Category: Meeting Notes Page 1 of 3

Present: Æthelwulf, Marieke, Dafydd, Lily, Cat, Tómas, Guðrún, Leo, Gotar, Hrefna, Robert. Via Zoom: Stefania and Dietrich

We reviewed the notes from our Oct. meeting. A few new points came up –

Dafydd is still exploring the option of using the University Mall as a meeting space – but questions remain, and there might be a fee for use.

The Siege Weapon Interest Group hasn’t been active. One problem is where to store a large siege engine.

Pennsic Expense Authorization for joint rental of common-space pavilion with Coldwood. Marieke proposed adding this wording to our Financial Policies: “At Pennsic, if a common-use pavilion is rented for the Freehold-Coldwood camp, our shire will split the rental cost with the Shire of Coldwood.” People present at the meeting voted to accept this change. The Finance Committee will give it a final look-over before adding it to our Policies.

Eol of Panther Vale has welcomed us to use his place for Thrown Weapons Practice. He is located near St. Johnsbury.

It was suggested that, in the future, we should schedule a meeting before our elections, so that officers can talk with potential new candidates about what each position entails.

FENCING

Cat explained the need to purchase several lighter blades for the Shire to loan at practices. Lighter blades are easier for some to handle, and will make the practices more accessible. The people present agreed this sounded like a fine idea. Cat also mentioned that we have plenty of fencing masks.

CHATELAIN

Leo said it’s a helpful thing, to change our terminology from “Sunday Practices” to “Sunday Gatherings.” This phrasing is more welcoming for non-combatants.

Leo also praised Cat’s most recent posting of the Sunday schedule, which gave a breakdown of what’s happening when.

Main topic is the upcoming Winter Renfaire at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds, on Feb. 3-4. Anybody who volunteers for 4 hours will get a free pass for the weekend. Wear your “Ask Me About The SCA” button if you have one. Tomas will bring his Viking tent which has great visual appeal, and works well as a changing area. We could always use more fencers for the fencing demo – if it’s only a few, they get tired quickly and the showmanship isn’t as impressive. Non-authorized fencers can participate in the demo provisionally. Non-combatants are welcome to sit at the table and engage the passers-by. Leo will print more color tri-fold brochures. We talked about having a laptop with a slide show, as we have done in the past. It was also suggested that we publicize the upcoming Mimir’s Well event on Feb. 18, and that we post a calendar of upcoming gatherings.

Feb. 25 is the tentative date for a regional Fighter Practice for heavy and fencing, at our usual Sunday location. Leo suggested we put together a pot-luck spread for our guests.

Our four regular yearly demos will be: Summer Rennfaire (helping Panther Vale), Winter Rennfaire, Green-Up Day (led by the Foresters, but all are welcome), and the local Pride Parade.

THROWN WEAPONS

Stefania will plan a get-together when the weather improves.

MIMIR’S WELL

The Feb. 18 afternoon of classes is shaping up nicely. Details are here: https://mountainfreehold.eastkingdom.org/mimirs-well-sun-feb-18-essex-jct-vt/

FEAST OF FOOLS

Marieke said this April event is in the preliminary stages of planning, and Eseld will submit a bid/proposal soon.

HEAVY LIST

Æthelwulf said there were 8 fighters in armor last week and one was newly authorized. We have enough marshals to authorize new fighters, and this can be done at practices.

ARTS AND SCIENCES

Guðrún reported that the January “Bring A Project” meeting was successful, with 14-16 people attending. The February meeting will be “Embroidery for Garb” and Marieke will lead this. At Birka there will be a class about how to use the East Kingdom A&S Rubric, and there will also be an A&S Display and a Fashion Show (Hrefna showed us the clever cat-and-snail gown they’re working on.) Tómas mentioned that he now has a second anvil, with adjustable height, so he can teach smithing at his home. Guðrún is taking suggestions for future A&S topics – what are you curious about?

