Month: May 2026

We had another wonderful Iris Festival this past weekend. I want to send out my thank yous to everyone who made this a success. The weather forecast was a bit scary, but so many people decided to risk that and come out. We had very little rain during the outdoor activities. The archers got a little wet, but they didn’t let the drops stop the contest.

Baronage: Baronessa Violeta and Praetoria Prima for cheering for all the tournaments

Bento Box: Michi-san and her team of sous chefs, Owen, Kattera, Fine, Kolfinna, and Kyle. Kit for the serving bowl, and Gwen for helping fill and serve bento boxes. The boxes were full of delicious Korean food. Thank you Michi for being ready to make a few extra boxes, just in case.

Troll: Forveleth, Helena, and Eliza for checking folks in and distributing the food chits and origami horses.

MoLs: Skjoldr, Gerschon, Tristyn, Niall, and Elinor for tournament sign-in, checking authorizations, and score keeping.

Marshals: Patrokles, Cadence, Tristyn and Niall for running the tournaments

A&S: organizer Ingvar, and judges Ingvar, Ceindrech, Hilda, and Elinor

Iron skillet Organizers: Arthes and Skjoldr for brain storming, shopping, equipment hauling, and serving as sous-chefs

Iron skillet Judges: Dea, Jorindr, and Tristyn for judging the Iron Skillet competition

Lawn Game organizers: Fine her helpers Arianna, Kit, and J for a wonderful set of Japanese themed lawn games (someday we will actually have wind for the kites). Turlough for helping setup and tear down the games.

Setup: Cadence, Dorothea, Ishiyama and all the other folks for pop-up setup, table setup, and banner bling

Tear down: everyone who helped get things in cars and especially Ishiyama and Turlough for the final chair and table folding and stowing.

Equipment: Sir Koredono, Ts’vee’a, Ceindrech for the pop-ups and the ramp for the barn.

Cookie/Tea/Coffee Merchant: Master Huon and THL Cydrych Fishengard for terrific cookies and beverages

Everyone who attended and especially our contestants.

This year, Iris Festival coincided with the 15th iteration of the Iron Comet, a pentathalon-style event where participants seeking the ultimate title of Iron Comet must compete in three martial forms plus A&S and demonstrate their true skill as a fighting artisan! All competitions were open to those seeking to compete in a singular form as well, so we had truly stiff competition for the Iron Comet A&S Competition this year with twelve entrants!

Thank you to everyone who put their work on the table today, whether you were a seasoned artisan or someone attempting documentation for the very first time. Your judges (myself, Lord Ingvar Sviatoslavich, Baroness Hilderun Hügelmann, and Magister Ceindrech verch Elidir) were so impressed with everyone and the tenacity that it took to enter the day of tournaments.

Our winner of the Iron Comet A&S Tournament was Ishiyama Shonagon with his entry of a Masu rice measure from 15th century Japan! Please enjoy pictures of his entry, along with all of his competitors below! Additionally, thank you to Lord Ingvar for running his first A&S competition – one which required legwork and diverse advertising to make sure it reached all different communities of people!

YIS, THLady Elinor Walden, baronial A&S Minister

Reminder that tomorrow is Iris Festival! Fencing practice at Highland Park is cancelled, and instead, there will be fencing at Iris Festival!

Hello Brewers,

Yours Truly forgot to order pressed cider thus we will move Cider day to next Saturday at Broom’s (if you need the address see the dark pages or message me.)

Then we will go for ginger beer and wander.

Cider Day at Broom’s – May 30, 2026 starting at Noon.

Brewer’s Guild City Wander – starting after making the cider & kegging the beer;

We’ll head off to Jackworth Ginger Beer; then we will see where we go from there; so many places to choose nearby!
https://www.jackworth.co/barandbrewery

Pennsic: Sekanjabin for donation to hospitality – I am organization donations for the Pennsic Hospitality group that run our Kingdom gate and populace comfort tent which is open to all of Æthelmearc and all those at the event! If you are interested in donating, please let me know.

