Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for January 2007

COLONEL GAFFNEYIS REGIMENT MARCHES NORTH

Once again we will celebrate Hogmanay with a progressive dinner on New Years Day. For our newer members, on New Years Day, which is a major holiday in Scotland, we adapt the Scottish traditions of Airing of the Tartans and First Footing. We gather at noon in Augsburg Park in Richfield to lay out our plaids for airing (a tradition that predates polyester blends that can go in the washing machine) and a bit of marching to show how impervious we are to cold weather. This is followed by a progressive dinner, in which each course is at a different house.

We do have volunteers to host the four courses. They are:

Appetizers at 2:00 at our noble Captain's house Maeve Kane
26586 Woodcrest Circle
Elko, MN

This is about 25 minutes South of the Cities, and the rest of the day we will journey back North.

Soups and salads at 4:00 at our capable HCF Renee's house.
86 Riverwoods Lane
Burnsville MN

Main course at 6:00 at the Yoders' house, because it's NEW!!!
4736 12th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN

Dessert at 8:00 at the McDavids, because they CAN!!!
340 Brooks Ave
Roseville, MN

We will also be asking members to sign up to bring dishes so that we get them distributed among courses. Please let us know what you are planning to bring--our hosts can't feed us all without our help!.

Also, this year we are asking that persons bring an index card listing ingredients for the dishes they bring. Some people have food allergies or sensitivities or for other reasons have to be careful what they eat; providing such a card can prevent any amount of asking "Who made this? What's in it? I hate to bother you but I can't eat . . ." For some of us this is life and death, so please help out here.

Maps to the locations are in this newsletter. Please RSVP (That means "say if you are coming and for which courses") and indicate what are you bringing; send e-mail to Mia, mia_mcdavid@comcast.net.

STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT

First Footing: maps and addresses of locations are elsewhere in this issue. Staff wants to remind those who haven't yet said what they plan to bring, or would like to where which course is lighter on dishes, to contact Mia. A list of who is bringing what went out in a recent e-mail, but if you don't have that list Mia can fill you in. Also, it will be helpful in finding your way around to being the maps with you on the day.

The online store can be found at www.cafepress.com/clanntartan.

Board Minutes

Minutes of Clann Tartan Board and Membership Meeting on November 4, 2006

In attendance:  (Board) Herb Lindorff, Cate Hesser, Mary McKinley, 
		Diana Steben, Glenn McDavid, Bruce Yoder

Staff: Julie Yoder, Maeve Kane, Mia McDavid, Marty Byers, Eric Ferguson,
	David Vavreck

Members: Hellen Ferguson, Betsy Bolton, Jaimie Zaugg, 
	Margaret Kirkpatrick, Mark Hansen, Judy Byers, Renee Peterson,
	Chris Daniels, Joe Ring, Anthea Cross, Laurie Ford, John Debnam
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minutes of the September Board Meeting and the October special
emergency meeting were accepted.

STAFF ELECTION RESULTS
======================
	Chief of Staff:		Mia McDavid (2 yr. term)
	Captain:		Maeve Kane (1 yr. term)
	Head Camp Follower:	Betsy Bolton and Renee Peterson jointly
				(1 yr. term) 
	Other Staff:		David Vavreck, Tony Rogers, Julie
				Yoder, Laurie Ford, Eric Ferguson,
				Heidi Viar (1 yr. term)

TRAILER DISCUSSION
==================
This was moderated by Bruce Yoder.  It began with Marty and Jaimie
giving their accounts of the accident on October 8.  See the minutes of
the October 10 Special Emergency Meeting.

The trailer appears to have been badly overloaded.  It is rated for
1750 lbs., including its own weight.  It is 12 years old and originally
cost $800.

Herb reported that the immediate cause was a lug nut failure.  He added
that the spring was good and that repairs would cost about $200 in
parts.

Laurie said that the current situation (a single trailer carrying
everything) puts a burden on the very few Clann members with vehicles
capable of hauling it.

Some alternatives to using a trailer were discussed.  One would be to
carry everything in invidual member cars.  This would OK for smaller
shows, but not for major events, e.g. Scottish Fair, Big Island.
Another would be to rent a truck as we did for Mankato and Winona.  The
economics of this need more analysis.

David said we need more information.  We need to know the actual weight
of the fully loaded trailer.  This was accepted by all and the
Quartermaster and the newly elected Staff agreed to obtain this
information before the December Board Meeting.

TREASURER:  The Treasurer's Report was distributed and accepted.

QUARTERMASTER:  Two trooper tents are in need of repairs.  This is
doable.  The Cook's Tent was repaired at Winona.

CAMP REP: No report

COMPANY REP: No report

MUSIC GUILD: Hopes to be meeting again soon.

