Forseeing The Future

The long range weather forecast for St. Radegund's is somewhat troublesome. The highs are for upper 70's and low 80's cooling to the upper 50's and low 60's at night, which seems far from sinister. However, the chance for notable thunderstorms varies between 40 to 60 percent. Hmmm...

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/56001

Of course your favorite soothsayer, wizard, or philosopher may predict differently.

August 1st

Saturday, August 1st, is the scheduled Business Meeting for the Shire of Rivenwood Tower. It will be at 2:00pm at Jack McGowan's Farm. http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/ As his farm is heavily booked during summer weekends, we will be meeting wherever we are not in the way. Keep an eye out for Shire member's vehicles so you don't crash someone else's party!

There will also be a St. Radegund's planning meeting at 1:00pm for the Event Stewards, Class Coordinator, and Hall Stewards also at Jack's before the business meeting. They will then be somewhat more prepared to relate status to the entire group.
- Perhaps the beekeeper finds she needs a pet bear with bees the size of chickens!

Class Descriptions For St. Radegund's Fair

Medieval and Renaissance Music
Informal Playing Session:
Join the Warwick Consort in the playing of Medieval and Renaissance instrumental music.

Basic Soft Cheese:
We will be setting a basic soft cheese from whole raw milk. Recipes will be handed out along with your fabulous, indispensable piece of basic cheese making equipment – your reusable cheesecloth! Class charge of $2.00 if you want a cheesecloth.

Firing Pottery in a Pit Kiln:
We will be firing up a pit kiln, based on Anglo-Saxon pit kilns. The kiln will be pre-dug and this first firing of pottery will be pre-heating for several hours before the actual firing.

Period Fishing Line:
We will braid period fishing line out of horse tail and how to tie it to period fish hooks.

Build a Clay Oven:
We will be building a small – big or small the principle is the same and takes vastly less time and grunt work! – a small clay oven based on a medieval woodcut of street bakers. The clay will be dug on site. Be prepared to get very muddy! We will dry the clay oven and bake in it! Note: This will be a two and a half hour class!

Tie A Fish Net:
We will tie a circular scoop net using a willow withe and strong fine cord.

Fire The Big Stone and Clay Oven:
We will - as we fire the small clay oven to dry it - simultaneously fire the large clay oven on site to pre-heat it for the afternoon of baking! This oven was originally created at the first St. Radegund’s fair. It was dismantled and reassembled onto a portable platform and given a clay
outer coating rather than the original sod one.

Bread Making:
We will be making bread dough to create different breads to be baked in the two clay ovens, i.e. Focaccia, whole wheat trenchers, and good old Hot Crossed Buns.

Medieval Pot Herbs:
We will discuss two forgotten medieval greens you can find in your back yard and garden and create two recipes using them to bake in the ovens. Have you eaten Nettles or Fat Hen?

Bake, Bake, Bake!
The class title says it all!

Die making for Coiners, metal stampers and Leatherworkers:
Learn the basics of making metal punches. The punches can then be used to make dies. The dies in turn can be used for striking coins, embossing metal for decoration or embossing leather. Or use the punches directly to chase metal or tool leather.

Beginning Beadmaking:
No experience needed. There will be a demo at 2pm showing the preparation and process for making beads. Students will then make their own bead. There will be many colors of glass to choose from. If time allows students will be able to create more than one bead. Beads will be
cleaned and available for pickup 30 minutes after the end of class. There is no cost for the class.

Basic Engraving:
The bare nubins of the begining of engraving metal.

Basic Casting:
The bare nubins of the beginning of casting metal.

Rope Splicing and Knots:
The basic splices and knot theory.

Period Dance:
Belle's dance class. Learn a few of the most common SCA period dances. Don't be a wall flower any longer!

The Life, Times, and Works of Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572):
Agnolo Bronzino[1] was an Italian Mannerist painter of the 16th Century. He was a founding member of The 'Accademia delle Arti del Disegno[2] ("Academy of the Arts of Drawing") of Florence. The class will look at his works. and those of some of his contemporaries, with particular emphasis on sources of inspiration for costuming and craft work in the
SCA.

A Stop Along The Way:
Pub, tavern, inn, gasthaus, trattoria... Call it what you will, the local watering hole is a fundamental component of our mental image of a Medieval or Renaissance town. Whether persona-based role playing or SCA activity, the 'local' can provide a base for welcoming newcomers and creating a 'period' atmosphere at an event. This free-wheeling round table discussion will explore the concept. Albrecht will introduce the topic, but participants are encouraged and expected to contribute their own visions of the perfect inn. Bring your lunch to this open discussion.

