Being the online web log for the Southwestern Pennsylvania branch of the SCA, Inc.
Here is one last note on 12th Night — despite the bitter cold, despite the snow and icy roads, there were still many adventurous people who attended and brought many donations for the Auction of Highly Desirable Items.
Such was the generosity of those who attended that the Auction raised $245.59, and we accepted $128. in donations.
Thank you also to Arthes MacLeod who help staff the table, and Elizabeth Arrowsmyth who stopped to visit and helped too!
Many thanks to all who helped!
Elss
Tavern in the Park
It is snowing again, and many of us are house-bound and getting bored. But wait! There is something to look forward to!
Break free of the winter doldrums and come to the Tavern in the Park on February 10, 2018 for games, visiting with friends, A&S, great pub grub, beverages of all kinds, in a relaxed and warm environment.
Come to the Lodge in North Park, (no street number) North Ridge Drive, Allison Park, PA 15101. (Google Maps seems to know where this is!) The doors will open at 10 AM, and close at 8 PM.
Our luncheon sideboard will be created by Kattera Doplerin so please contact her with any dietary questions (Ailish Brundage, legbascrossroad (at) gmail (dot) com).
The Adult Event Registration will be $15. Adult Member Discount Event Registration will be $10. Children 0-5 free; age 6-17: $5 . Make checks payable to SCA-(PA), Inc. – Debatable Lands.
Your co-autocrats for the day will be Elss of Augsburg, elss.of.augsburg at gmail.com, (Rocky Hayeslip, 221 Pine Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, cell 724.759.3333) and Elsa Taliard, frithar (at) yahoo (dot) com, (Laura Lindsey, 135 Whitestown Rd, Lyndora, Pa 16045). Please contact either of them with any questions.
More information will be forthcoming shortly via Stórfréttir, the BMDL Events page (http://debatablelands.org/events/2018-02-10%20Tavern%20in%20the%20Park.php), the BMDL email list, both of the Barony Facebook pages — Debatable Lands Official Announcement (https://www.facebook.com/BMDLOfficial/) and Debatable Lands Unofficial Discussion (https://www.facebook.com/groups/DebatableLands/) .
Elss and Elsa can also be reached on Facebook.
See you there!
Elss of Augsburg and Elsa Tailiard
Celebrate Twelfth Night with us in the Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands! All are Welcome on this day to enjoy music and song and dancing, good food, and good friends!
What is a Debatable Lands Twelfth Night like? Here are the top 11 things to do!
1. Bring some food to share. Our event is free, even the food! It’s a potluck. All kinds of food are welcome! (Mmmm, cheese balls)
2. Bring and/or taste some cookies! A perennial favorite, Master Urho runs our favorite cookie competition of the year. Bring some to enter, or just munch on the entries and vote for a populace choice winner!
3. Bring your A&S project to display! The event features the Debatable Lands’ Arts & Sciences Championship and Display. There are no limitations, bring your projects, old or new, finished or in progress, to display. You can even request feedback from our top artisans. And if you’re from the Debatable Lands, enter the competition!
4. Bring some beverages. Wet site. Nuff said.
5. Snowball fight! Jasmine of Clan Tarn has her elves working overtime making stuffed “snowballs” for an epic tourney for young and old alike!
6. Get ready to laugh. The Best Commedia dell’Arte troupe in the Knowne World – I Genesii – will be *cough* performing *cough* …multiple times. Don’t miss the most beloved court of Misrule.
7. Bards welcome – the Debatable Lands Bardic Championship is also taking place. Only Debatable Landers are eligible for the Championship, but all are welcome to perform. The theme is the Old and the New.
8. Speaking of performances, the Barony’s own Debatable Choir will perform at 5pm. Let their dulcet tones wash over your ears and hearts.
9. Stuff and cash, cash and stuff… our Twelfth Night Auction of Forgotten Treasures ™ will delight you with the garb, gear, stuff and do-dads available at this silent auction. Have stuff you don’t need? Bring it to donate! But wait, there’s more! We also have a few fine merchants.. peruse their artwork, chainmail, and more!
10. Courts and vigils and courts, oh my! The event features Mistress Graidhne’s vigil and induction into the Order of the Laurel, as well as many other awards, Kingdom and Baronial.
11. Stay for the dancing! After evening Court, our event always has one of the best dances of the season in the entire Kingdom. Don’t worry, we’ll teach you!
12. Bring a donation for Paladin’s Pantry! The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank needs food items, blankets, and more. Read more here!
See you there!
Our next Baronial Bard will be chosen at the upcoming BMDL 12th Night celebration! Our most excellent Baroness Hildarun suggested a theme of “something old, something new”. This being the Debatable Lands, in which submissions to our annual pie competition can be anything even remotely pie-like, our Bardic competition will follow suit and interpretations upon the theme will be accepted very generously. Possible examples include, but are not limited to:
– a new bard performing a historical piece
– an old, erm, sorry, “experienced” bard performing a newly learned piece
– a new piece written about a historical event/person/situation
– an established performer competing for Baronial bard for the first time, or even for the first time for this Baronage
– a young bard performing a piece older than themselves
Get as creative as you like in interpreting the new/old aspects. The competition is scheduled to be held around 3pm in the Silver Room. Perform one piece that falls somewhere under the “Bardic Arts” umbrella. Song, poetry, story, instrumental pieces, all welcome, but please keep performances to no more than 5 minutes. The judges will be our Baron and Baroness. They like to be entertained, they like to be moved (emotionally only, please) and they can appreciate historical or historically-inspired pieces. The Baronial Bard’s primary duties are to compete in the Seven Pearls competition and organize next year’s competition for their replacement.