DANCE GUILD: We have a temporary space for Wednesdays.  We need to find
a long-term site.

FIBER GUILD:  The waulking demo at Big Island, organized and run by Mia
McDavid, was a big success.  There is also a lot of spinning going on.

HISTORIC SITE:  Construction of the first house has begun--the
foundation is done.  We expect to build about one house a year.
However, because of weather there will be no work weekends until 2007.
David explained to the membership what Tactical is all about.

SWORD GUILD:  Marty is trying to arrange for the use of Corcoran.  The
next two drills will emphasize footwork.

COMMUNICATIONS
==============
There were delays in preparing the November Newsletter because of a
computer failure and the absence of many members at October events.

Glenn McDavid reported on the problems Comcast users were having with
e-mail from the Clann domain.

CAMP DRILL:  Corcoran will be closed for the next two scheduled
Saturdays.  Other arrangements will have to be made.

VETERANS DAY EVENT (Lakeville).  Eric and David will manage this for
Clann.

NEW BUSINESS
============
News: Life member Duncan McMillan died recently.  It was agreed that
Clann should make a memorial donation.

Ann Peters's dog died.  Ann seems to be doing OK.

Jaimie reported on the problems that have ended the Big Muddy Festival
in Winona.  One issue is Luke's health, but there are also serious
financial problems.  Jaimie proposed that we forgive all or part of the
fee due to us for this year (we have not yet been paid).  Also, there is
some hope that the festival can be continued--Luke is to arrange a
meeting about this in December.  The Board will discuss these issues at
the December meeting, by which time we hope to have more information.

Marty presented the Captain's Travelling Award to Joe Ring.

Hellen thanked Marty for his special services in recent years.  This was
approved enthusiastically by all.

Mary thanked Julie, Anthea, John, Sarah (Fuzzy), Tonya, Jaimie, and
everyone else who worked on the Captains' Dinner at Big Island.

It was noted that we tore down and packed camp in record time at Big
Island and Winona.

Eric and Hellen will produce CD's of the manual after their computer is
repaired.

Meeting adjourned at 2:02 P.M.

Board & Staff

If you need to contact someone associated with Clann Tartan, here is where you find out how. If you are unsure who to contact, you can always email us at: info@clanntartan.org

Guilds

Our first public event of the new season approaches. Scottish Ramble takes place at the Landmark Center, February 10-11. It is indoors, and our group has a set space which we occupy as well as scheduled dance and military demonstrations. I highly recommend it for newer members, especially those who have not yet attended an event with Clann, as it is fairly laid back and we don't have to deal with capricious weather. It is one of two events we do that is dedicated exclusively to Scottish culture.

Our group, as Col. Gaffneyis Regiment, occupies an interesting place within the context of this event. Col. Gaffneyis Reg. above all does not represent the Scottish military, Scottish nationalism, or Scotland at all. Col. Gaffneyis is an entity of the Swedish government, which just happens to be mainly composed of Scots.

Our military aspect, therefore, is not of primary importance at this event. That is not to say that it is unimportant. Rather, it means that the particular Scottish reasons for joining the regiment are most important. To be frank, the Thirty Years' War really has nothing to do with Scotland or Scottish Ramble. It is the backdrop we use to examine Scottish culture before Culloden and the clearances. The reasons Scots signed up to fight other peoples' war during this period, however, have everything to do with Scottish Ramble.

When interpreting to the public at Scottish Ramble (or any other event), we should ask ourselves what the public is there to learn about/see/hear/do. If we are able to tie what we do to the particular reason someone is at an event, we will be better able to hold their interest, and hopefully they will get more out of our interpretation.

So when interpreting any given thing, ask what it shows about Scottish culture. People have made food and cloth, fought wars and played games, lived, loved, and died since time began. What do Scots' involvement in other countries' wars say about Scotland, the economy, and the society? What do the games we play show about free time, education and the economy of Scotland? What does the food we eat say about the economy, class, and gender?

The same goes for any event. We should always ask ourselves why we are at an event. Because we enjoy it is not an acceptable answer. What are the public there to learn? How do we fit in to this event? Because we're history, because we're military, because we're Scottish are all good starting points, but there are deeper answers for all these questions.

The particular Scottish nature of Scottish Ramble also makes the place of our group within this event interesting. Col. Gaffneyis Regiment recruits both Scots and Highlanders, and the two are very separate peoples. Scots, or Lowlanders, tended to assimilate more to English culture, were Presbyterian for the most part, and spoke a dialect of English. They wore English and French style clothes, and lived in English style cities. The Highlanders, on the other hand, were mostly rural, largely poor, and Catholic when they could get away with it. They identified strongly with Gaelic speaking Ireland and rejected many of the English ways of their Lowland relatives.

