Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for July 2004

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Hello, Clann. This is your Quartermaster. Some of you will remember that when I accepted the nomination for this position, I said I was probably going to make some people unhappy. Well, this just might do it.

I have heard comments from several sources, about various perceived problems. I first of all want to remind you that this is a volunteer organization. The people who are in the various offices are elected or step in to fill vacancies as needed and are here by choice, just as you are members by choice. This is the main point of my writing this article for this newsletter.

The reasons for choosing to become a member vary, but the privileges and responsibilities don't. As a member, you can expect to attend shows, both paying and not, at no or reduced cost. You can also be fed, sheltered and supported in the organizations' camp. Education about history and participation in drills, demonstrations and parades are also available. Then there is the cool stuff: swords, matchlock muskets, the new mortar and hailshot. Buying these fun items and supporting the Camp and Company costs money, and the yearly dues don't even carry the food costs for the shows each year.

Membership is down, but worse, participation is also. As members, your showing up to participate is vital. The better we can present our organization, the more and better we can all benefit. The problem has been to get you motivated to attend and to stay active.

Here is info that may shock you: the last paying show before this newsletter was at Siouxland. There was an attendance list that had FIVE people on it. Due to a combination of circumstances, the show ended up having TWO people actually representing the Clann for the two days of the contract.

Last year there were a hundred or more dollars of food wasted due to people not showing up after having notified camp staff they were attending.

These two examples are the opposite sides of the same coin: indifference. If you decide to be a supporting member, great. Not everyone can BE an active member (Some members don't even live in the 5-state area). If you want to play and have fun, even better. But if you say you're coming to an event but don't, that causes problems. As a result of this last show, and the following Board meeting, I decided to write this article. By now, many of you have been contacted by some of the Goodwives of the Camp staff. By the numbers of the attendees planning to go to the Scottish Fair and Highland Games in July, I hope so.

This is where I tell you that your responsibility is to show up. It is. Show up. Attend drills. Return the calls/ messages left by the Goodwives, Corporals, and Head/Assistant Head Camp Followers. Showing up gets you the right and responsibility to vote at quarterly and annual meetings (and to elect people like me). It also EARNS you the right to bitch.

This is the Boards' responsibility: To spend the money you earn for the organization wisely and accountably and to address problems and establish policy and direct the Camp and Company via the Manual and Bylaws.

This is the Staff's responsibility: Work with the membership to make the shows a reality as well as a success. To do this they need to contact you, and you them. Some of the items that are being hammered out are manuals and info packets to help get the info that's available to those who need it, the membership. You deserve to know what is going on, and when, and why. And you also have the responsibility to ASK if you have a question. You've paid your dues, take the ticket and go to the show.

By the way, dues are still $18.00/ year, and were 'due in' on the 1st of April. If you don't have a Clann Manual, contact a Staff member and ask how you can get one.

That's all for now.

Herb Lindorff
(Gareth Tinker)
Quartermaster, Gaffney's Reg't

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Board Minutes

Minutes of Clann Tartan Board Meeting April 5, 2004

In attendance: (Board) Mary McKinley, Rob Portinga,Bruce Yoder, Diana Steben, Glenn McDavid, Herb Lindorff (Staff) David Vavreck, Marty Byers

Minutes from the March meeting were approved as corrected.

Staff Manual: Rob has been exchanging e-mails with Cindy, and plans to meet with her soon about the manual.

Garage: The proposed new sites are not significantly larger than the present location. We cannot justify the much higher cost of the other sites, so we will keep the current garage, in accordance with the vote by the membership. A lease will be prepared to formalize the agreement with Jim McGuire.

One benefit is that the savings on the garage will help to offset the loss in 2004 revenue caused by the Amana cancellation.

Animal Policy: We still do not have the necessary information about our insurance policy or state law. The issue was tabled again.

Goals: Mary has prepared a statement for the Newsletter. We need to find out what the membership wants.

Vice President's Report: We need to give the members more background about each event--What to expect, what it is about, etc. The descriptions David has prepared are good--we need more like that.

Treasury: We have about $8000 in the bank. The loss of Amana will reduce our revenue by about $1000.

Camp/Company Reports: Nothing to report.

Dance Guild: Attendance is down somewhat. Both locations are working well. Julie is able to call dances now.

