Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for May 2007

What do we need to know? First of all, if you are planning on coming, you must notify our illustrious Chief of Staff, Mia McDavid, at mia_mcdavid@comcast.net or 651-490-1842. Gates open at 9 AM, so be there NO LATER THAN 8 AM Saturday. Gates close at 6 PM, and we will tear down after that time, unless you want to stay overnight. We will be receiving either buttons or wristbands as ID/admission, so you will need to get those picked up before hand. Because we need to distribute IDs, you MUST confirm no later than Friday, May 4th.

Why should you attend? Its local, at the Farmington County Fairgrounds. The weather should be nice – no 90 degree day, we hope! It’s fun! There’s a lot to see and do, and it supports the community.

So – let Mia know that you’re coming, and we’ll see you there!

So again, thank you all – its times like this make really point out “Clan” means family. I love you all!

Mary

Scottish Fair Rescued from Heat! A breath of fresh COOL air!

ON THAT NOTE.............

We are setting up on Friday, May 18th, for the Scottish Fair on Saturday, May 19th. Our gracious and talented co-HCF, Renee, has offered to cook what people bring to Farmington on the Friday night. Bruce points out that this is also regularly scheduled Pub Night.

So, we will have a giant, pre-fair eating and drinking party. Come out to setup and bring drinks and ingredients. The kitchen will be open. Time will be announced via the mailing list when we are closer; if you are not on the list, please call Mia McDavid at 651-490-1842 for details.

See you there!

Olde World Renaissance Faire in Twig, Minnesota

Please let your staff know as soon as possible if you plan to attend this show. If you want to reserve a Clann tent, remember, it's first ask first get, and last year this show was VERY well attended, so email Mia early. We must have your reply before May 26 to be sure we can feed you. Also, we need to let the show know how many we expect because last year we barely had room for all the tents, and if we need more room this year, we have to give them time to rearrange space. Hope to see you there!

This is a neat event! Its focus is historic crafts, so it appreciates living history more than most renaissance festivals. Highlights include several period music performers (Richard Griffith specializes in music from 17th century Scottish lute manuscripts, Istanpita plays medieval and renaissance dance music on period instruments - they even have played some Playford for our dancers) and the bestest bookseller - Pigasus Books - ever to grace a living history event.

Drive-on time technically ends at 7:30pm Friday evening, but in the past they have allowed us to drive on and unload much later.

From the Twin Cities: Take Interstate 35 North to the State Highway 33 exit going to Cloquet. Follow State Highway 33 thru Cloquet and continue on to County Highway 7. Turn right on County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road) and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn left and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 145 miles.

COME TO MUSTER!

The location is Jack McGowan's farm in Mankato. This beautiful land, at a river confluence, offers a wonderful site to camp, drill, shoot, and forage. There is a wonderful log house to play games and make merry in--it even has a piano! (Anybody play piano?)

We will setup on Friday, June 22nd, right at the Solstice. We will teach and learn all Saturday and part of Sunday and tear down Sunday afternoon.

As usual, Clann is cooking. Come one, come all to Muster! Email mia_mcdavid@comcast.net or phone 651-490-1842 to register.

Your staff thanks you!

Alternative Transportation

He plans to keep on doing this.

However, we can plan all we like, but Stuff comes up. After the trailer accident last October, we came to realize that, either the trailer might be broken, or Marty's pickup truck might be broken, or Marty himself might somehow be indisposed or unable to attend an event. We need alternatives.

Renting a truck is a viable option, once in a while. We did rent a truck for the last two October shows; it worked well for us and the price was not outrageous.

We need other options, too.

If any of you have hauling capacity, be it an unfilled van or truck, a small trailer that you can pull, or even a pickup that can pull a 3,000-lb trailer, please advise the Chief of Staff, Mia McDavid (mia_mcdavid@comcast.net). It may be (and soon!) that we will need to be scrounging around for hauling capacity, and it would help a lot if we had a list of people to conscript ask for help.

To kick things off; I have the following at present:

Mary Dean, a van
John Debnam, a small trailer
Herb Lindorff, at least a small trailer
Maeve Kane, a light pickup

The fact that you give me your name and haulage capacity does not commit you to any show. /It just gives us a place to start looking.

Your staff thanks you.

Mia McDavid

Captain's Authoris Award

Best Research Article

The award for Best Research Article will be awarded to a research article on any topic in Clann's period related to Scotland or the Thirty Years' War. Topics can include social, military, religious, or any other subject. See the members' manual or past newsletters for ideas—research articles can be on very narrow topics like the history of the fork or very broad topics like religion in the Highlands. Articles in this category should use a minimum of three primary sources and can have an unlimited number of secondary sources. (A primary source is one produced in our period, like a song, picture, or document, and a secondary source is one produced by a modern writer analyzing our period.)

