Seneschal Letter July 2020

Greetings all.

I have a few things for you today. First off, I hope everyone is well and surviving these trying times. Remember we are all family and if you need help, let us know. We have been discussing events at the last two Financial Committee meetings and would like your input. We would like to know how comfortable you all feel with the idea of having day trip events in the future. We are looking at planning Village Fair and how to do it safely and successfully. The officers have decided to make it a day trip event. The question becomes what kind of day trip event we want to have. Do we want to meet at a park with a byo food and beverages along with social distancing measures? Maybe having wrist bands that help us identify how close we are comfortable with friends getting? Do we want to have an online class day like TRU? Do we want to have a hybrid between the two where the fighters can get together in small groups on one day and the classes can be held online the other day? Any other ideas? Our first priority is the health and wellbeing of our populace and that will be the main determining factor in whatever decisions we make. We will follow all state and county guidelines for gatherings. That being said, we would like your input on how to move forward and if we are even ready to think about moving forward.

Also, it has come to the time in my term to start looking for a successor deputy for the office of the Seneschal. If you have any interest in becoming the next Seneschal or would like to become a deputy please send me an email at seneschal@baronyofdarkwater.org.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the populace meeting this Thursday.

Hextilda Marshall

Aka

Kimberly Calvin

Seneschal Letter May 2020

The polling letters have all gone out. If you do not receive your polling letter by Friday May 15th, please email me a copy of your membership card and your address. We will make sure a polling letter gets out to you as long as your address is in the barony's list of addresses. The request must be sent via email to my official SCA email. It can not be done through Facebook. My email address is seneschal@baronyofdarkwater.org

In Service,

HL Hextilda Marshall

Announcement: From the Kingdom Seneschal

From the Kingdom Seneschal:

Currently the SCA in Trimaris is suspended. Until the restrictions of gatherings have been removed, until the social distancing guidelines have been removed, until the medical authorities and government agencies say we can gather, we are suspended from in-person SCA official operations. That is the official response to any inquiries about resuming operations in the kingdom.

Seneschal Letter - March 2020

Greetings to our wonderful Barony. 

All is moving well in our group. I am still looking for ideas for the wrap for our trailer. I am going to extend it by a month to see what we can get. Also, we are looking for bids for Village Fair in September. If you are interested in working on an event please let us know. 

The polling is closed for Baron and Baroness. I have sent the letters I received on to the Kingdom Seneschal and am waiting to hear back on what our next steps are. Polling should be at Clans. 

And finally, I received an email from a lady looking for people willing to rent out their garb to a High School show of the Sword and the Stone. That is all the information I have on it. If you are interested, please email me at seneschal@baronyofdarkwater.org and I will share her email address with you.

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HL Hextilda Marshall

Seneschal Letter - February 2020

Greetings everyone from your friendly neighborhood seneschal.

A gentle reminder, there are only three weeks left to get your official letter in to me if you want to run for Baron and Baroness of Darkwater. A letter is necessary to be considered. 

 
I have received word from the Kingdom Seneschal that they have no bids for Trimaris Memorial Tournament or Fall Coronation and are currently looking for bids. If anyone would like to put a bid in or any households would like a chance to shine this is a good time to do so. Event bids can be done by following the instructions here: https://www.trimaris.org/…/office-of-t…/kingdom-events-bids/ The handbook for running a kingdom event can be found in the files section of this page. If you would like me to look it over first, I would be happy to help. Thank you all for your time.

Also, we are looking for ideas for stickers to decorate the Baronial Trailer. If anyone has any ideas for decorating our trailer, just send them to seneschal@baronyofdarkwater.org by the end of this month. 

Thank you. --
HL Hextilda Marshall

Announcement - Baronial Nominations

From the Baronial Seneschal:

Greetings all. We have come to the time in our wonderful Baron and Baroness's reign where they are feeling the urge, dare I say need, to have heirs. On this day I am putting out a call to all who would desire to help secure the safety of our Barony.  If you have a desire to become the heirs to our wonderful Excellencies, please send me a letter of intent to seneschal@baronyofdarkwater.org before the 29th of February 2020 (no that is not a joke this is leap year). I will be gathering the letters and then proceeding from there with Sir Theron Andronikos (the kingdom seneschal) guiding the way.

HL Hextilda Marshall

Seneschal Letter - December 2019

Things on the baronial level are moving smoothly. We have been gathering information about buying the trailer and should be able to do so soon.

Swampkeype needs a new Seneschal. If no one steps up we have a problem. You can not have a group without a seneschal. Loch Gryffyn is looking for deputies as well. If you are interested in taking a leadership role in either of these groups, please let either the representatives in the groups or myself know.

Thank you

HL Hextilda Marshall

Seneschal Letter - November 2019

A couple brief notes:

The contracts have been confirmed by the Kiwanis club for our events next year:

• Trident Tourney Jan 24th -26th 
• Clans May 8th-10th
• Village Fair on Sept 25th-27th 

We are looking for bids for Village Fair of next year (2020). 

HL Hextilda Marshall

Seneschal

Help Wanted - September 2018

The SCA is a volunteer run organization, thus we are looking for a few good volunteers! Monthly we will be posting a list of available positions within the Barony of Darkwater and its cantons.

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Position: Revel Coordinator
The position of Revel Coordinator is a deputy of the Baronial Seneschal. Their primary responsibility is to coordinate three revels a year, one for each canton and one centrally located within the Barony proper.
For revels within the cantons, the Coordinator will work with the Canton officers to determine location, time, advertising, and planned activities. They will also facilitate communication between the Baronial officers and the Canton concerning support and funding.
For the centrally located revel, the Coordinator will be responsible for planning the event as well as communicating and coordinating with the Baronial officers concerning details and activities.
After each revel the Coordinator will prepare a brief post-event report about how the event went, any issues, and any suggestions for future events.