Music Guild: Fife and Drum continues to meet. We hope to record a CD and need to find a place for that. We have some leads. The next project will be another dance CD. Fiber Guild: Nothing new. We are waiting for shows.

Historic Site: The March work weekend went well. Monthly work weekends are planned until Tactical. Record attendance is expected then.

Sword Guild: Marty is trying to prepare specifically Scottish sword drills, as opposed to using the generic Renaissance Italian/French/etc. manuals. The Captain expressed some dissatisfaction with the state of sword drill in recent years, and will work with Marty on this new project.

Night at the Pub: The new Molly's is good.

Upcoming Events: Caledonia, Iowa History Festival are possibilities, but there may not be any revenue from them. Caledonia is a small town, and we expect expenses to be low. Rob is negotiating--we can be flexible.

We have not heard back from the Duluth Old World Faire, Deer River, or Mankato.

The Stirling Faire (offspring of Rosenthorne) has been cancelled. That is OK--we were not interested.

Minnesota Renaissance Festival. School days could be a problem. Note that Highland Fling is the first weekend, in August.

We have sent in the application for Sioux Falls.

Perry is trying to get events/demos for Big Island this Fall. For next February he will try to avoid the conflict with Ramble that we had this year.

The New Sweden documentary was mentioned, but it conflicts with the Spring Muster (see below).

Muster: In addition to the usual Spring muster, Mary suggested that we have one over Labor Day weekend. The cancellation of Amana has freed up that date. This offers more options for members, but may reduce turnout. We also need to choose a site--there are three possibilities. The matter was referred to the Muster Committee. The current plan is to have the Spring Muster May 22/23. David will follow-up. The Labor Day muster is not definite--we will cancel it if we get a paying show that weekend.

Web Site: Somebody asked why we do not have all the old Newsletters on-line there. Answer: We do not have enough web space for all those pdf's.

Liasons: Eric Ferguson has agreed to be the Tartan Day liason. We still need someone for MCSC.

Roster: A new roster is being prepared.

Manual: The plan is to break it into pieces:

Basic Book (by-laws, etc.). Tentative price $4, or included with membership.

Book 2--Interpretive Manual. Tentative price $15

Additional special manuals (Weapons drill, Music, Dance, etc.) Tentatively $5 each.

The rationale for this is to spread out the editorial responsibility, as well as to cope with the increasing size.

Some concern was expressed about the copyright status of the Ghillie pattern, but that may be moot depending on David's researches into period footwear, to be published in the Newsletter.

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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

Board Members

President	Mary McKinley	651-699-6853	mairi2@juno.com
Vice President	Bruce Yoder	651-698-8375	bruceyoder@juno.com
Secretary	Glenn McDavid	651-490-1842	gmcdavid@comcast.net
Treasurer	Rob Portinga	651-486-6200	rob@portinga.org
Quarter Master	Herb Lindorff	612-827-4440	deeptinker@hotmail.com
Camp Rep.	Diana Steben	651-489-2881
Company Rep.	Brenda Bartel	651-335-5097	socks142@aol.com

Staff

Captain	David Vavreck	612.378.1973	baethan1630@yahoo.com
Lieutenant	Eric Ferguson	612.726.6364	eric@celticfringe.net
Head Campfollower	Marty Byers	651.483.1173
Assistant Head Campfollower	Heidi Johnson	612.702.4269
Corporal	Rob Johnson	612.702.4274	roguerpj@mn.rr.com
Corporal	Annie Breese	507.280.8679
Corporal	Hellen Ferguson	612.726.6364	hellen@sparkyferguson.net
Goodwife	Julie Yoder	651.698.8375	julieyoder@juno.com
Goodwife	Maeve Kane	952.461.4666
Goodwife	Judy Byers	651.483.1173

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Guilds

Gaffney's Fife and Drum
Fifers will henceforth be meeting at Maeve's house every 2nd & 4th Monday of each month from 7pm to 9pm. Contact David for directions.

Drummers continue to meet at 11am the third Saturday of each month at Eric and Hellen's, followed by Regimental Drill at Noon. The Regiment owns two drums, but drummers are requested to get their own drumsticks.

Interest is high; I am well pleased.

A note for soldiers - according to the articles of war, it is a crime punishable by death not to learn the drum calls. Be forewarned.