The meeting concluded after about an hour.

Notes by Marieke

Present (via Zoom): Thomas, Guðrún, Marieke, Dafydd, Aethelwulf, Leo, Dietrich, Stefania, Rudth, Sean, Cat, Lily, Alaxandr

Seneschal

* Cat and Lily have received confirmation of passing their Background Checks, yay!

* Thomas will contact Panther Vale to inquire about the plans for our traditional joint Yule Feast, since it’s their turn to host.

Chatelain

* We’ve done a lot of demos this year, and Leo is proud of, and grateful for, the shire’s participation. Our efforts have resulted in potential new members, and community-building as well.

* The next Winter Renfaire will be at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds, Feb. 3-4. The Summer Renfaire will move from Stowe to the Fairgrounds as well. We had an agreement that PV would take the lead on the summer demo (and we’d help, of course) and likewise Freehold would handle the winter one, with PV’s assistance. Leo said PV is willing to continue leading the summer demo, but since it’s now in our territory, a written agreement will need to be arranged. Thomas said he’d handle that.

*Leo said, keep an eye out for other opportunities to make our activities known to the public. Cat cautioned against burnout and spreading ourselves too thin. Dietrich commented that demos can be small and tightly focused – we don’t need all hands on deck for every demo occasion. For example, next year at Carnage (a board-game convention), maybe we could just set up a table with a few medieval board games.

* Leo would like to run for another term as Chatelain.

Marshal

* Aethelwulf reports we have several new heavy-list fighters as a result of the summer RenFaire, the Gathering of the Realms, and some former fighters returning. He had 7 fighters in armor at the last practice. It’s been a bit harder without an indoor practice site.

School Situation, and other meeting locations

*  Cat and Lily explained that we haven’t been able to use the Browns River Middle School lately because the school is revising their security procedures for outside groups. We should be allowed back in soon. When that happens, there will be stricter rules to follow: how to get into the building, which bathrooms to use, what footwear is allowed on the gym floor, etc. The school has generally been pleased with our behavior, and this change is due to problems with other groups, not with us.

* Outdoor practices have been held recently at Sandhill Park in Essex. Those bathrooms are now closed for the season.

* Dafydd reports he’s had no response from his request to use unused space at the University Mall.

* Cat said Tir Asleen sometimes uses an indoor martial arts space, and Nikolai suggested that maybe we could join with them. Aethelwulf says it’s tricky to combine practices with overlapping participants using different rules systems and armor standards.

* Would people be willing to pay a small fee to attend a practice at a site that charges for use? Dietrich suggested that site rental is a legitimate expense for the Shire treasury, and perhaps a pass-the-hat for the attendees could offset those costs while keeping things affordable for participants.

* Dietrich also suggested we could find a school to partner with – perhaps offering to help them put on a medieval fair for the kids, and then in exchange we’d get permission to use their indoor space.

Pursuivant

* Dafydd says that heraldic interest continues, and several devices are in various stages of processing. Marieke has made six new canvas shield blanks for our heraldic display collection, which can be painted as we get formal approval from the College of Arms.

Exchequer

* Dietrich has a report due soon. He is thinking this quarter might be a good time to switch our bank account over to the TD Bank.

Website

* Marieke says there’s nothing to report. Further discussion resulted in a suggestion to make a new page for “The Freehold Experience at Pennsic” bringing together various information that’s now scattered. Photos can also be posted there. Marieke will work on this.

Minister of Lists

* Alaxandr had nothing to report, MOL-wise.

Pennsic

* Alaxandr said the Freehold-Coldwood camp at Pennsic was a fun and friendly place. The shared common-space tent rental with Coldwood went well, and we informally agreed that the pavilion cost-share between the two shires should continue. Currently, we have to vote on this expense every year. We could make it automatic if the Finance Committee constructs new wording in our Financial Policies, and the shire could then vote on this change.