Best How-to Article

The award for Best How-to Article will be awarded to a non-research article that clarifies how to do or make something, or how some part of our organization works. Topics can include anything from how to cook a period dish, documentation of a personal project, how to belt and wear a plaid, or anything else. Articles in this category may use primary and secondary sources, but the primary purpose of these articles should be original writing of the how-to sort.

Best New Writer

As I mentioned above, we've had a number of good articles in the past few years. To encourage newer members or older members who've never written for the newsletter before to put out new work, this category will give an award to a writer who has never before been published in the newsletter. The winning article can be about anything, and be research or how-to, so long as the author has never before published an article in the Clann newsletter.

To be eligible to win, the article must be submitted to the Clann newsletter editors by October 15, 2007, so that they may appear in the November newsletter. Articles may be submitted at any time between now and then. At the heading of each competing article, the author should state whether they are submitting it for the Research Article category or the How-to Article category. All articles by new writers will be automatically considered for that category.

After all articles have been submitted, everyone who submitted an article will be invited to the Captain's Award Banquet, which our VP Cate Hesser has graciously volunteered to be in charge of cooking for. Date, time and location to be determined, but good food, good company and good conversation are guaranteed. All winners will be announced at the banquet.

GAFFNEY'S SUTLER SEEKS WARES

You can either bring your goods to Heidi at events, or entrust them to her beforehand. We ask that items be small and not terribly fragile if Heidi is to transport them.

Thank you for your support of Clann Tartan.

Staff Announcements

Schoolyard Play

Lisa McCanna, whose son Hunter attends this school, says the school is very keen and that this might turn into an annual, paid gig if we want it to. We are allowed to light things on fire and make things go boom, so we have a lot of scope to have a lot of fun.

The address is Viking Middle School: 500 Southside Dr Woodville, WI 54028, US; we do not have a start time yet; we will start to tear down when the school day ends. Clann will be serving a cold lunch.

Your staff thanks you.

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

Board Minutes

Clann Tartan Board Meeting.  March 20, 2007

Board Members Present: Marty Byers, Glenn McDavid, Diana Steben, 
Sean McCanna, Cate Hesser

Staff Present: Maeve Kane, Mia McDavid

Minutes of the February meeting were accepted as posted.

Mary is recovering slowly

VP REPORT:  New members--Laura and Jessica Swenson in Baldwin,
Wisconsin.  Jim and Kathy Janis have been coming to dance but are not
yet members.  We have three new members (The Swensons and Haddayr
Copley-Woods) recently.

TREASURER'S REPORT (by e-mail): I won't be at the meeting on Tuesday.
It is still at our house.  There are printouts of the Financial
statements and bank statement as of Feb 28 on the coffee table.  In a
nutshell, there was very little activity in February.  Income of  $179
mostly all dues. The check for Ramble has not been received yet, it
might be in the mail at Mary's place.  Only one new expenditure, $62.13
for food at Ramble.  The eleven months through Feb 28 show Total Income
of $5625,  less than expected because of the Big Muddy situation.  Total
expenses are $6346.31, also less than budgeted.  A purchase of
blackpowder was made in early March.  Cost of the powder is $342, it
will be on the March report.

Cash in bank at Feb 28th was $1847 in checking and $5000 in the CD.  CD
matures on 4-7-07.  As I mentioned at the February meeting, I plan on
opening a savings account at the Ing Direct bank with the money.  It is
an online bank, FDIC insured.   You open the account and link it to the
checking account.  Then whenever you need to deposit or withdraw funds,
you just go to their website and enter the transaction. They create an
ACH to move the money.  It usually takes two days.  Interest will be
about four times what Wells Fargo is paying.  I have been using it for my
personal account since July and it works very smoothly.

QUARTERMASTER:  We need to bring the trailer into the shop.  Marty will
bring it in for the double axle installation.  We will supply the axle.

MUSTER: Need to publicize the Spring Muster (June 22-24) in advance.
Renee Peterson's paper on bread may be printed in the newsletter at any
time and may then still be used for her 4th level muster requirements. 

4th level badges historically have been made by members as needed.  Mary
may still have some 2nd level cockades.

CAMP REP: No report.
COMPANY REP: No report.

HISTORIC SITE: More work beginning in May.

DANCE GUILD: Doing Bransles, beyond the world of Playford.

FIBER GUILD:  Mia is doing a plaid for waulking at the MSF&HG in May.
One of our new members, Haddayr Copley-Woods, joined specifically
because of the prospect of being involved in waulking.

MUSIC:  Haddayr (see above) has waulking music.

SWORD:  Will be moving outside at Marty's when the weather improves.

SUTLERY:  Postcards and cookbooks need to be printed.  This will cost
some money.  Staff will work out a plan with budget estimates.

UPCOMING EVENTS:  Tartan Day (To be observed 3/30)

Charles City, April 27-29

Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games, May 19, is definite

Wisconsin Scottish Fair is iffy.

Des Moines seems OK.

Big Muddy (Winona) is iffy.  The event may not take place.