It was Highland culture that the clearances of the 18th century were trying to eradicate. There was a definite tension between Highlanders and Lowlanders, which later developed into attempted cultural genocide. The Highlanders were the Scots' bastard, poor, funny talking, embarrassing cousins, and the Lowlanders were the Highlanders' poncy git, funny talking, English loving cousins. Col. Gaffneyis and the Scottish regiments of the Thirty Years' War in general have a preponderance of Highlanders because the economy of the Highlands was so poor. Lowlanders were mainly represented as officers who bought their commissions, reflecting the stronger economy of that area. This season, I will be portraying a Presbyterian Lowlander, and I would like us to make a point in our interpretation to the public to elucidate the difference between Highlands and Lowlands.

I look forward to seeing many of you at Company Drill in the coming months. After drill proper at Mattock's Park, we will continue to have an informal Captain's Tea at the Yoder's home in Minneapolis. I want to emphasize that Company Drill, especially the Captain's Tea part, is not just for soldiers. While we will be working on marching, singing, and executing orders by drum, we will also discuss interpretation, character development, and camp life. I would be greatly pleased if more non-soldiers attended; remember, the military and the civilian in our period did not have a hard and fast line between them.

Your Captain,

Maeve Kane

Calendar of Events

Maps

 

Map to Board Meetings Bruce and Julie Yoder's Home 4736 12th Av S, Minneapolis, 55407	Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance
Map to /Quarterly/Annual Meetings Corcoran Neighborhood Center, 3334 20th Av South, Minneapolis, MN	Map to the Mpls Comm & Tech College 1st & 3rd Wednesdays dance location
Map to Marty & Judy Byers home Location for for Sword Drill 2821 Churchill, Roseville MN

NOON–1:00 Airing of the Tartan and Drills
Augsburg Park 70th and Nicollet - Richfield, MN

From the North, take the Portland Ave exit south from Crosstown/ Hwy62 to 70th. Turn right and go to Nicollet Ave.

From the South, take the Nicollet Ave exit North from 494 about 1/2 mile to 70th St

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Appetizers at 2:00 at our noble Captain's house Maeve Kane
26586 Woodcrest Circle
Elko, MN

This is about 25 minutes South of the Cities, and the rest of the day we will journey back North.

Directions: It's a straight shot down 35. It's exit number 76, Elko/New Market, 11 miles south of the 35 W/E split.
When you get off 35, turn right at the top of the off ramp onto CR 2.
About a mile down 2, there's a left turn onto Xerxes Ave under a street light, past the trailer sales place and Glenno's Pizza. If you go through a town, you've gone too far (it doesn't have a stoplight or anything, just a gas station, so if you blink you'll miss it)
At the first stop sign, turn left, and at the first intersection after that, turn right and go straight up the hill. At the top of the hill, turn left.
Our house is the first house on the right, right next to the park. It's gray with a big yard and a big porch on it, across the street from a bright red house. Our house number is 26586.

*************************

Soups and salads at 4:00 at our capable HCF Renee's house.
86 Riverwoods Lane
Burnsville MN

Directions:
*Take 35E or 77 to Cliff Rd. *Go West on Cliff Road about 1.8 Miles, pass a Super America and a big catholic church
*Turn LEFT (South) onto RIVER HILLS DR. Look for a SHELL station, Subway, this is a stoplight. If you get to Hwy 13, you are too far. Go about .5 miles
*Turn LEFT (East)onto RIVER WOODS LN. You will be by a park, look for a big WOOD (NOT BRICK!) sign saying "The Villages of Riverwoods" it has greenery around it and two globe lights
*End at 86 River Woods Ln

This is a townhouse complex. Look on the left side of the road for little dark brown plaques. Turn in at the one that incluldes #86, it is just past a street sign. I am flying the Jolly Roger and will have white christmas lights up. The garage door will be open, please come in through there and deposit coats and shoes in the laundry room.
952.895.5487 if you get lost.

*************************

Main course at 6:00 at the Yoders' house, because it's NEW!!!
4736 12th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN

Directions:
Take 35W to 46th Street.
Go West on 46th to 13th Avenue.
Turn Right(south) on 13th. Go one block.
Turn Right (East) on 47th. Go One Block.
Turn Left (south) on 12th. Go south to 4736 12th Ave S.

*************************

Dessert at 8:00 at the McDavids, because they CAN!!!
340 Brooks Ave
Roseville, MN

Directions: Take Highway 36 to Dale St. in Roseville.
Go north on Dale to County Rd. B2.
Go east on B2 to Western.
Go north again on Western to Brooks, which is 2 blocks down. The street sign may be obscured by a tree branch, but have faith!
Turn right on Brooks. 340 is about one block in, on the right. There are large white numbers on the garage.

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