Thrown Weapons

* Stefania is a fully authorized Thrown Weapons Marshal, and she worked with Gotar on the range at Birthday Bash. She secured a donation to the shire of a large number of spears, knives and axes. She will provide an inventory to the Exchequer.

* We could use some kid-size thrown weapons. Dietrich suggested that we order them from Karl von Sussen, who has a shop in India where such things can be made at low cost.

* We have weapons, a marshal, and the appropriate paperwork – all we need is space! Keep an eye out for opportunities to make space for this activity at events and practices. It’s harder now that winter’s here. Leo said the Burly Axe, a throwing range in Burlington, tends to be crowded, noisy, and expensive.

Arts and Sciences

* Guðrún said the shire’s judging rubric worked well at Birthday Bash as we chose our new Shire A&S Champion, Eseld. She adjusted the rubric on the fly so that the theme of “Anachronism” wasn’t penalized in scoring. There were many impressive entries. The judging part was a bit time-consuming. Further tweaks to the process are under consideration.

* Watch for Kingdom opportunities to display your work, which Guðrún posts to the lists. There is currently a challenge to post beginner-level work, since every artist starts somewhere. There have been discussions at the Kingdom level about the importance of various venues and styles of display and competition. Some folk don’t want to be judged and just want to display (which is perfectly fine!). Others want consultation and guidance rather than scoring. If Freeholders want to weigh in on these discussions, please feel free to contact Guðrún.

* Local A&S classes will resume when we get an indoor site. Lily volunteered to teach an Illumination class.

* Leo entered his first A&S competition at Stonemarche recently. Thomas enjoyed participating in the Bloodfeud challenges. Lily showed a spooky illumination that she’s working on. Kastana did a great job organizing A&S opportunities at the Gathering of the Realms.

Elections

* Shire Elections are coming up! Thomas will send out a notice soon. The offices coming up are: Exchequer, Web Minister, Chatelaine, Archery Marshal, Chancellor Minor, and Minister of Lists.

* We briefly discussed making Thrown Weapons Marshal an elected office, or combining Archery, Thrown Weapons, and possibly Siege as well, into one shire office (Marshal of Aerial Tactics or some such.) We didn’t come to a clear consensus. Since we already have a thrown weapons marshal, the activity can continue whether there’s a shire officer or not.

Next Event

* Marieke is sending out feelers for Mimir’s Well, possibly early February, possibly at the St. James Episcopal Church in Essex.

The meeting ended after an hour and a bit. Notes by Marieke.

Present: Rudth, Sean, Cat, Lily, Richard, Gotar, Dietrich, Kastana, Leo, Dafydd, Gudrun, Thomas, Aethelwulf, Robair.

Location: Browns River Middle School.

SENESCHAL’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Demo Waivers – Thomas said that at Demos, waivers are only needed if it makes sense, for instance if the activity poses some kind of physical risk.

Vacant Offices – With the resignation of David Poirier from the Archery Marshal position, and Eleanor from the Chancellor Minor position, we have some vacancies. These are not required offices, but they are certainly useful. After some discussion, Kastana volunteered to start the process for becoming Chancellor Minor, and Thomas will try to expedite the background check process for that. Cat and Lily are also serving in Youth Fencing positions that need background checks. Lily’s has been delayed for over a year. Cat has verbal confirmation from the Kingdom Chancellor Minor that she’s all set. And for Archery Marshal, LeRoy and and Linda have started the process of becoming warranted, with their first MIT session at Panteria, under Ivan Sergeevich’s guidance. Meanwhile, we can hold unofficial practices as long as we advertise them as such.

Panteria Thanks – Thomas relayed heartfelt thanks from Panther Vale, for all the help our shire provided at Panteria. We were well represented in all aspects of the event, including Gate, Kitchen, A&S classes, Clean-Up, Archery, and more. Well done, folks!

