Armory Night Change

Armory night has been changed:

Armory Night: Wednesdays at 7:00pm in Prahl's shop, Address:621 Main St N Garden City, MN 56034Phone:507.546.3726(eve)

http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/

Saturday 26th, and Sunday 27th of September

Saturday, September 26th is Jackware Day. Make your own leather mug. 2:00pm

Sunday, September 27th is Sewing Day. Sew basic Garb. 1:00pm

Both held at Mike and Linda Prahl's, Garden City. http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/

Sunday Sewing

Sunday, October 27th will be held a Sewing Day. Beginning at 1:oopm at the Prahl's in Garden City. http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/ Bring four or more yards of prewashed fabric for each adult garment and a scissors.

Linda Prahl will assist people in making their own medieval T-tunic - a ubiquitous garment that is appropriate for Dark ages up through early medieval periods - and a pair of trousers. If you are thinking of something more complicated, such as Elizabethan styles, you may be disappointed in this session. This sewing day, however, will teach you the basics of sewing; making a pattern to fit you, cutting and piecing, using a sewing machine, and ultimately result in period garb you can wear to any event. Contact the seneschal with any questions.

History Fest

History Fest is upon us once again! http://www.historyfest.com/

It is held at Jack McGowan's farm outside of Mankato Mn. http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/

- baking in a clay oven

It is three days of historical demonstrations for local area school children and general populace. The Shire of Rivenwood Tower has participated in this great local event for over a decade and will do so again this year. We have a long list of demonstrations by shire members planned. Our group will be demonstrating baking in a clay oven, grinding wheat in a quern, armoured combat, chain maille making, coin striking, cooking over an open fire, rope making, and new this year, hands on heraldry, and medieval barnyard animals.

We have quite a few members now new to the shire that have never participated in History Fest. We are excited to have them with us. History Fest is a fun but extremely busy event. We could use more hands. Please do not feel intimidated or inadequate to participating! You will have a blast helping out!

History Fest begins Thursday, October 8th, 8:30am - 2:20pm. Friday, October 9th, 8:30am - 2:30pm. And Saturday, October 10th, 10:00am - 5:00pm. You may camp on site or day trip.

If you would like to participate please contact the seneschal at:mailto:seneschal@rivenwoodtower.org or post your intent to the yahoo list.

Jackware or Make Your Own Leather Mug

There has been noticed a sad trend of SCA people coming to events without their own feast gear. Plus we have a happy handful of new people that may not have yet acquired their own feast gear. We have a special day planned to help remedy that! Saturday, September 26th is Jackware Day! Come and make your own leather mug. (If you have any pieces of vegetable tanned leather please bring it along! If not we hope to have some amount for people to use.) We will be meeting at Mike and Linda Prahl's shop at 2:00pm in Garden City. Find directions at http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/

October Business Meeting

The October Business Meeting has been changed to Sunday, October 4th. It will be held in Robinson Park, Lake Crystal Mn. 56055 at 5:00pm.

The meeting has been changed to make way for Joel and Kat's wedding.

Local Boy Makes Barbarian Chieftain

Bart Saxton will be participating in the Roman defeat by Germanic warriors in Harmon Park Saturday, September 19th. He was cast as a barbarian chieftain by event coordinators to lead a group of about 12 to 15 warriors. It is a "scripted" fight and will be rehearsed before hand, no SCA type fighting. The actual battle reenactment begins at 5:00pm in Harmon Park, New Ulm below the Herman the German statue.

9 A.D. September 18th, 19th, 20th

Roman Soldiers will march on New Ulm, Minnesota , this fall, 2009. Members of Legion XIIII - Milwaukee area - and the Legion X - Chicago area - will set up camp near the famous Hermann Monument . They are coming to recreate an important historical event. In the year 9 AD, Roman Legionnaires from the XVII, XVIII and XIX Legions fought a battle east of the Rhine River in northern Germany. The original battlefield in Germany , recently discovered by Tony Clunn, is helping tell the story. This was, in fact, such a decisive battle that it helped create the foundations for modern Europe .

