Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for September 2004
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Clann is at a crisis point. We are at one of the lowest membership points, we don’t have enough people to do shows, and we are having problems in several other areas such as finding volunteers to handle contracts.
It’s time to stop and reassess where we’re going and how we plan to get there. One of the original ideas behind Clann Tartan was to earn enough money to buy our own land. We have gotten away from that goal and we haven’t replaced it with any other goal that I’m aware of.
I am one of the oldest current, active members. I have been on the staff in various positions, and on the board. I have been an active member for about 10 years. I have seen Clann go from having a reputation of nothing but a party group to a serious group who wanted to teach. I have seen Clann go from 2 rows of encircling tents at Big Island to this year – we can’t even get 7 demos for the school days.
We will have the next Quarterly meeting in November. We will be electing new staff. We will also be discussing the direction of Clann and the option of doing no events for a year, but to spend the next year building up our membership and figuring out where we’re going and what our goals are.
I encourage everyone to attend this meeting. If you are not available to attend but have something to add, please email it to me at Mairi2@juno.com or snail mail to
Mary McKinley
1363 Jefferson Ave
St Paul, MN 55105-2410
Your input is important. Please make sure you attend this meeting. Our future depends on it. Saturday, November 6 at Noon, at Corcoran Park.
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Greeting to all, its Chris Daniels and I was one of the commanders at the last tactical event. I was in command of the good guys, no mater what my noble foe has to say about that fact.
First, let me say it was a Great Time the only thing that could improve the event is to have more people there; well there is always next year. Why was it so fun to be at the tactical, well other than to be commanded by either two of the best commanders to take the battlefield it is a chance to "really" see what it was like to fight with out really fighting.
After selecting the forces for our armies, we started to see who would control the battlefield. All I can say is that trying to take the fort is really on the difficult side we have build one formidable fort. The other thing that I can advise to the next commander is to make sure that your grenadiers have good shoes, or that they can keep their footing when firing, is that right Maeve? During one of the attacks that launched, Maeve as the grenadier had a hang fire and dumped the shot in front of her and started to move out of the way (as the grenades have 10 ft radius) and lost her footing and fell right by the smoldering grenade. Needlessly to say it went off, the next thing I hear is Maeve asking the Marshal "Did I die?" then the next thing I hear is Marty's force in the fort laughing. Oh, well the fate of war. One more bit of advice for the next commander when you have breached the earthworks keep your footing as you come down in front of the gate to the palisade and stay out of the way of the musketeer who is just getting ready to club musket. As it is really quite painful to be hit by one. The most important bit of advice I can pass on to any commander is "make a decision even if is the wrong one just make a decision." What does that mean you may ask? Don't just sit there thinking about what to do when you make your decision, stick with it even if you start to have second thoughts about it or it does not go the way you planned, just stick with it and see it through and learn from what went wrong and don't do it again. That is all and I hope to see you at the next tactical as it will be better than the last.
Board Minutes
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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
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Mary McKinley
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651-699-6853
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mairi2@juno.com
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| Vice President
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Bruce Yoder
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651-698-8375
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bruceyoder@juno.com
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| Secretary
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Glenn McDavid
|
651-490-1842
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gmcdavid@comcast.net
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| Treasurer
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Rob Portinga
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651-486-6200
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rob@portinga.org
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| Quarter Master
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Herb Lindorff
|
612-827-4440
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deeptinker@hotmail.com
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| Camp Rep.
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Diana Steben
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651-489-2881
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| Company Rep.
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Brenda Bartel
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651-335-5097
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socks142@aol.com
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Staff
| Captain
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David Vavreck
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612.378.1973
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baethan1630@yahoo.com
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| Lieutenant
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Eric Ferguson
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612.726.6364
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eric@celticfringe.net
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| Head Campfollower
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Marty Byers
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651.483.1173
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| Assistant Head Campfollower
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Heidi Johnson
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612.702.4269
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| Corporal
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Rob Johnson
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612.702.4274
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roguerpj@mn.rr.com
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| Corporal
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Annie Breese
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507.280.8679
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| Corporal
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Hellen Ferguson
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612.726.6364
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hellen@sparkyferguson.net
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| Goodwife
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Julie Yoder
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651.698.8375
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julieyoder@juno.com
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| Goodwife
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Maeve Kane
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952.461.4666
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|
| Goodwife
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Judy Byers
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651.483.1173
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|
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Guilds
Gaffney's Fife and Drum
NOTICE: Change of Venue.
Because Maeve Kane will be moving to Macalester College in September, fife practice will henceforth be held at Eric and Hellen Ferguson's, the same location as monthly drill and drum drill. Fife practice will continue to be held at 7 to 9 pm on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.
Drummers continue to meet at 11 am 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.
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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Good People -
We have a busy October coming up. Three successive events all focus on education, which is why our group exists in the first place.