MOOT TOPIC #1 – Acceptance of revised Shire Financial Policies

Thomas called this Moot to discuss an update of our Shire Financial Policy. Marieke and Dietrich discussed reasoning for the changes, and the motion to accept the new version was passed unanimously. The new Shire Financial Policy is here.

MOOT TOPIC #2 – Shire Recognitions

Leo explained that shires can’t give precedence-bearing awards, but it’s possible to give out tokens of recognition for accomplishment – as Dietrich put it, “an acknowledgment of skills, services and deeds.”

The shire gave out such recognitions until 2009, then it ceased. The moot attendees unanimously voted to start the custom again. The three traditional recognitions are The Rowan (for Arts), the sign being a leafy sprig with berries; the Corbie (that’s a Scottish word for Crow), for Defense of the Shire; and the Kelpie (that’s our shire creature) for Service. Cat suggested we consider adding a fourth recognition for children. It also came up that we could give tokens to newcomers at their first Freehold event.

The issue of manufacture of tokens then came up. Aethelwulf is willing to produce as many Corbie tokens as we will need. For Rowans and Kelpies, Thomas has the soapstone mold carved by Lisabetta, and Dafydd and Marieke have a stash of pewter that can be used. Thomas is willing to cast more of these. Leo also mentioned that the shire could purchase a large lot of pre-made medallions from Christoff, for about $5 each.

We started brainstorming ideas about how and when to give the Recognitions, but ran out of time. Thomas will schedule a weeknight Zoom meeting so we can continue the discussion.

Two last minute notes: Dietrich will be teaching a leather class at a Swanton school’s medieval festival, and if they recompense him, he will donate that to the shire coffers. And, Rosie has received a gift to the shire of a bunch of leather, with the understanding that youth-oriented purposes will have priority. The leather can be used for armor, or other leatherworking classes.

Notes by Marieke

Present: Dafydd, Marieke, Thomas, Rosie, Cat, Lily, Eleanor, David, Findabhair, Eric, Aethelwulf.

Moving to Quarterly Meetings – Thomas heard nothing for or against his proposal to move our business meetings to a quarterly schedule, so they will be held quarterly, henceforward. The next business meeting will be the third Sunday in January (the 16^th) unless something arises to bump that date.

Moot Review – Thomas reviewed the notes from the recent Moot which was held on the topic of how to increase and encourage heavy list fighting in the Freehold.

Fencing Report – Lily reports that recent fencing practices have been very well attended by youth and adults. We are lacking loaner gear in XL sizes, and Lily will put together a proposal to purchase one XL gorget, one XL mask, and canvas material for one or two XL fencing jackets, so that it can be voted on by the shire. Cat has recently sewn some fencing hoods, so there are plenty of those at the moment.  Lily also requested some mask-expanders (frames to go inside the mask to help keep the mask away from the mouth) to make cloth masks more comfortable to wear while fencing. These might be considered a Covid-related expense and we will ask Katherine to check if this expense is reimbursable by the Kingdom.

Heavy List Report – Aethelwulf hopes to hold weekday outdoor practices in Milton, when spring comes. For loaner gear, he says we could really use a new loaner helmet or two. The last practice had 10 heavy fighters – but not all of them have their own gear yet. The hodgepodge of loaner armor is still a hassle. It will be better when we have the new pieces from Dietrich. Also, Dietrich has offered to teach an armor-making session, which might help our newer folk get their own personally-fit pieces.

Archery Report – David reported that we have a potential new site for archery next summer, a bit closer to our core of activities, thanks to our new Freeholders, Pete rand Julie. David is thankful that the shire purchased an arrow-making jig, and he has plans for it…. But first we need to order a pile of shafts, and feathers.

Youth Activities Report – Eleanor is expecting a surge after kids can get vaccinated. Meanwhile things are in a holding pattern. Eleanor has her eye on options to continue the process of getting warranted as a Youth Heavy Marshal, but it’s not feasible at this time.

