Category: Meeting Notes

Freehold Moot, Feb. 28, 2016, at the Underhill ID School, 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Attending: 29 gentles, to wit, these people, and a few others whose names I didn’t catch: Dafydd, Tearlach, Gwenydd, Maegwynn, Aethelwulf, David G and his son Cypran, Katherine, Ysabelet and Alaxandr, Ulf and Kelda, Sean and Rudth, Gavin, Thomas and Rosie, Ashlee, Kalonymos, Emily, Andreas, Kevin, William, Cheryl, Janet, Lily,  Marieke (and Shannon arrived later.)

APRIL EVENT (Fool’s Feast)

Alaxandr proposed a site and a date for Fool’s Feast: Sat. April 23, at the Wallingford Boy’s Camp in Wallingford VT. The location is a bit south of Rutland, close to the intersection of Route 4 and Route 7, making it convenient for travelers from nearby groups. The site capacity is in the hundreds. Indoors: two large rooms plus a covered porch, including indoor bathrooms and a fine industrial kitchen. Outdoors, there is plenty of parking. The site can handle woods battles, and field tourneys. Alaxander will check about the feasibility of archery, and also whether the site is dry (it’s wet for weddings, but they have caterers…), and whether dogs will be permitted. The site is NOT heated, but there is a fireplace. We might have to purchase firewood for it, if it’s a cold day. Alaxandr will autocrat, Ysabelet will cook. We will put the event on the Pikestaff calendar, and we will specifically invite nearby groups. Activities may include: merchants, A&S display with guided comments (Marieke), games, as well as fighting and fencing, and maybe dancing after the feast. A pay-as-you-go lunchboard will be offered, with proceeds to benefit the purchase of Freehold serving and feasting equipment. HELP will be needed at the gate, running games, marshalling, set-up and clean-up (out by 11), and kitchen/serving chores. Prices are yet to be worked out, but we’re leaning towards by-donation at the gate for site fee, and maybe $12 for the feast. The site is expensive, and we’re hoping people donate in the $8-10 range. If the site is as nice as we think, we might be able to use it for hosting larger Kingdom Champion events, and there’s the possibility of overnight camping (but not this year).

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

There’s a general feeling that more activities and more events would be a good thing.

Tearlach has arranged for the Sunday 2-5 p.m.Underhill practices to be weekly – at the school if the weather is bad, or in the adjacent park if it’s nice out. If Tearlach can’t make it, he’ll make an announcement in the usual places, because he is the only one who can unlock the school door. But if the weather is nice, Lily offered to come anyway and teach fencing outdoors. These practices aren’t just for fighters and fencers – anybody’s welcome to watch, or bring projects to work on or share/teach.

Aethelwulf will be holding weekday evening practices in Milton when the weather improves.

Anybody can host a gathering, picnic, class, or whatever at their homes or at some other location. Just invite us, and remember to post both on Facebook and on the email list. (If any such activity starts to involve the spending of Freehold money, check with the Exchequer first – otherwise, go forth and frolic!)

SENESCHAL TRANSITION

Sean o Wode will be stepping down next January. He briefly described the tasks and responsibilities of the position. At the moot it was decided that Thomas would be his deputy starting now, and will start learning the ropes in order to take over next January. (Thomas will need to get his SCA membership first.)

EXPENSES FOR MARSHALLATE

Tearlach explained how useful fencing has been in terms of recruiting new members, and how easy it is to get started with minimal outlay of cost. To further this effort, it would be helpful to have more masks, blades, and canvas tunics. The moot authorized an expense of about $300 for materials. Some finishing work will be done by Tearlach and others, to keep costs down.

EXPENSES FOR SHIRE COOKING/SERVING EQUIPMENT

Katherine has worked up a list of items we need to ensure sanitation and convenience when preparing and serving feasts. The list amounts to about $175, but $100 will be covered by the proceeds from previous bake sales, and we plan to raise additional money at the Fool’s Feast lunchboard sale. Any remaining balance will be covered by the Freehold treasury.

