Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for September 2006

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Please continue the good work. We (we meaning the poor sod who has to drive the trailer back) particularly need your willingness at Des Moines for teardown; the show does not close until 7:00, and we need many willing hands to stay and load the trailer. Yes, we know this means you will be late getting home. Please remember that the guy with the trailer will be later than any of you.

Your staff thanks you.

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING COOKING DRILL

So, if you want to get up close and personal with some more innovative campfire recipies, do sign up for this special cooking drill. Please remember to sign up before September 13 so that we know how many people to buy groceries for.

The event will be at the West Picnic Grounds. The West Fire Ring is on Horton Ave., just east of Hamline (see map). Parking is on Horton or further east at the parking lot.

That's right – the staff elections are right around the corner on Saturday, November 4th, 2006, so it's time now to start thinking about running if you're interested, and voting regardless. Some quick answers to questions you may have:

Who is eligible to vote? Anyone who is a paid member and is recognized by at least one member of the Staff and one member of the Board can vote. There will be absentee ballots, but they won't be anonymous – we need to verify you are a current member, so your name will have to be on it. Better still, attend the Quarterly members meeting and vote in person!

What am I voting for? You will be voting for a Chief of Staff – basically, as it was decided and last year's quarterly and members meeting, the CoS position is the top dog – the head honcho, who oversees all of the staff. It's mostly a coordinator position – make sure that things are done, and the work is divided equitably. The next positions are Captain and Head Campfollower – they report directly to the CoS, and are responsible for making sure that shows run smoothly – scheduling the demos, buying and making sure the food is prepared, and many other duties. The final positions are staff – they report directly to the Captain and HCF, and perform the duties assigned to them. We don't have a set number of these – it depends on who is interested.

How do I find out more information? There are a few ways – the manual is one of them, the best way is to talk to a current or former staff person and find out what is involved. All your staff members are listed in the newsletter.

How long is the position? This year, the Chief of Staff will be elected to a two year position, the HCF and Captain will be one year's positions this year, and two years after that. This is to ensure that we will always have continuity on the staff, which has been a problem in the past. The rest of the staff duration will be discussed at the meeting, so show up and vote!

How do I get nominated? There are a few ways – have a friend of yours nominate you by sending information to Glenn McDavid, the secretary, nominate yourself the same way, show up at the meeting and toss your ring into the hat, or don't show up have your friends nominate you… Just kidding – you have to agree to run to be voted in.

How much time is involved? There are monthly staff meetings of 1-2 hours duration, plus all the prep time getting ready for shows. With everyone helping, your time commitment can be smaller. The CoS, HCF, and Captain usually also attend the Board meetings monthly which are usually about 2 hours long. As always, everyone is welcome to attend the meetings!

What if I want to run for the Board? Those elections will be held in February at the Annual meeting – voting rules are the same. The Board positions are for two years, and are staggered. In February 2007, we will vote for a new Vice President, Secretary, and Company Representative. In February 2008, we will vote for President, Treasurer, Quartermaster, and Camp Representative. Again, if you're interested, attend the Board meetings, talk to those currently in the positions, and review your manual. Just for the record, I will not be running for President in 2008 – it's time for New Blood.

What if I have a question you didn't answer? Call, email or write, or show up at the meeting and ask – that's the best way!

After much soul- and schedule-searching, I have decided that I would offer my name as candidate for Captain. Cousin Will, whom many of you have met, will be my leftenant and likely the acting Captain at most events if I should be elected.

The 2007 season will be my fifth season with Colonel Gaffneyis Regiment. Since I joined, I have served as Goodwife every year, edited the members' manual, written a number of articles for the newsletter, served as acting Captain at several events, finished the 4th muster level, served as the Contracts Representative for nearly two years, and bought a lot of hats.

If elected Captain, I promise to return phone calls, answer emails, attend lots of meetings, and have a chicken in every pot. Or oatmeal. Or whatever the HCF decides to serve. In any case, there will be something in a pot at every meal if I'm elected captain.

Vote Kane for Captain in the November Staff elections. As Clann Tartan/Col. Gaffneyis nears its 20th year, it is high time we had a female Captain.

Maeve Kane

*Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!* *Hear ye!*

The Board of Directors has asked me to write a brief outline of what a Contracts Representative is, what they do, why we have one, and how to make this one happy. Well, they didn’t exactly say that last part in so many words, but I thought everyone would like to know anyway.

Clann Tartan’s Contract Rep does many important and dangerous things for Clann, including slaying damsels, wooing dragons, pulling hen’s teeth and making phone calls. There is also a lot of herding of cats involved. Clann has had a Contract Rep for over ten years, and I am the fortunate current holder of that title.