Arts and Sciences Report – Rosie will try to schedule Dietrich’s armor-making workshop. She reminded us that A&S activities can happen on any Sunday, concurrent with the usual fencing and heavy list practices – and also that Findabhair is scheduling A&S eve nings on the first Wednesday evening of each month at her home. Rosie reminded us that Her Majesty is in need of favors, embroidered or otherwise devised. (An image is here: https://ih.eastkingdom.org/index.php/honigs-favor/)  Dafydd’s recent class on fabric-stamping had 3 enthusiastic attendees.

Kingdom Twelfth Night – this will be taking place in neighboring Panther Vale on Jan. 8. Event details are here: https://www.eastkingdom.org/event-details/?eid=3778  This is a Royal Progress event, so there will be a Royal Court. Marieke said Freeholders should start thinking about how they can help out at this large, complex event. Findabhair has a plan for a bread subtlety that could be presented to Their Majesties.

Freehold Yule– Eleanor suggested that we do a small, informal pot-luck at one of the December Sunday fighting practices. (We’ll need to check if the school will allow this.) There didn’t seem to be much interest in doing a full-scale Yule this year in the Freehold, since the Kingdom Twelfth Night in Panther Vale will be taking the place of our more humble effort. Dafydd and Marieke are wondering if Katherine is willing to organize another Gift Exchange this year. We had great participation from both shires last year.

New Social Media Handbook – Thomas mentioned that the new handbook is out. It can be found here:

https://www.sca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SocietySocialMediaHandbookSept2021.pdf

We are allowed to mention non-SCA activities related to our interests, but we must clearly label them as not officially sponsored or sanctioned by the SCA Inc.  it is not required for shires to have a Social Media Officer, but it might be a fun job for the right person – any volunteers?

The meeting ended after an hour.

Notes by Marieke.

Present:  We had 40 total at practice, but not all sat in on the moot. Among those participating actively in the discussion were: Aethelwulf, Dietrich, Tearlach, Marieke, Dafydd, Findabhair and Eric, Rosie and Thomas, Katherine, Eleanor, David Poirier, Cat, Lily, Leo, Lisabetta, Hakon, Archer and Smitty – there were more, and two by Zoom; I apologize for not noting everyone’s name.

This Shire Moot (held outdoors on a fine autumn afternoon at our usual Practice site in Underhill) was called to explore ideas about how we can better support and encourage heavy-list fighting in the Freehold, since numbers have been dwindling alarmingly of late. Leo led the discussion.

Tearlach gave an account of fighting in the Freehold’s early days, starting in 1978, when the armor consisted of Freon helms and carpet armor, and people didn’t hit each other as hard as they do now. Aelfwine (in what was to become Stonemarche) trained the first fighters in the Freehold, including Tearlach, and Aekir of Stalacia. In the following years and decades, a number of Freehold fighters went on to win fame and honor on the list field: Sir Cenwulf Godfyrth, Duke Randal, Duke Gryffith, Viscountess Gwenllian, Master Revlin, Jarl Thorson, and Sir Ishido, as well as many others in the Order of the Tygers Combattant. Tearlach also commented that the Freehold fighting force, while never numerous at the best of times, was seen as well-trained and cohesive, and was valued in battle scenarios.

Aethelwulf explained that, starting about ten years ago, we lost a number of experienced fighters, as they moved out of the shire, or left the SCA for other reasons. We’ve never really recovered from that. The Sunday practices are very lightly attended, if at all, by heavy-listers. Some of our authorized fighters travel for training and practice in neighboring groups, or to attend more distant events (which, of course, is not a bad thing!) or are just not available on Sundays. We also, until recently, had a lack of marshals. Aethelwulf has been encountering some bureaucratic delays in getting his Marshal’s warrant, but this is being corrected. It also turns out that our current Chivalry, Tearlach and Hakon, can serve as Marshals too, and are willing to do so when they are available. Making another point, Aethelwulf explained that for heavy-list practice, it’s helpful to have a “critical mass” of fighters at any one practice, and that lately we are not getting that many. Pre-Covid, we were starting to get some newer fighters trained up, but they haven’t all come back, and we need to reach out to them.