OTHER NOTES

Katherine asked people at garage sales to keep their eyes out for raw materials that could be used for A&S projects.

Katherine volunteered to become deputy Exchequer for the shire.

Andreas has sent in the most recent Pursuivant report.

There may be a Big Auction at our April event, to replenish our coffers. More details as they arise.

Lily is officially a Fencing Marshal, as of Birka.

We don’t have a Heavy Marshal. Tearlach, by virtue of his membership in the Order of Chivalry, is a de-facto marshal, but it would be good for us to have somebody else as well. Kelda said that she is in training to become our Shire Marshal.

Thomas offered to host a “meading” at his house, and will send out an announcement later. Lily can also teach a beer class.

Dafydd, who is class coordinator at Panteria, says that anybody who is interested in teaching a class there should contact him.

The Panteria Work Day (cleaning up the site in preparation for Panteria at the end of May) is Sunday, April 24, which is the day after our Fool’s Feast. They would appreciate any assistance from our shire.

Here endeth the moot notes, by Marieke

As Reported By Duchess Marieke

Freehold Moot Notes, July 11 and July 16, 2017

We held two moots, one on a weekday evening at Groenfells Meadery in Colchester, and one on a Sunday afternoon at Jud and Keara’s estate in Middlebury. The topics covered were quite similar at each, but the choice of venue allowed more people to attend. We had about 30 people at each moot, with some overlap in attendance. Notes include comments from both moots. These notes aren’t chronological; I’ve assembled them into topics for ease of reading.

Expansion of the Shire

We reviewed recent demos held, including the two-day Rennfaire at Stowe, which was very successful in terms of finding people who have been looking for us. Another (smaller) demo is coming up at the Fairfax Mini-Rennfaire on July 29, and also the Medieval Bake Sale at the North Hero Farmers Market on Aug. 26. Possible future demos include the UVM Student Activities Fair (Sept 6), at Champlain College (in conjunction with Dagorhir), and at the Old North End Ramble. There are some libraries and schools that want us to do demos, too, including a library in Rutland, which might be good for exposure in the southern end of our shire. Another opportunity would be a Vergennes gaming convention.

Aurelia has created a form to use for demo proposals. It’s still under development. If you haven’t seen it on the email list or Facebook , Aurelia can send you the link.

Another way to expand the shire’s boundaries is to get more involved in Kingdom Guilds. It would be fun to have representatives from each Guild in our Shire. How about the Assassin’s Guild? Also, group projects such as banner making, brewing days, and garbmaking could be popular and worthwhile.

We also discussed the updating of our business cards and handouts to reflect our new web address. We also briefly thought about putting together a “demo kit” with display items.

We discussed having a lending library of books, but it was pointed out that they have gone missing in the past. Perhaps instead we could create a list of personal books that people are willing to loan out. This led to the idea of making a list of people who are willing to teach or share skills.

We won’t be able to use the Underhill ID school until September. Meanwhile, when the weather permits, we’ll hold Sunday practice at Mills Riverside Park.

Money

Our treasury has $3,400. We can spend some of that on things we need and want, to improve our SCA experience.
Jana mentioned that there are Vermont Community Foundation Development Grants available for some of the things we do – we could get up to $1000 if we come up with a suitable proposal (one that helps “build communities”).

At the second moot we voted to spend up to $450 for archery supplies (we voted $300 at the first moot, but additional expenses came up). This includes 3 target backers, which are expensive. They can possibly be handmade; David will explore this. It also includes arrow jigs and some basic supplies for loaner arrows. Elke offered her arrow jig if it’s needed, and she also has a spline tester.
At the first and second moots we voted to spend up to $100 on feast/dayboard infrastructure, including drink dispensers and large trays.

Fencers and heavy-listers have what they need for the time being. If Talen succeeds in becoming a Thrown Weapons marshal, we may need some basic equipment for that.