We have set up a yahoo group for the Corps at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/clannfifeanddrum/ so we can communicate without clogging up non corps folks' e-mail.

Again, drummers will work primarily on period military music for the time being, and fifers will be working on that as well as dance music.

All are welcome - no experience neccessary.

Anyone interested in joining up contact Clann's Music Chair at:

David Vavreck
baethan1630@yahoo.com
612-378-1973

Dance
1st & 3rd Wednesdays
One Grenoble Ave, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076

The community center for Skyline Village, on the east side of Concord St. at 75th St in Inver Grove Heights. About 2.5 miles south of I494

2nd & 4th Tuesdays
Saint Christopher's Episcopal Church, 2300 N Hamline Ave. in St. Paul.

It is at the northeast corner of Highway 36 and Hamline Avenue (Hamline is between Snelling and Lexington). The church is actually encircled by the highway entrance ramp.
The Dance Guild gathers weekly from 7PM-9PM to learn and practice historic Scottish country dances.
For more information call:

Mary at 651-699-6853 or Julie at 651-698-8375

It's a great place to meet people !

Other Guilds
Want to learn about wool spinning, weaving, or dying? Diana Steben (651-489-2881) Kali Pederson (651-730-5437 ) and Sandy Borrmann (651-489-2881) organize the Fiber Guild.

Clann Tartan has our own historic site near Duluth MN. Dun Gowan is an ongoing project, which is the site of Gaffneyis Annual Tactical in July. We are finishing the fort and beginning the construction of a village this year. Contact David Vavreck at 612-378-1973 or baethan1630@yahoo.com for further information, or to volunteer to help.

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Mark your calendars - July 17 - 18, 2004. As we're coming up on Summer, it is time to put in a plug for Tactical.

For newer members, a Tactical is an unscripted battle. In other words, we divide into two sides, and play a series of war games involving different scenarios/objectives.

In addition to having the opportunity to play war, putting all that drilling we do to good use, this event also provides the opportunity to come as close as we can to experiencing what life was like for the folks we strive to represent. Tactical is a participant-only weekend; it is the one event of the year where we take a break from interpretation to the publc.

I still haven't decided whether Tactical should be described as great fun that also happens to be very educational, or vice versa. It is very much both - ask anyone who has attended.

If you are not interested in playing soldier, don't worry. There are opportunities for civilians to be involved as well.

This will be our 7th Annual Tactical, and other reenactors and groups are, as always, invited. We expect record attendance this year.

The dates for this season's finest living history event are the weekend of July 17 - 18.

Tactical is held at Clann Tartan's very own 17th century fort, Dun Gowan. This garrison fort is the product of years of labour by many members of the regiment, and is to be found on the property of Don Chesney near Duluth. It is an ongoing project aimed at providing ourselves with a permanent 17th century site.

You will have a blast, and you will learn a lot. Guaranteed.

David

David Vavreck Captain
Gaffneyis Regiment

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We need more assistance

I�m also looking for a volunteer to attend the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans meetings, which are quarterly. Rob Portinga has offered to step forward for the next one, but we need a permanent delegate as well as a backup.

The duties are simple�you attend the meetings and report back to the board, either in person or via email. This is an important contact for us, especially with the MN RenFest connection�MCSC sets it up and invites us.

Interested?
Contact Mary McKinley, at Mairi2@juno.com or at 651-699-6853. Please don't call after 9 PM.

Still looking for thoughts on Why We Do What We Do
�and what will make it more fun for you.

What are you looking for in Clann? What can we do better? What are we doing well? Please let us know�we all want this to be a fun, fulfilling experience for everyone.

Send info to Mary McKinley at the previously posted info�snail mail:
Mary McKinley
1363 Jefferson Ave
St Paul, MN 55105-2410

Drill

Clann's monthly drill will be held on the third Saturday of the month at Bossen Field by Lievtenant Eric and Hellen's home (5732 Bossen Terrace Apt#2), unless there is a scheduled Clann Event that weekend.
The time is NOON.
For directions, Lievtenant Eric can be contacted at: 612-726-6364 or eric@celticfringe.net

Wanted!