Construct an Early Period Northern European Tunic:
This is a hands on class. Please bring fabric and matching thread. There will be limited fabric available for purchase at cost. I will provide sewing machines and other needed tools. You may bring your own sewing machine if you wish. If there's time I can review how to make simple pants.

Smoking Cheese and Meat:
This is a hands on class to demonstrate firing, construction and use of a pit smoker. Smoker with be started on Friday night, meat will placed in Friday night and cheese in Saturday Morning. Class will finish on Saturday before the potluck feast with the removal and serving of the
smoked item.

Byzantine Chain:
Intro to making chain in the Byzantine style. Three basic styles will be demonstrated. This is a hands on class.

Paper making:
This is a hands on class. Get wet and make paper.

Period Pencil Making:
Make charcoal pencils from grape vine cuttings. This class involves the use of an open fire. This is a hands on class.

Eleven Days Until St. Radegund's!

nly eleven days left! August 7th, 8th, and 9th the Shire of Rivenwood Tower will be hosting St. Radegund's Fair as the Kingdom of Northshield's Arts & Science Event! There will be a judged Arts & Science competition. Bring your best creative endeavor with it's documentation and enter!

The Fair will be held at Jack McGowan's Farm just south of Mankato, Mn.
Site fee is $15.00 for adults, 16 years and under free with a maximum of $45.00 for a family. Make Checks payable to SCA-Shire of Rivenwood Tower. Merchants welcome and free. No Pre-Reg required. Camping is basically primitive. There is access to water pumps, port-a-potties, buildings with electricity for classes and in the case of very inclement weather. The site is child friendly - having been designed specifically for the education of children old or young - with a large shaded play area.

Site Opens 9am Friday, Aug 7 and closes Sunday 2pm at the Jack McGowan Farm. Township Rd 198, Mankato MN 56001. NOTE: Township Rd 198 is Hawkeye/Shamrock Lane http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/mcgowan-map.png

Pilgrim Badge Event Work Day

Saturday, July 25th will be a St. Radegund's work day. We will be casting pewter pilgrim's badges for site tokens. The casting will be done at 1:00pm in Prahl's Shop, 621 Main St N Garden City, MN 56034. http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=44.052214,-94.163684&ie=UTF8&ll=44.052311,-94.163046&spn=0.006323,0.018454&z=16 Come and help cast or just come and meet us and socialize!

- St. Dunstan, the patron saint of metalworkers, bell makers, jewelers, and engravers.

Pilgrim Badges

Pilgrim's Badges were small tokens created early in the middle ages to satisfy the throngs of pilgrims that came to holy sites seeking for the blessings of the saints. Instead of allowing the devotees to walk away with finger and toe bones, the cathedrals and abbeys housing the sought after relics had small pewter trinkets made that were "infused" with the "virtue" of the holy relics. The pilgrims could take home these little tokens to show that they had made pilgrimage and to bring home some of the saints virtue to protect them or to bestow upon someone not able to make the pilgrimage themselves.

"Pilgrims" to St. Radegund's Fair will take home a badge to show their piousness in making the trek to The Shire of Rivenwood Tower and the saint's fair held therein. Pictured are a sample of some of the badges that were experimented with and that will be cast on the next event work day.

We're Still Here

The Shire Of Rivenwood Tower is still here. Summer has been busy. Shire members have been occupied with gardening, jobs, families, attending events around the Kingdom, and filling in the free moments in their schedules with weekly Armory Night, Arrow Making, and Archery Practice.

Class Coordinator Melanie Wing, and Event Steward Bart Saxton with his assistant the youthful Teresa, have been busy preparing for the Shire's upcoming Kingdom Arts and Science Event, St. Radegund's Fair. There is a lot to do in preparations and upcoming work days will be posted. Please, feel free to come and participate or just meet the group and socialize. We will be casting pewter pilgrim's badges on the next work day. Place and time will be posted soon. A class listing for the event will be posted at http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/

Heraldry

A staple reference book for SCA heraldry is now available for free download from Fox-Davies. "A Handbook to English Heraldry" by Fox-Davies can now be accessed on GoogleBooks. While the work focuses mainly on later period English heraldry, it is still useful as a tool to those who wish to learn more about heraldic history, or to look at examples of historic heraldry. "The handbook to English Heraldry" by Charles Boutell, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, R. B. Utting http://books.google.com/books?id=_xdMAAAAMAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks

- Thanks to Bart Saxton for this information.