
(includes site fee & lunch) – Adults - $4.00, Children - $2.00. Children under
the age of 6 are free. Non-members must pay an additional $3.00 where
appropriate. The feast is limited to 40 people, please send reservations by May
28, 2004, to autocrat Caitilin ni Mhaolconaire (Kathleen Giesey –– 112 Deeds
Street, Ligonier, PA 15658; 724-238-0114;
snowdragon1027@yahoo.com). Make
checks payable to "SCA: St. Swithin’s Bog," include both your mundane and
scadian (if possible) names.
Directions
From the West:
Make your best way to Route 30 East to Ligonier. Turn right onto Route 711
South. *Go approx. 8 miles to the village of Stahlstown, the Flax Scutching
Grounds are on your right as you enter town. Or take 176 PA Turnpike East to old
Exit 9 Donegal. **Turn left onto Route 31 going only 1/10 mile to Route 711
North (turn is on left over a bridge) and go through Donegal until Route 711 N
turns right. Go North 5 miles through the village of Stahlstown and the Grounds
are on your left.
From the East:
Makes your best way to Route 30 West to Ligonier. Turn left onto Route 711
South, then follow as above*. Or Take 176 PA Turnpike West to Exit 9 Donegal and
follow as above**.
ST. SWITHIN’S PROUDLY WELCOMES YOU TO BOG
CHAOS
JULY 16, 17 and 18 of 2004
WELCOME TO THE INVESTITURE OF DON QUINN KERR AND DAME VIVIENNE MARIE DE BEAUVAIS
Come join the Barony of SSB for a weekend of Chaos (as only the Bog can) and the Investiture of our new Baron and Baroness. The Site is the Johnstown Saddle Club, Saddle Club Rd, Elton Pa (no street address, directions below) The Site opens 4pm Friday and closes at noon Sunday.
Once again, The Barony of St. Swithin's Bog will
proudly host the Pearls of AEthelmearc Inter-Baronial Rapier Championship. The
tournament will begin promptly at 9:00 A.M. Saturday morning. Tournament details
will be sent to all Baronies and their champions beforehand.
Between 9am and 11am Lord Deryk Archer will have
parent- child archery shoot. The parent must match what the child shoots. Lord
Deryk can explain more at time of shoot. There will also be other children
activities planed through out the day
The last court of Baron Aquila and Baroness Aelfra will
follow the Inter-Baronial Championship. Followed by the Investiture of Don Quinn
Kerr and Dame Lady Vivienne Marie de Beauvais. Lunch will be offered following.
Sign ups for the Clans battles will start at 11 am and
will close at 1pm.
There will also be a brewing competition. So bring your
favorite brews and wines.
We will be also having a blanket sale. Which means
bring all the extra stuff you want to get ride of or sell. It will place on a
blanket and either traded for or sold for a price that you set, so tag all of
your items before hand. This will be held on the honor system.
The clans battles
These battles will bring together all forms of skill
and martial activity. There will be five teams selected to partake in a melee
form battle, but the catch is that each team will have fencers, heavy weapons,
archery, and thrown weapons all on the same team competing for points. How this
will work is: the heavy’s will melee each other then the fencer’s and so on in a
round robin format. The team that wins the tournament will get the royal
treatment at feast that evening. Each group will be picked randomly at 1pm. Each
group will be in charge of marshalling their own martial activity I will have
marshals assigned by the three day to marshal each group.
There will be and area set aside to do pick ups between
bouts for both fencing and heavy weapons.
Evening court will begin 45 mins following the Clans
battles. Feast to follow.
AUTOCRAT & RESERVATIONIST: Lord Francis Martin (James Ford) & Lady Morrigan of the WillowBrook (Robbin Ford) 550 Lake St South Fork PA 15956 (814) 495-4018 no calls after 10pm AS ALWAYS THE ONLY RESERVATION IS A PAID RESERVATION. (Feast is limited to the first 150 gentles and your reservation must be received no later than July 15, 2004)
Prices for this grand event: $20.00 on board; includes, site fee, camping fees and a sumptuous Feast and a hearty brunch Saturday and Sunday. Off board $15.00 includes everything as stated minus the feast. Saturday only $10.00(must be off site by 6pm). Children under the age of 5 eat and troll in free, ages 5 - 17, $10.00 on board and $7.50 off board. These fees do not include the $3.00 nonmember surcharge. The site opens on Friday July 16, 2004 at 4:00 P.M. and closes noon sharp on Sunday, July 18, 2004. There will not be a demo on Sunday. Troll opens on Friday from 5:00-10:00P.M. And will reopen on Saturday from 8:00A.M. and will close at 4:00 P.M. Please make checks payable to SCA Inc. SSB
DIRECTIONS: Site location, The Greater Johnstown Saddle Club, Saddle Club Road, Elton, PA. Take your best way to Rt. 219. Get off on Rt. 756 (Elton exit). From the south, turn right: from the north, turn left. Go 2.4 miles on 756 east. Turn left at the first stop sign onto Rt. 160 North. Go 1.8 miles on Rt. 160 North to Krayn Rd. Turn right on Krayn Rd. Go .8 of a mile and turn right onto Saddle Club Road. Site is .5 of a mile on the left. Look for the SCA signs.
This is The Sentinel,