At this point we thanked Aethelwulf with three rousing “Vivats” for his extremely consistent presence at the fighting practices, for many years, lugging multiple bags of armor and weapons each time in the hope he’d have somebody to hit. Often, sadly, that was not the case.

Dietrich asked, “So, why do fighters want to fight SCA-style?” LARPs seem like more fun, and the barriers to entry are lower. We do have an active LARP community in this area, but most LARPers who have tried our fighting haven’t “stuck” – (though Leo has, and a few others). Hakon pointed out that SCA fighting has a long and steep learning curve – it takes lots of patience and persistence to get good. That means it’s all the more important to be kind and encouraging to new fighters, and make their path as smooth and pleasant as possible. Armor that fits and looks nice is one obstacle we can help with. We’re doing pretty well with loaner armor – but maybe that could be improved. The shire has purchased two sets of loaner armor (with adjustable-size parts) from Dark Victory Armory – Dietrich says these will be ready soon. Meanwhile, Dietrich’s workshop in St. Albans is open for helping new combatants get their own armor made. We want the new fighters to keep returning to practices. We discussed how to make new fighters feel like part of the group. A feeling of belonging will aid retention and morale.  And how about visible signs of belonging, such as tabards and/or favors? 

So what about boffer fighting? It’s less intimidating to new fighters and might be an entry point. Eleanor is in the process of getting her Youth Combat Marshal warrant, so that we might someday be able to offer boffer combat for kids. But there are lots of rules and regulations for that. Meanwhile, for adults, the SCA doesn’t really support boffer fighting as an official activity. That’s one way the LARPS have an edge – LARPers have said that our armor and weapons requirements for heavy list are indeed a barrier to their participation.

Eric said, getting the armor is the easy part – our problem is getting bodies to wear it. So how do we find new fighters? What’s our target demographic? College kids are by nature mostly transient. Focusing on more location-stable and employment-stable people in their 20’s and 30’s (and their families) will be more successful. Hakon said that having demos in public parks can be fruitful, especially if it’s not just fighters – these demos need lots of support with shirefolk making contact with the people who come to view the demo, and having handouts and business cards to give out. David Poirier pointed out that our shire consists of more than the Burlington area, and we should be doing demos in all corners of our territory. Katherine thought we should arrange a big public demo, with advance notice in Seven Days, and press coverage, and all the bells and whistles. Featuring youth fencing will attract other families with younger fencers. Marieke said that some parks are strict about terms of usage, and perhaps during the winter we could research which parks would be open to this sort of demo with fighting. Cat volunteered to start looking into this. Smitty has an “in” with the Essex Park system and is willing to help.

We may have missed a good opportunity to do a demo at the Fantasy and Sci Fi Convention last weekend – but there are “reasons” we didn’t do that. Katherine also mentioned that at the end of the month there’s an opportunity to do a demo at “Spooky Saturday” in St. Albans – but it’s probably too short notice to pull that together. Lisabetta will be attending Carnage Con in November, and as a solo effort she is willing to sit at a table and do her beautiful illumination work, and see if she can catch some interest.

We discussed the role of Chatelaine – and how big and hard it is. Chatelaines are responsible for welcoming new people, but also for arranging opportunities to *find* new people, such as demos, as well as marketing our hobby to non-SCAdians. We feel it might be helpful if Odd had some deputies to help him with the various aspects of his office. Smitty suggested we might benefit from a Demo Committee, or a Marketing Committee.

At that point, our hour was up. Thomas reminded us that there’s a Shire Business Meeting in two weeks, and we can continue discussions there. We thanked Leo for pulling together this very productive discussion, and we disbanded the moot in order to get on with fencing, heavy list, and general chatting.