To compete, please contact me at silencethebard [at] gmail, or find me the day of the event. I will be wearing the Baronial Bardic Blingy Baldric, which shall be passed to the incoming champion.
In Service and Song,
Silence de Cherbourg, BMDL Bardic Champion (outgoing)
Unto all residents and visitors of the Debatable Lands, Greetings of the Season!
As I’m sure you know, on 13 January, 2018, we will be holding our annual 12th Night celebration. As usual, this event is free and open to all. And as usual, there will be a potluck!
Please bring something to share, period, modern, or anything in between. So that others can make decisions on what to bring, I ask that you sign up here: http://www.luckypotluck.com/potluck/BMDL12thNightPotluck
and let us all know what you’re bringing.
I look forward to seeing you all and tasting your delicious contributions.
If there are any questions at all, feel free to contact me.
In Service,
Lady Melodia Beaupel
Kitchen Coordinator
Finding stuff you no longer need? Got a Lost & Found box from an event or practice? These are things for the Twelfth Night Auction of Forgotten Treasures ™!
Bring your no-longer-needed garb and gear, kids’ stuff, camping do-dads, and other items of interest to SCAdians to me at BMDL Twelfth Night. I can still pick stuff up – fighter practice would work, or any Panera or Starbucks, or even a tea shop!
The Auction has been a phenomenal success thanks to the many generous contributors and donors and forgetful attendees. I just can’t hardly wait to see what turns up this year!
Thank you, thank you all — Elss
As you rummage around in closet, attic, and cellar looking for those boxes of holiday decorations, keep an eye out for stuff you no longer need. These are things for the Twelfth Night Auction of Forgotten Treasures ™!
I will gladly pick up contributions of no-longer-needed garb and gear, kids’ stuff, camping do-dads, and other items of interest to SCAdians. Send a Faceybook PM to Elss Augsburg (other contact info in the Dark Pages) and we will find a mutually agreeable time/place to meet–fighter practice would work, or any Panera or Starbucks, or even a tea shop! Of course, you can always simply bring the things to the event.
Autocrats, here is how you clear out your Lost and Found!
The Auction has been a phenomenal success thanks to the many generous contributors and donors and forgetful attendees. I just can’t hardly wait to see what turns up this year!
Thank you, thank you all — Elss
Congratulations to Debatable Landers who had a remarkable weekend!
To Prince Sven and Princess Siobhan, new Heirs to the Sylvan Throne!
To Mistress Constance on her elevation to the Order of the Pelican.
To Mistress Graihne, on her writ to contemplate induction in the to Order of the Laurel, to be held at Debatable Lands 12th Night in January.
To Duke Malcolm, finalist in Crown Tourney, and new holder of the Shield of Chivalry.
To Lady Dorothea, for earning the Queen’s Inspiration for the day, and a Golden Escarbuncle.
To THL Muirgheal for masterminding and executing a truly incredible weekend for the people of this fine Kingdom! And her staff, who worked so hard and created so much joy for us all.
There are more thanks to come, of course, from every corner of the Barony. This was only a small bit of the revelry this weekend . You all worked hard, with smiles and generosity. You are truly the Jewel of AEthelmearc, and of the Knowne World.
Vivant!
Now speak I will a little more
Of craft, truly, that takes great lore
In court; that men call cookery,
That must be done in three degrees;
This meat roaster, pastry-cook, and potager,
And even the scholar that follows in company,
First to you I will show
The points of cookery, all by row,
Of Pottage, roasted meat, and bake-meat,
And small cookery, I won’t forget.
The names in table I shall set
The number in algorism above, without let,
In algorism that shall be written,
And the titles within on the same row.
-Liber Cure Cocorum, translation by Cindy Renfrow.
This is the feast for Agincourt 2017. All items are from the Liber Cure Cocorum, a poem on cookery believed to have been written during the time of Henry VI. There are vegetarian and gluten free options available, but I need to know how many people require this accommodation so I make enough. If anyone with tree nut allergies or dairy allergies will be attending, I will be able to accommodate you separately, if you contact me to let me know. As always, I will do my best to avoid cross-contamination, but given that the facilities themselves are not gluten free/nut free/dairy free/etc., I cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contamination. To contact me, please email jenn.strobel@gmail.com or phone me at 412.213.8116 (no calls after 7p, please).
First Course
For to make Rose de Almayne
White peas in almond milk with saffron
For Rysshers
Ground pork encased in raised dough and fried.
Chickens in cretonee
Chickens in thickened, spiced, almond milk based sauce
Glazed sops
Trenchers with a spiced almond milk and wine sauce.
Entrement
Pur frumente
Cracked wheat pudding garnished with candy comfits
There will be entertainment for the diners between the first and second courses.
Second Course
Mortrews de Chare
A thick pottage of ground hen & pork.
Blanke maunger
Rice cooked in almond milk with chicken.
For cole
Cabbage & parsley boiled in meat broth with groats, served with salt pork & gravy
Roo in a sew
Beef cooked in herbs and wine
Third Course
For flawnes
Baked cheese pie with saffron
For stondande fignade
Fig pudding
Roasted Milk
A custard colored with saffron and then fried in oil.
We had a wonderful time this past Saturday at 12th Night! Thank you to the autocrats, THL Elss and THL Muirgheal, and all your staff. It was a day of merriment and laughter! Here are some of out favorite moments, in no particular order:
And of course, the very best thing…all of you! A beautiful day of laughter and eating and drinking and frolicking and fun. Exactly what a 12th Night should be! Thank you all so much!
~Baroness Hilda