Category: Uncategorized

Hi folks! This Sunday, there will be no fencing at Highland Park because we’ll be at the Garb Swap! Fencing starts at 11am, and the tournament for selecting our next fencing champion starts at noon. Practice will continue into the afternoon until folks are done. We may pause for a bit in the afternoon for the garb swap and barony meeting.

Event site: https://www.google.com/maps/search/40.611144,+-80.019026?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYwNC4wIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D&skid=26196756-c3ec-4a98-b30e-6645a69311ae

Parking: https://www.google.com/maps/search/40.607734,+-80.016320?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYwNC4wIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D&skid=0dc2b205-9fba-4a7a-880d-1536c2d4f7b9

As of right now, we are planning to have practice on 07/05/26. I may or may not be there due to some non-SCA issues that have come up this week, The same is true of the loaner gear. If I am able to attend, I will bring it, if not, there may not be loaner gear available.

I have arranged for other Marshals to be on site and run practice in my stead, so there will be practice in the usual place at the usual time unless the heat index exceeds the safety guidelines noted below.

This is also a reminder that, per Society Regulations, as the Kingdom Earl Marshal was kind enough to remind us this week, practice, and all other marital activities can and will be canceled and/or stopped if the Heat Index is over 103, for safety reasons. I keep the NIOSH Heat Index app on my phone for this reason, and WILL be checking.

Regardless, remember to bring something to keep yourself hydrated, appropriate clothing for the heat, sunscreen, a place to sit, and additional shade if you need it.

I want to practice and acclimate to the heat for Pennsic as much as anyone out there, but I will not hold a practice at heat levels deemed unsafe.

YIS,

Patrokles Athenaios, Baronial KM

All across our lands, guilds of artisans gathered this past weekend to work on large projects together, to turn tedium into fun and spread the work across multiple people. On Saturday, Fiber Guild came together at the home of Lady Ilsa to extract dyes from a number of locally foraged plants. On Sunday, the Debatable Brewers’ Guild set out to make nearly 9 gallons of sekanjabin syrup in preparation for Pennsic. Despite two very different goals, brewers and dyers alike spent the weekend chopping plants, watching pots of simmering liquid, and pouring off hot colorful liquids into jars and bottles (and onto the hands of their A&S Minister on both days).

Under the expertise and direction of Lady Ilsa, Fiber Guild processed and extracted several gallons of dye from jewelweed stalks and leaves, avocado skins, dyer’s chamomile flowers, a mix of coreopsis flowers, and dried black walnut husks. These plants were locally harvested by Lady Ilsa and Lady Fíne, which was part of their appeal! All the plants were chopped up or ground to increase their surface area and cooked in 180 degree water for a few hours to extract the color from the various dyestuff. After straining out the solid plant mass, we were left with gallons of dye ready for scoured and mordanted fiber! I was surprised at the range of colors we ended the day with, as the green stalks of jewelweed resulted in a bright “Gatorade orange” and the dark frozen avocado skins turned the water a beautiful pink color.

The actual dyeing of fiber is another step entirely, but every attendee left with gallons of natural dye to try on their own projects. Consider visiting the Open A&S Display at Pennsic to check out Lady Ilsa’s full range of dyed fibers from plants harvested from the natural lands of Pennsic before European contact!

Thank you to Sym, Owen, Michi, Fíne, Alric, and Ilsa for all the work you did at Dye Day! Photo credits to Alric Smith and Ilsa Starling

On Sunday, an entirely different group of artisans took on the task of harvesting plants and cooking them into useful liquids, this time for our collective hydration! Baron Alaric MacConnal led the charge for the production of many gallons of sekanjabin syrup, mainly for the Royal Hospitality Tent at Pennsic. The recipe has been tested and refined over a number of decades, originating from Cariadoc himself. Alaric harvested lemon balm from his own garden, Master Alastar provided dried spearmint, and the apple cider vinegar and sugar came from the collective pantries of the Guild. By the end of the day, over 30 pounds of sugar were used in the production process!

Following the ancient and venerable sekanjabin recipe, the fresh and dried herbs were simmered in a solution of water, sugar, and vinegar to produce a few different varieties of syrup. For Royal needs, the Brewers’ Guild made 6.5 gallons of apple cider and spearmint sekanjabin syrup for all to enjoy. For Debatable Lands activities, additional batches were made of apple cider and lemon balm syrup, both with white sugar for a refreshing taste and dark brown sugar for the more indulgent palette. Because the Guild can’t make anything without including an experiment for science, they also infused frozen berries (provided by Thora and Dofinn-Hallr – thank you!) in apple cider and red wine vinegars for a shrub-inspired syrup to be made in a few weeks.