Submissions for the Newsletter!
Items you can submit include research articles, character sketches, and other items pertaining to living history and Scottish Culture. Email your items in either plain text, or MS Word format to newsletter@clanntartan.org or snail mail to our postal address.
Items must be received by the 15th of each month to be considered for inclusion for the upcoming months issue. Mailed submissions will not be returned unless requested. All pertinent submissions will be considered as space permits. All research articles must reference at least three sources. Submissions are NOT edited for spelling or grammar, but may be broken in multiple parts.

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Calendar of Events

Be sure to contact your staff
if you plan on attending a show event. Try to give at least a seven day notice when possible. This allows proper planning for the feeding of our members, and in some cases is required by event organizers to allow entry as a participant.
You can call any of the staff members listed, or send an email to staff@clanntartan.org.

July 2004

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
				1	2	3
4	5 Clann Tartan Board Meeting at Mary McKinley's Home 1363 Jefferson, St. Paul, MN 7PM	6	7 Dance	8	9	10 MN Scottish Country Fair Dakota County Fairgrounds Farmington , MN
11	12 Fife Maeve's home	13 Dance	14	15 Dun Gowan Tactical - Duluth, MN (set up day) Corcoran Park Celebration Day please call Mary for more details	16 Dun Gowan Tactical - Duluth, MN	17 Dun Gowan Tactical - Duluth, MN
18 Dun Gowan Tactical - Duluth, MN	19	20 Night at the Pub Molly Quinn's Minneapolis	21 Dance	22	23	24
25	26 Fife Maeve's home	27 Dance	28	29	30	31

August 2004

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
1	2	3	4 Dance	5	6	7 Clann Tartan Board Meeting Corcoran Community Center. 11am Clann Tartan Quarterly Meeting Corcoran Community Center. 12 NOON Deer River White Oak Fur Post Deer River, MN Tentative, please call a Staff member for more details.
8 Deer River White Oak Fur Post Deer River, MN Tentative, please call a Staff member for more details.	9 Fife Maeve's home	10 Dance	11	12	13	14 Highland Fling MN Ren Fest
15 Highland Fling MN Ren Fest	16	17 Night at the Pub Molly Quinn's Minneapolis	18 Dance	19	20	21
22	23 Fife Maeve's home	24 Dance	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

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Map to Inver Grove Heights location- Dance	Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance

Map to Board Meetings Boltt Corporation, 509 Sibley Street Suite 200 Saint Paul, MN 55101	Map to Board/Quarterly/Annual Meetings Corcoran Park, Minneapolis

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MN Scottish Country Fair Dakota County Fairgrounds Farmington , MN July 10, 2004

Take Hwy 3 south out of West St Paul. Continue until the 2nd stoplight in Farmington , turn right, and follow the signs.

We have designated parking and you will have to wear wristbands during the event. Mary has both the parking passes and wrist bands.

We can set up starting Friday morning and tear down Sunday. If you are coming in for Saturday only, you will need to be there by 8:30 AM.

If you haven�t notified Mary that you will be attending, you will have to pay the admission fee.

We have scheduled stage time in the afternoon, and will be providing an honor guard for the Parade of Tartans. We have also been requested to fire the Hailshotte at the Parade of Tartans and closing gate.

We look forward to seeing you!

Siege of Dungowan Tactical at Don Chesney's Duluth, MN July 15 - 18, 2004

North on I-35 to almost Duluth - to the Midway Road exit. At exit take a left north onto the Midway road. About 10 miles later you will come to a STOP SIGN (you will have already have gone through three sets of stoplights - Hwy 2, Hwy 194, and Hwy 53)

The stop sign is at the Martin Road. Take a right here, and three miles later you will come to another stop sign at the Lavaque Road. Take a left here. about 9 1/2 miles later you will come to another stop sign at the Fish Lake Road (a store called the Minnoette will be on the corner - this is downtown Fredenberg). Take another left here.

After 3/4 mile on the right hand side of the road (just before the curve in the road) you will come to my house; 5261 Fish Lake Road. Large grey garage, small grey house (a guy's got to have his priorities). See you there! ( or rather, here)
DC

Highland Fling Minnesota Renaissance Festival Shakopee, MN August 14th & 15th 2004

From the Twin Cities follow Hwy 169 S. towards Mankato. The Festival entrance is 3 miles south of Highway 41.

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