Thanks to everyone who attended and shared their thoughts and ideas!

Notes by Marieke

Present: Thomas, Rosie, Dafydd, Marieke, Odd. (Some of our officers were at Coldwood helping to prepare the site for next weekend.)

Business Meeting Frequency: Thomas has learned that we only need to have these meetings once per quarter. He’ll put it to a vote, whether we want to change to a quarterly meeting schedule instead of monthly. Meanwhile, he’ll continue his once-a-month Tuesday-evening Office Hours, and may increase the frequency of those.

Panther Vale Yule/Twelfth Night: Dafydd has confirmed that Panther Vale will be hosting a Yule/Twelfth Night feast this year, but the details are not yet firmed up.

Lack of Heavy-List Fighters: We discussed Leo’s concerns about the dwindling numbers of heavy-list fighters in the shire, and what we can do to improve the situation. Having more demos that include actual combat might be useful.

Ballista/Trebuchet Project? : Thomas proposed that we build ourselves some siege weaponry. We’d need a construction crew, – and then, even more fun, we’d train a team to deploy the dreaded weapon on certain battlefields and competitions!  (There is a Siege Engines Handbook on the sca .org home page, if anybody wants to examine the details for a SCA-legal construction and usage.)

Arts and Sciences opportunities: The East Kingdom has some new A&S opportunities, which Rosie has been posting online. One of these is the Online Kingdom A&S Display, with entries due by Oct. 31. If you want details, Rosie (moas@mountainfreehold.eastkingdom.org) will be happy to assist you.

Possible event idea: Leo was talking about a “Vikings in the New World” event, which would allow some cross-cultural explorations. We felt it might be fun to do this as an outdoor event in early spring with a big cauldron of vegetarian soup and supplemental cauldrons of add-ins like meat and barley.

We also discussed some upcoming demo opportunities (Post-meeting update: the Winter Renaissance Faire is scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 5-6; and the Knight’s Hall/Armored Combat Sports is at the Fairgrounds on Sat. Nov. 13) – and updating our business cards and the trifold handout – and how terminology in the SCA can be confusing or off-putting (like “autocrat”) – and we admired Rosie and Tom’s two new kitties.

This meeting lasted about an hour.

Present: Cat, Lily, Thomas, Rosie, Marieke, Leo, Eleanor, David Poirier, Cecily, AEthelwulf, Octavia Columella

We reviewed the notes for the previous meeting.

Covid update – as of August 1, we can do pretty much anything we want for events, as long as we follow the current rules. We do need to be masked when not actively fighting or fencing. We are in compliance currently, with our posted disclaimers and sign-in sheets.

Memberships for Officers – Thomas reminded us that officers and autocrats need to be paid SCA members for the duration of their office.

Business Meeting Schedule – Thomas again apologized for the short notice for this meeting. He is looking into sending automatic reminders through email and Fb for future meetings. If a reminder email isn’t sent out by the 2nd Sunday of the month, he welcomes feedback. Business meetings will always be held on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 1pm, unless officers agree in advance to change a meeting due to other events happening that day.

Demo at Carnage Con – Marieke asked if we had any plans to help out Panther Vale with a possible demo at the Carnage gaming convention, to be held in Crown Lands in Dover, VT, Nov. 5-7. There didn’t seem to be much interest in that. Some Freeholders will be helping out at the SCA demo at the Winter Rennfaire in Shelburne.

Communications with Panther Vale – Cecily commented that we have a number of joint ventures with Panther Vale. Are we communicating well with our neighboring shire? She suggested that having a liaison might be useful. Or, as was also suggested, the seneschals of the two groups could reach out to each other when necessary.

Birthday Bash – Marieke will check into the possibility of renting a park shelter, in late September, at either the Mills River Park in Jericho, or Oakledge Park in Burlington.

Notes by Marieke