The process of making sekanjabin syrup resulted in a lot of group effort to pick leaves from stems, prepare so many pots of sugar water, and wash dozens of containers in which to store all the finished syrup. Like Dye Day, the afternoon proved that tedious A&S tasks are much more fun in the company of friends, as no one wants to do brewing dishes alone. With the efforts of Dofinn-Hallr Morrisson, Thora Sharptooth, Alastar Scott McCrummin, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Myfanwy verch Rhiannon, and Alaric MacConnal, all three syrups were prepped, made, and bottled for Pennsic – totaling over 9 gallons of syrup by the end of the day!

Thank you to Alaric and Elsbeth for hosting the Brewers Guild Sekanjabin Day!

At the end of the day, all of the pots were washed, the bottles were stored away, and the friends traveled home. Thank you to everyone who supported the efforts of our baronial guilds and we can’t wait to see what becomes of all the fun! For me, it was amazing to see just a small selection of the many arts and sciences going on across our barony in just one weekend as we all enjoyed the summer weather and activities.

YIS, THLady Elinor Walden

A&S Minister of the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands

Due to the impending heat wave, mid-week archery practice for this Wednesday, 7/1, is cancelled.

YIS, Niall

Hi folks, just wanted to make sure people know, Ariella will be running fencing practice this Sunday. Thank you Ariella!

At the Iris Festival last month, Baronessa Violeta and Praetoria Prima announced their intent to retire. That means that we the citizens of The Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands must elect new Baronage. We start the process with the nomination meeting at the garb swap in North Park on July 12th. Nominated candidates, must be paid members of the SCA and adults, (18 or older), and reside within the Barony zip codes or be a registered non-resident barony citizen.

After the nomination meeting, the nominated candidates must respond within a month whether they accept the nomination. That’s when election season starts. We will mail ballots to our members. If you are 17 years old paid member* that resides in the Barony we will mail you a ballot to the address that is on record with SCA corporate. If you are a non-resident citizen we will mail the ballot to your address on record with the seneschal and herald. If you aren’t a paid member, or don’t live in barony, or your address isn’t current in the records, you can ask for a ballot in writing to the committee chairman: Hara Kikumatsu, address: Sharon Booth, 1105 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, or email bmdl@aethelmearc.org.  NOTE: You must request a ballot by the nominating meeting, on Sunday July 12th.

*17 years of age as of October 18th, 2026 (our best guess for ballot counting day).

Hello Brewers and Friends!

Alaric and Elsbeth invite you to their home to have a sekanjabin day! Bring your Mint, Favorite Vinegar, or other preferred flavorings and get some hands on experience in medieval refreshment!

If you need the address please reach out to Muirgheal or Alaric or see the dark pages.

Sunday June 28, 2026 – Noon

Cheers!
Muirgheal

muirgheall@gmail.com

Hi folks! The Stellar Fencing Tournament has been rescheduled for this Sunday around 2pm, due to the weather cancellation last Sunday. Come join us for a weapons rotation bear pit!

The weather forecast for tomorrow shows rain for most of the day, so fencing practice is cancelled. Stay dry!

Hi all, from Niall!

With a relatively clear schedule between now and Pennsic, I will be bringing back our official mid-week archery practices at our regular martial practice location in Highland Park, starting this Wednesday, June 17, from 5:30 pm until 8:00 (or until we’re done). I will continue to do these on Wednesday evenings through July 22 as the weather permits.

These mid-week practices tend to draw a much smaller group than our regular Sunday practices, meaning we can get many more ends in. Because they’re official, these practices are good for working on Royal Rounds (which will be submitted to the SCA Scores site) and drilling down on refining technique.

I will not plan on bringing loaner bows and arrows to the mid-week practices unless specifically requested. If you are planning to attend and require loaner gear, e-mail archerymarshal@debatablelands.aethelmearc.org no less than 24 hours beforehand, include your name and the type and poundage of bow you normally use. I will continue to bring all the loaner gear to the regular Sunday practices, however.

YIS, Niall.