NEW BUSINESS:

School demo in Baldwin Wisconsin May 3 (Rain date May 10).  Fire and
firearms are OK.  Looks like we have enough people.  We will need to
provide lunch.  Some logistical issues about hauling big stuff (large
tent poles) out there without the trailer.

Meeting adjourned at 7:52 PM.  Next Board meeting Tuesday, April 17 at
the Yoders'.

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

Contact:
Marty L. Byers
orthodoxdruid@gmail.com
651-483-1173

Dance

Questions? call Mary at 651-699-6853 or Julie at 612-825-4519

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 612-825-4519

It's a great place to meet people!

Other Guilds

I'm aware that not everyone carries a timepiece in camp, or finds it convenient to check during show hours. However, we all need to have a sense of generally what time it is (morning versus afternoon, close to open gate or not) and a sense of when we need to be somewhere. All drills, dance demos, and so forth are announced at cast call in the morning at each event, and we will make an effort to keep a schedule posted in camp. Pay attention to both that schedule and to cast call. Especially on school days, keeping to a schedule as much as possible helps things run smoothly for everyone. To keep time in mind, make sure you know when drills and other demos are in relation to others, and ask when in doubt.

The below are some articles everyone, older and newer members, should take a look at for the new season. Reenacting is dependent on capricious weather and some odd cultural conventions, so read up.

Keeping cool: http://www.clanntartan.org/newsletter/clannnewsletter-august2006.html#articles

Staying warm: http://www.clanntartan.org/newsletter/clannnewsletter-october2006.html#articles

Ettiquette, Rules, and Laws: http://www.clanntartan.org/newsletter/clannnewsletter-may2006.html#articles

Avoiding Culture Shock: http://www.clanntartan.org/newsletter/clannnewsletter-january2005.html#articles

Non-period chat: http://www.clanntartan.org/newsletter/clannnewsletter-june2004.html#articles

Your Captain,

Maeve Kane

Calendar of Events

Event Schedule for the 2007 Season:

The following is a list of the dates of the events that are currently on the schedule for this year. The staff has met and decided to keep this running list of events in the newsletter to give you a chance to get an idea of what is going on this season as well as keep you updated to changes in the schedule.

The column titled status will include the following information.

Tentative- this means that an event organizer or Clann has expressed a strong enough interest in doing this event that it warrants reserving space on the calendar for the event.

Pending- this is the next stage of an event. This means that Maeve has entered serious discussion about Clann doing an event but we are still not committed to the event. You should however if possible think about wether or not you may be able to attend this event.

Scheduled- this level means that the board and staff have approve the event and we are committed to providing manpower to making the event happen. When an event is assigned this level please let Julie know as soon as possible if you can or can not attend this event.

Canceled- This means that for various reasons an scheduled event has been removed from the current season. We will try and give as much notice as we can prior to canceling an event.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me regarding this matter

Thanks,
Maeve Kane.

Maps

Map to Board Meetings &1st and 3rd Wednesday Dance 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 Marty & Judy Byers home 2821 Churchill, Roseville MN

Mark your calendars! Saturday, May 19, Clann will be participating in the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games. Here's the website: http://mnscottishfair.org.
We can camp Friday and Saturday nights, although the fair is at the Dakota County fairgrounds in Farmington, only about a half-hour drive from the center of the cities, so it's also very easy to day-trip. There are flush toilets and showers on the grounds and lots of free parking. This was a really great event last year, and this year promises to be even better!
R.s.v.p. as soon as possible to Mia mia_mcdavid@comcast.net or call 651-490-1842. Remember, if you don't R.s.v.p., you don't eat!

Olde World Renaissance Fair in Twig, MN, June 9 and 10, 2007

http://www.owrenaissancefaire.com/

~ From Duluth: From Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 53. Take U.S. Highway 53 North to County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road). Turn left on County Highway 7 and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn right and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 19 miles.

~ From Grand Rapids: From U.S. Highway 169 and U.S. Highway 2. Take U.S. Highway 2 South to State Highway 33. Turn left on State Highway 33 and continue on to County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road). Turn right on County Highway 7 and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn left and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 69 miles.

~ From Virginia: From U.S. Highway 169 and U.S. Highway 53. Take U.S. Highway 53 South to County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road). Turn right on County Highway 7 and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn right and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 50 miles.

~ From Minneapolis/Saint Paul Area: From Interstate 694 and Interstate 35. Take Interstate 35 North to the State Highway 33 exit going to Cloquet. Follow State Highway 33 thru Cloquet and continue on to County Highway 7. Turn right on County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road) and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn left and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 145 miles.

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Muster , Mankato, MN, June 23-24 2007

Hwy 169 into Mankato;
Left at the Hillcrest Health Care Center ( if you go past the flashing lights at Co Road 68 you've gone too far);
Left onto Shamrock Lane;
follow this to it's end (Jack McGowan's on the map)

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