Future events from the Kingdom Guild:
https://brewers.aethelmearc.org/april-2026-update/

Cheers!
Muirgheal

The Iris Festival, Iron Comet Challenge, and Iron Skillet competition event is in 2 days. The date is Sunday May 24, 2026 and the site is the Barn at Old Economy Park, #5 Forcey Drive, Baden, PA 15005. Here is the location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1K2ZTiw4uqRvNu8i9. The site opens at 9 am and closes at 7pm. The autocrat for this event is Hara Chunagon , Sharon Booth, 1105 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, 412-441-1607 sbooth@sbooth.net. This is a land-line with an answering machine. Please leave a message. No calls after 9pm.

I need help for setup. If you can come at 8am to setup that is great. Please email Hara or send message in discord if you can help with setup. There are 3 pop-ups to put up, some folding tables, and chairs to setup. Also there are road signs to put up.

Here is the schedule:
8:00 AM – Setup
9:00 AM – Troll Opens
9:30 AM – A&S Display and Competition Sign-in Opens
10:00 AM – MoL Table Opens for Heavy
10:00 AM – Lawn Games Begin
10:30 AM – Sign-in for Iron Skillet Competition
10:30 AM – Heavy Tournament Begins
11:00 AM – Iron Skillet Competition Begins
11:15 AM – Thrown Weapons Tournament Sign-up
11:30 PM – Thrown Weapons Tournament
12:00 PM – Bento Box Lunch Available For Pickup
1:00 PM – A&S Competition Judging
1:30 PM – Fencing MoL Sign-up
1:45 PM – Fencing Tournament
2:15 PM – Archery Tournament Signup with Archery MoL
2:30 PM – Archery Tournament
3:00 PM – Lawn Games End
3:00 PM – Iron Skillet Teams Present Desserts
4:30 PM – Baronial Court
6:00 PM – Site Cleanup

You should bring the following: If you are a member, have a current blue card or proof of current membership on your phone, water, food, if you aren’t purchasing a bento box, sunscreen, stools or chairs, folding table, and day shade if you have one.

There will be no armored practice at the park at the corner of Washington Blvd and Allegheny River Blvd. this Sunday, 05/22/26. Our Barony will be having its annual Iris Festival at the Old Economy Park, 5 Forcey Dr. Economy PA, 15143. As the Iron Comet challenge is being held, all martial activities will be there. Hope to see you there.

Hey all, since many of us will be at War Practice this Sunday, our weekly fencing practice at the park will be cancelled

We will not be having practice in the park on Sunday, 05/17/2026, as most of our usual attendees will be at Æthelmearc War Practice at Cooper’s Lake Campground this weekend.

Calling all foodies! We are going to have a dessert competition at Iris Festival in the Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands on May 24, 2026. The competition format will be modeled after everyone’s favorite Japanese game cooking show, Iron Chef. We will announce a mystery ingredient. Chefs will have a time limit to create as many dessert dishes as they would like that showcase the mystery ingredient. The mystery ingredient may not be historically accurate for this time period in Japan.

We will be providing the work stations including mixers, a shared refrigerator/freezer which will be first come, first serve, and camp stoves for each participant. We will NOT have ovens available for this competition! We will provide dishes, kives, pots/pans and utensils from the larder. No open flames are allowed at the site.

Participants will have access to our pantry and spices for the competition. Phones may not be used to look up recipes. If you have a question, you can ask our game master; and they will decide if it is something they can answer. More details to come.

Bonus points will be awarded for each of the following categories.

• Gluten Free

• Nut Free

• Soy Free

• Dairy Free

Each team or individual’s dishes will be judged based on taste, plating and historic accuracy. This will include recreating a recipe or using historic methods to create your own dish. Plating can be judged two ways. Chefs can decide which plating method they would like to be judged. The options are individual plates for judges, or populace serving.

Please contact Lady Arthes via the book of Faces under Brandy Straub or at arthesofbmdl at gmail.com if you have any concerns or questions. If you would like to bring any of your own equipment, please contact me to verify if it will be allowed.

Register today to be part of it. Space can only be guaranteed for registered teams, so please register today. We are looking for chefs or teams of up to 3, judges and scribes. https://forms.gle/BDw8bPmvMg6poLrA9

Single chefs may be worked into a team based on space available.