Contact: David Archer - Darkwater Seneschal - seneschal@baronyofdarkwater.org

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Position: Hospitaller
The welcome wagon of the SCA. Looking for outgoing and friendly person who loves to share the SCA and support those who are just starting their journey. Involves being present at meetings and events to welcome newcomers and answer general SCA questions. Hosting Demos and providing information to the public. Will involve emailing information to new contacts and hosting simple newcomers 101 classes at events. Storage and care of Gold key items (loaner garb) is also involved. A great position for those who are friendly and excited about sharing the SCA.

Contact: Thyri Bersi - Darkwater Hospitaller - Hospitaller@baronyofdarkwater.org

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Position: Deputy Youth Marshal
We are looking for a Deputy Youth Marshal for the barony.
Requirements:

• You are youth marshal authorized, YCM in the Marshal Authorizations section.
• Your authorization card is current.
• Have a current background check.
• Are a paid member of the SCA.

Responsibilities include:

• Attending the Darkwater Sunday Fighter Practices
• Ensuring the safety of the youths participating at practice
• Ensuring necessary paperwork is filled out for all participants
• Training the youth fighters(This could just be the safety and rules if not an experienced fighter)
• Maintaining youth loaner equipment and bringing to applicable practices
• Reporting quarterly updates to the Barony Marshal

Contact: HL Hywel ap Wyn - Baronial Marshal - marshal@baronyofdarkwater.org

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Position: Deputy Marshal
We are looking for a Deputy Marshal for the barony.
Requirements:

• Heavy weapons marshal authorized, ACM in the Marshal Authorizations section. 
• Your authorization card is current.
• Are a paid member of the SCA.

Responsibilities include:

• Attending the Darkwater fighter practices Wednesday and Sunday
• Ensuring the safety of all participating at practice
• Ensuring necessary paperwork is filled out for all participants
• Reporting quarterly updates to the Barony Marshal

Contact: HL Hywel ap Wyn - Baronial Marshal - marshal@baronyofdarkwater.org

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Position: Guild Leader - Cooking
The Baronial Arts & Sciences officer is looking for individuals who would be interested in becoming a guild leader for Cooking Guild. Guild leaders are responsible for organizing classes and activities for the guild, and facilitating the guild's support of the Barony.

Contact: Lady Ursula Blackpool - Barony of Darkwater Art/Sci Officer - artsci@baronyofdarkwater.org

Seneschal Letter - Autumn 2018

Greetings to the Barony,

Summer is slowing heading into Fall, which is one of our busier times of the year. Soon we will have Village Faire, Lady of the Lakes, and the holidays.

First, I’d like to encourage anyone who enjoys art and learning to take full advantage of Village Faire. The staff have some great things planned for the event and I’m personally looking forward to it.

Second, if you’re not planning to attend Martinmas Moot this year, consider attending Lady of the Lakes. It’s a great opportunity to meet people, hang out with your barony, and learn new things. If you’re interested, please talk to Thyri.

As always, I want to express how thankful I am that our barony is filled with so many people willing to volunteer. Rarely do I find that we don’t have enough hands; often the problem is finding enough things for everyone to do, which isn’t a bad problem to have.

As you all know, youth activities and background checks have been an active interest of mine. We now have multiple people background checked in both of the cantons and in the barony. As of the end of June, it’s my understanding that we have more people background checked then the rest of the kingdom combined. Thank you for supporting this effort.

If you haven’t had a chance to get background checked and are interested in it, please let me know and I’ll help you get copies of the proper forms.

HL David Archer

The Head Cat Herder

Seneschal Letter -- Summer 2018

Greetings all,

Recently there have been a lot of things going on, and I’ve gotten questions about changes. Change isn’t easy, but it can be good. There are times when we put a process in place and it becomes tradition. In order to grow, we need to be willing to review these things and question why we do them. Toward that goal, know that I have an open door policy. If you think we could improve things by making a change, reach out. If you think a change we’re making is a mistake, reach out.

I’d like to talk next about interactions between people. Whether the interaction is on social media or in person, always consider what you’re saying and ask yourself if you’re acting in the best manner. Especially on social media, it’s very easy to post something that we think is funny but can be taken the wrong way. Likewise, if you have a complaint or an issue, be careful how you present it on social media. What you post is often there forever, so what might be a small misunderstanding can look very bad to a new person reading the history. If you have a concern, please consider reaching out to the person in question privately first.

For in-person interactions, I think the Barony does pretty well most time, but we have our moments. At the revel, we had one of those moments with a baseball team that was at our cookout; several people had to help get the field cleared and defuse a situation. I know I get highly protective in such situations but sometimes the best option is to step away. Related to that: a reminder that if the seneschal, autocrat, or similar officer for an event tells you to step away, you need to listen and take that action. We have people who are looking to help; however, we also have officers for a reason.  It’s their responsibility to handle such situations.

On a more positive note, I think the Revel went really well despite the few bumps and the weather being a bit rough. I want to thank everyone who helped make the event happen, especially HL Freyja (Sunny).

In talking to our Baron and Baroness and our knight’s marshal, we’ve decided to switch things up a bit for the baronial revels moving forward. We are aiming to have one every 4 months, and rotate where the events are held: Swampkeype, Loch Gryffyn, and Central Orlando. Toward this goal, I’m going to be hiring a new Deputy whose primary duty will be organizing the revels.  If you are interested in applying for this position, please send me a letter of interest, preferably with your SCA resume. If you don’t have a resume and would like help making one, let me know.

Til next time,

HL David Archer