Category: Uncategorized

Sad News from the Hael

My dear friends,

It is with a very heavy heart that I relay the news that Master Augusto Giuseppe da San Donato, known as Joe the Just, mka Joe Piselli, passed away unexpectedly this morning.

He lived in the Canton of Beau Fleuve (Niagra Falls), in the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael. Many of you will have known him as the face behind the camera, and our previous Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal and Kingdom Chamberlain. He was also a dear friend to many, including ourselves, and traveled here to our Barony often. The SCA, Aethelmearc, and the world are a dimmer place.

We have no details on arrangements yet. I am sure they will be forthcoming in the days ahead.

Please let your loved ones know that they are loved.

In sadness,
Baroness Hilda

Harvest Revel Update

The air is crisp, the skies are a brilliant blue, and the last of the colored leaves are just starting to loosen upon their branches. What all of that means is that it’s time for our annual Harvest Revel at the Castle (with PIE)!

The Harvest Revel will take place on Sunday, 19 November 2017 at the Castle (755 Stonegate Dr, Wexford, PA 15090 – map). There will be some changes to parking, so there will be further information coming with details about those changes as we get closer to the date.

The schedule has been updated and there is a change to the time of the Barony Meeting to accommodate other activities:

11:00 a.m. – Site Opens, Thrown Weapons Practice
12:00 p.m. – Pie Competition Opens
1:00 p.m. – Barony Meeting, immediately followed by a Business Meeting (all are invited to participate)
1:45 p.m. – Choir Performance
2:00 p.m. – Heavy Weapons/Rapier Practice

There will be the usual launching of the pumpkins towards the end of the day. So, bring a pumpkin and see it go “SPLAT” in glorious fashion. Only fresh pumpkins are allowed, no rotting ones as they are awful to try and clean up.

But I know what you’ve all been waiting for and that is the opportunity to win GLORY!!!

As the Baroness and her crafty cohorts work on specifics for the Pie Competition (and the chance for GLORY!!!). Here is what we know so far: The categories are FRUIT, VEGETABLE, and PERIOD. As always, the definition of pie is stretched to its absolute limit, all it has to be is a baked dish of fruit, or meat and vegetables, typically with a top and base of pastry. Whether you call it empanada, calzone, tart, Roman libum, pasty, pye, trap, quiche, tourtière, Bedfordshire clanger, or Bridie – it’s all pie. Ravioli? Pie. Piroshki? Pie. Chicken Pot Pie, even though it lacks the bottom crust? If Mary Berry says it’s pie. It’s pie. This competition is about creativity, joy, and most of all GLORY!!!

The schedule is still being confirmed and we will be updating as things are confirmed. If you would like to do something like offer a short class or coordinate some largesse-making activities (or anything else), please contact Odriana at seneschal (at) debatablelands (dot) org. For those of you who are concerned about such things, it’s a bye week for the Steelers.

As usual, no garb required, unless you really want to wear garb. We will be happy to see you regardless of your attire.

We thank Count Byron and Countess Ariella for again opening their home to us. If you’ve not yet been to the Castle, here is a link to the information website for the Castle. It’s even better in person.

If you’re on Facebook, please RSVP on the event page.

New Feedback Form

I’m very proud to unveil a new way for you, the populace, to give feedback to the Officers and Baronage of the Debatable Lands.

The Baronial Suggestion Box

The Suggestion Box is anonymous, however, there is space to enter your name and email address if you would prefer a direct response. You also have the option to submit your feedback anonymously, as that tends to clear barriers to offering honest, constructive feedback. This means that persistent problems are permitted to continue becoming a source of conflict, unhappiness, and apathy towards participating with the Barony.

It would be remiss of me if I did not address the flip side of anonymity, and that is the potential for abuse. If feedback is abusive or harassing, the form will no longer be anonymous. Feedback that points out an uncomfortable truth is not abuse or harassment. Personal attacks, rumormongering, abusive language, threats against someone’s safety, trolling (saying something deliberately offensive or provocative with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them), insults, and other forms of unacceptable behavior fall into the category of abuse and harassment. Please consider your words so we don’t have to remove this feature.

My promise to you as Seneschal is that your feedback will be listened to and taken seriously. This form is a tool to ensure that there is clear communication from the populace to the Baronage and Officers so that we may all improve and make an already amazing Barony even better.

Practice Site Clean Up and Archery

Come join the Barony in helping to maintain our practice site.

Clean up starts at 9am.

Beat the BooZoo traffic and come early for Doughnuts, Cider, and some delicious stew. Bring rakes, and gardening gloves to help clean up the site area. Afterwards we will have our usual marshal practices. Hope to see you there!

Highland Park just of Washington Boulevard.

Thrown weapons practice

Konichiwa Debatable Lands! This Sunday, October 22, there will be Thrown Weapons practice at Washington Blvd from 11-2. Leave early and allow time, as this week and next is Zoo Boo, and there will be much traffic.

YIS, THL Kumagaya Kentarou Masamoto
BMDL TW MIC

Save the Date – It’s Harvest Revel time again!

As we’re exiting yet another October heat-wave and enjoying a nice, cool day, it’s a great time to look towards our annual Harvest Revel and Barony Meeting at the Castle (still with PIE) next month.

The Harvest Revel will take place on Sunday, 19 November 2017 and again Count Byron and Countess Ariella are opening their home to us – the Castle (755 Stonegate Dr, Wexford, PA 15090 – map). There will be some changes to parking, so there will be further information coming with details about those changes as we get closer to the date.

Here’s the tentative schedule:

11:00 a.m. – Site Opens, Thrown Weapons Practice
12:00 p.m. – Pie Competition Opens
1:00 p.m. – Choir Performance
1:30 p.m. – Barony Meeting, immediately followed by a Business Meeting (all are invited to participate)
2:00 p.m. – Heavy Weapons/Rapier Practice

There will be the usual launching of the pumpkins towards the end of the day. So, bring a pumpkin and see it go “SPLAT” in glorious fashion. Only fresh pumpkins are allowed, no rotting ones as they are awful to try and clean up.

The schedule is still being confirmed and the final planning for the pie competition is still being done and we will be updating as things are confirmed. If you would like to do something like offer a short class or coordinate some largesse-making activities (or anything else), please contact Odriana at seneschal (at) debatablelands (dot) org. For those of you who are concerned about such things, it’s a bye week for the Steelers.

As usual, no garb required, unless you really want to wear garb. We will be happy to see you regardless of your attire.

If you’ve not yet been to the Castle, here is a link to Count Byron and Countess Ariella’s website for the Castle (as with most things, it’s even better in person). It’s a beautiful place and we are so fortunate that they let us hang out there.

If you’re on Facebook, please RSVP on the event page.