Big Island Rendezvous (Albert Lea, MN) is our largest, busiest event. It runs from 30 Sept to 3 Oct. The Thursday and Friday are school days, which means that groups of school kids come every half-hour for demonstrations. We are contracted for seven simultaneous demos on the school days, plus we need people to greet each group and bring them to the correct demo station and such. The weekend is open to the public. We will be setting up our camp Sunday, Sept 26th.
Mankato (MN) History Fair is the following 7 - 9 Oct. Again, we have two school days - Thursday and Friday - followed by Saturday's public day.
Big Muddy Rendezvous (Winona, MN) is our final event, and is also our longest. It runs from 12 to 17 October, beginning on a Tuesday and ending the following Sunday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we get school kids from Minnesota; on Thursday and Friday, school groups come from Wisconsin. This is followed by the weekend, which is open to the public. Big Muddy tends to be considerably calmer than Big Island.
We need your help. Volunteers are needed to do demos, to help with setup, and to act as tour guides. Please contact your staff.
And did I mention that these shows are also fun?
In November, we have Regimental elections at the Quarterly meeting on 6 Nov at Corcoran Park. We need folks to run for Staff. The official responsibilities of the various Camp and Company positions were included in last month's newsletter. If you are interested in running for office, or have any questions about what being on Staff entails, contact Marty Byers or David Vavreck - our contact info is listed elsewhere in this newsletter.
I apologize for having misspelled the names of both Shilo Hare and Pegeen Rozeske in last month's Captain's Corner. I know better.
One last note:
LOST AND FOUND
Lost at Tactical was one wooden bowl, with "MK" written on the bottom.
Found at Tactical was one wooden bowl (without an "MK" on the bottom) and one modern spoon.
Contact your Captain if to return/claim these items.
That is all.
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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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Be sure to contact your staff
if you plan on attending a show event. Try to give at least a ten 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.
September 2004
| SUNDAY |
MONDAY |
TUESDAY |
WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY |
FRIDAY |
SATURDAY |
| |
1
Dance
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
Fife
Ferguson's home |
14
Dance
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15
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16
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17
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18
Drill |
19
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20
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21
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22
Dance
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
Fife
Ferguson's home
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28
Dance
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29
|
30
Big Island Rendezvous,
Albert Lea -
one of the biggest shows of the year!
School Day
|
|
October 2004
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 |
 |
| Map to Inver Grove Heights location- Dance |
Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance |
 |
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Map to Board Meetings
Boltt Corporation,
509 Sibley Street Suite 200
Saint Paul, MN 55101
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Map to Board/Quarterly/Annual Meetings
Corcoran Park, Minneapolis |
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Big Island
Albert Lea, MN September 30-October 3, 2004
- Location
- Big Island Rendevous is located in Albert Lea, MN - just off Interstate 35 about 98 miles south of the Twin Cities.
- Drive Time
- Allow about 2 hours from the Twin Cities.
- Directions
- From Minneapolis or Saint Paul, take I35 South to I90 in Albert Lea.
- Take I90 West to the 90 west take exit 157 (one mile)
- Turn Left and head South on Bridge Avenue to Hammer Road (about 1 mile).
- Turn Right and head East on Hammer Road to the park entrance.
- You will be able to drive on-site before and after show hours. Our camp will be located inside the park area and to the right, out on the point.
- Other Notes
- For a reasonable fee you will be able to park at the private residence just outside the park entrance. Park at Snyder field (not athletic field). Shuttles run from the parking area to the park on a regular schedule.
- Shuttles run to shower facilities at high school. Showers are free for show participants.
- Maps
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|
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Important Info Regarding Big Island
Part of trying to make the parking a bit more secure and such, they are requesting the following information for people going to Big Island..
Name - Make, Model, Color and License Plate of vehicle.
Most of you know if you are going to Big Island already or not, so please get me (Rob) this info ASAP to pass along to him (Perry). I'll keep a tally and update it as needed.
For those of you who don't know about Big Island yet, it's one of our biggest shows of the year, and it's a blast! If you want to know more than that, just ask!
Send Emails to………..rob@portinga.org
Or call Rob at 612-282-7786
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Mankato History Festival Mankato
MN Oct 5-7
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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Big Muddy Rendezvous
Winona, MN October 12-17 2004
Approximate Travel Distance: From Minneapolis - 139 miles (3.5 hours)
From Saint Paul - 118 miles (3.0 hours)
From Minneapolis:
Take HWY94 East to HWY52 Follow HWY52 South to I-90
Take I-90 East to MN-43 Take MN-43 exit #252 North towards
Winona
Head North on E Lake Blvd (Hwy 61), it will turn into W Lake Blvd, until you get to Co Rd 14 (Pelzer) Turn right (East) on Pelzer and follow to Riverview.
Follow Riverview to Prairie Island Road.
From Saint Paul:
Take HWY61 South to Winona. In Winona, HWY61 becomes W Lake Blvd.
Turn left (East) on Pelzer and follow to Riverview. Follow Riverview to Prairie Island Road.
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