Some ideas for fundraising: Tearlach offered an auction at an upcoming event, and it was noted that auctions can include services as well as items. Thomas suggested “Iron in the Hat” auction of individual items, buying raffle tickets for a chance to win them. Bake sales can also be lucrative.

We discussed the need for a shire inventory – all sorts of shire stuff is squirrelled away in various attics, garages and basements. Talen volunteered to be our Quartermaster (a deputy to the Seneschal) and tabulate our holdings. We learned that Ghislaine has some boxes with Gold Key garb.

We voted to increase the informal spending limit from $50 to $150. These are for minor expenses that the Financial Committee feels are noncontroversial and OK to approve without consulting the whole shire.

Events

It would be great if we could have at least four events a year.
Events that are currently in the works: Birthday Bash (site and date still not firm, probably Oct 15 or 22, possibly at the Old Lantern in Charlotte). Yule will be done by Panther Vale this year. Ulf and Kelda are talking about resurrecting the rowdy Speckled Trout in Moretown, an early spring event. Another Mimir’s Well is also envisioned. Fool’s feast, maybe? And it’s always possible to propose/invent a new event.

Our Shire Champions in Heavy List and Fencing will be chosen at Birthday Bash. Eleanor is planning to select an A&S Champion there, as well.

A non-event coming up soon is the Pity Party in Eden, Aug 11-13. Camping is possible. Many classes and activities are planned. Food is pot-luck.

Panther Vale needs our help with Lost Tip, now to be called Lord Robert’s Lost Tip, Sept. 9 or 16. Eleanor will autocrat and David will marshal the archery. It will still be a PV event (run through their treasury, on their land) but our assistance is appreciated. The site is not yet firmed up.

It would be helpful to have a few more licensed bartenders in the shire. This would help us persuade some sites to allow us to enjoy beverages there. The shire can’t pay for such classes, but we could pass a hat for that purpose.

Thomas knows of a site in Vergennes, a Masonic hall, that has a field, plenty of parking, and a small kitchen.

We discussed – at great length – using an event bid/proposal form. Aurelia has created a draft, and she can send you a copy if you want to see it. (Links to it have been posted on Facebook and the email list) Using the form has several advantages: it allows/encourages new people to put in bids; it reduces last-minute scrambling, and it asks for information that the prospective autocrats should have already gathered. There were some objections, especially at the second moot. Ultimately we decided to table this idea for now.

Officers and Deputies

Term of Office and Confirmation Votes– We didn’t do any actual electing at these moots. We discussed terms of office. The Kingdom requires the seneschal to step down after two two-year terms. Other offices are not regulated in this way. Still, turnover is a good thing, and gives other people a chance to hold offices and gain that experience. We discussed the idea that confirmation votes every two years would be beneficial and offer “challengers” a chance to get into the office. It would also be a good idea to split up the officers into two sets, and have them staggered, so that not all of the confirmation votes happened at the same time. Of course officers may choose to step down on their own timeline.

Deputies – some offices require them, and for others it’s just a good idea. Deputies can come in three flavors: 1) emergency deputies, especially for Seneschal and Exchequer, who are willing and able to take over on very short notice to keep the shire alive and functioning. 2) deputies in training, who might eventually take over the office (if the shire votes them in) and 3) deputies for special projects, or for a specific delegated set of tasks. If you want to be somebody’s deputy, just ask!

Autocrats are temporary shire officers too. We discussed the benefits of having “mentors” for first-time autocrats or cooks.

– Editorial Comment in Conclusion…. And that, my friends, is the distillation of more than four hours of civil, productive conversation. Thanks to everybody who participated by sharing ideas and insights. While I’ve still got your eyes (do I?), I want to acknowledge how far this shire has come in the past year. Heartfelt gratitude to the new ones, who push our boundaries and make us grow; and to the old ones, who are doing their best to adapt with good grace. Change can be hard, and it doesn’t happen all at once, but we’re making great advances. Onward and Upward!
— Marieke

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