The City of New Ulm and the Hermann Victory Committee are hosting a three-day Hermann Victory Celebration Friday , Saturday, and Sunday September 18-20, 2009 . A small-scale reenactment of the Battle of Teutoburger Wald will be part of this three-day event. Roman soldiers and German tribal “barbarians” led by Hermann the German (or Arminius as he was known to the Romans) will once again meet in the New Ulm “ Teutoburger Forest ” to set the course for the future of Germany. Local barbarians and those from nearby tribes are invited to enlist in the reenactment. Saturday afternoon at the Roman campsite, you can join one of the tribes: Hermann’s Cherusci Auxiliaries, the Bructeri, the Marsi, or form your own tribe. We’ll supply the face paint and some Cherusci Auxiliary uniforms. Learn a bit of the history, dress and arm yourself as they might have 2000 years ago. Saturday near sunset a reenactment of that battle will be staged. Varus and his Romans will march from their summer camp into the carefully planned ambush. History tells us one fall day in 9 AD Hermann the Cherusci and his tribal allies ended Roman expansion in that part of the world.Visit the camp Saturday afternoon (all barbarians welcome) and later that day on September 19, a 2000- year-old event in history will be revisited.Interested Romans and barbarians can contact http://us.mc376.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jkmake@gmail.comand visit the Hermannmonument.com website to learn more about the three- day event

Shire Shed Repair

The Shire Shed is in dire need of repair. Come and assist in making needed improvements!

Saturday, Sept. 12th at 2:00pm at Gary Jensen's house in Minnesota Lake, Mn. Gary lives in Minnesota Lake on hwy 22 south of Mapelton. Gary's at 116 Lake Avenue. Going south on hwy 22, turn right at Lake Ave and go about 2 1/2 blocks. It is the white house on the left.

Tallow Lamps or Rejoice in Fatness!

"...and let your soul delight itself in fatness." Isaiah 55:2

Now, before anyone gets rather too excited about the afore referenced quote, I rather think we all can appreciate the sentiment! Our medieval counterparts did! Fat: A modernly eschewed once luxury and necessity. A contradiction?

- Two replica pottery tallow lamps based on archaeological finds from southern England. They were fired in an Anglo-Saxon pit kiln. The fuel in the lamps is bacon grease...Mmmm, scented candles!

A fat animal was prize! Fat was first of all food. There was no Crisco, no Wesson. Other than olive oil, vegetable oil was not common. Lard, tallow, suet, poultry fat or schmaltz, were what people cooked in and with. Fat was added to meat and used to store meat in. Properly rendered fat has no moisture and lets in no air. (I had a 2 gallon crock of rendered beef tallow stay fresh for a year at room temperature. My grandma has a hideous story about a crock of lard and some rats...ask me about it sometime...)

Secondly, fat was a fuel. Here, finally, comes the point of my story. Fat was light! Beeswax candles were expensive and saved often for the church. (Wax candles were recorded gifts to churches.) Fat was the more common source of light for everyone, low and high. Rush lights, cattails soaked in tallow, tallow lamps with wicks of twisted linen cloth, all fueled with animal fat.

How do you make a tallow/fat lamp? Easy. You will need some sort of vessel to hold your fat in. Usually something small, about the size of a coffee cup is quite large enough. Next, you will need some sort of fat. Tallow is a fat that is hard at room temperature. (Beef, sheep, goat, and deer, all fall under this category.) Tallow has the advantage of not spilling when not in use and can be easily transported. (Perhaps a useful period camp light?) Lard and schmaltz (chicken, duck, and goose fat) are semi-liquid at warm room temperature and only solid when quite cool. All fat will need to be rendered from its original raw state. Raw fat may be trimmed off cuts of meat you have for dinner over time and saved up in the fridge, or go to your meat section or meat market and buy some. Don't feel odd about requesting some from your butcher and he may even ask you if you want it ground. Say yes! Ground suet, lard, or any fat renders down the best.

Next, put your fat and a few cups of water into a crock pot, electric roaster, or more period, a thick pot on the stove. (Whether a fire inside or out, you will need to tend this much more attentively. You decide how modernly busy or impatient you are.) Low heat is the key. Slowly heat your fat, stirring occasionally, until all is melted. The water will cook off and be gone. You want to melt the fat not "fry" it. If there is actual smoke involved you are way too hot! You will eventually see little golden bits floating in your amber colored melted fat. These are the "cracklings". Depending on your cholesterol level go ahead and strain these out and sprinkle with salt and enjoy! Pour your strained fat into the lamp vessel of your choice. While warm and liquid insert your wick. Choose a kerosene lamp wick, round or flat woven, or use a twist of 100 percent linen cloth you have a scrap from a garb project. Get the fat to draw up very close to the tip of your wick and light. The wick will need to lean against the side of your vessel without falling down into the fat. Too much wick above the surface of the fat is not desirable as you will have a high and vigorous flame! Fat lamps will smoke a bit more than candles but produce very usable light!

I look at my fat pig and fat steers a bit differently than once I did. You too will rejoice in fatness when you can light your way to the privy at night!

New Archery Schedule

There is a new archery schedule. It will still be held at the Ingall's, 52834 Minnewaukon Ct North Mankato, MN 56003-4004 http://www.rivenwoodtower.org/

Archery practice will still be held on Saturday afternoons but twice monthly. September 12, 2:00 pm and September 26, 2:00 pm.

The second practice of the month will be for special shoots!