Every time Clann is paid for an event, and we are currently paid for all shows except the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games and the Dun Gowan Tactical, the Contract Rep negotiates a contract and its terms. The terms include the hours and dates of the show and the rate of pay Clann will receive. This often involves several weeks (or months, if the event representative doesn’t return their phone calls often) of negotiation. This culminates with a signed contract, signed by myself and the event representative, and a check at the end of the event.

All of this is preceded by contacting events we would like to do. In some cases, such as Big Island Rendezvous, the Mankato Youth History Fest, and the Big Muddy River Rendezvous, Clann’s participation in an event has been a given since the beginning of recorded time. Others, such as the Charles City Military History Days, we were invited to participate in. Some others, like the Olde World Renaissance Festival, we approached because they fit the type of event we like to do.

Most of the leg work for this is done by me. Clann has and has had a Contract Representative since Gustavus was a pup, nay, longer, because it makes much less confusion for event reps when they only have to talk to one person, and less confusion for Staff and members when information on events only comes from one source. Information on new events and information about problems with events we already do is always welcome, but it is most welcome when addressed to me, the current Contracts Rep should I ever vacate the position, or to Staff. Staff can be reached at staff@clanntartan.org, I can be reached at mkane@macalester.edu, 952-461-4666 or 26586 Woodcrest Cir, Elko MN 55020. As the recent non-issue with the dates of the Mankato Youth History Fest and the Big Muddy River Rendezvous illustrated, it is much better to have the issue or lack thereof handled by staff and the Contract Rep than to have it thrown on the members’ email list for the confusion of all.

That said, my life can be made easier if anyone with questions, comments or concerns about any event or contract contacted me at the above addresses. I also like long walks on the beach, hats, mangos, boys, hats, fabric, hats, and boys. Thought everyone ought to know.

Thank you,

Contracts Representative
Maeve Kane

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

Drill

Board Minutes

Minutes of Clann Tartan Board Meeting on June 20, 2006

In attendance:  (Board) Cate Hesser, Sean McCanna, Herb Lindorff
Glenn McDavid, Bruce Yoder 

Staff: Julie Yoder, Marty Byers, Mia McDavid, Rob Johnson

Other Members: Lisa Gillstrom
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minutes of the May Board and Membership Meeting were accepted as corrected.


REPORTS
=======
VICE-PRESIDENT - Jen McDermott has rejoined.

TREASURER -- Not much income, lots of expenses in May.  Chief of the
latter was the insurance payment.  There will probably be an additional
premium when the new property list is submitted.  That list still is not
complete.

The check from Twig has been deposited.

Budgeted expenses:

Camp supplies and equipment--New water jug and miscellaneous items: $365

Company supplies and equipment:

gunpowder	$350
musket repair	$600
other supplies	 $25
Total			$975

The Financial Report was approved by the Board.

SECRETARY -- Staff is working revising the calendars in the Newsletter.

COMPANY REP -- No problems.
CAMP REP -- No problems.

DANCE GUILD -- Going well.  We were bumped from our Minneapolis location
by a schedule conflict, but the Minneapolis Park District provided an
excellent substitute site.  The Guild needs more men, or women willing
to dance as such.

DANCE MUSIC GUILD -- We have vocalists.  Were able to dance one day at
Twig with just voice and pennywhistle.  We wanted participation and we
are getting it.

Follow-up to Twig:  We would like it if our Dances were not scheduled
directly opposite our favorite musicians.

SWORD GUILD -- 5 blades at the June session.  Going well.  We hope to
show some sword work at Farmington.

FIBER GUILD -- Heidi Viar has joined.

HISTORIC SITE -- No report.

MUSIC -- No report.

NIGHT AT THE PUB -- Next meeting July 21.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Farmington and Tactical:  There was considerable discussion of the place
of Tactical in the Clann scheme of things and our relationship with Don
Chesney.  If it is an official Clann event then Staff should be involved
in planning it.  It was suggested that we have a formal contract with
Don in future years.  We need to clarify what Clann is expected to 
supply. 

Black powder--how much?  After considerable discussion it was decided to
keep 5-6 pounds for our needs at Farmington and send the rest to
Tactical.  The Quartermaster was directed to buy more powder.

Apparently Tactical needs cannon fuse cord.  This is an item we do not
stock.

Des Moines Ren Faire:  Are fire pits allowed?  Need to check with Maeve.

October Events -- seem to be on track.

Next Year -- Lisa G suggested that we look again at the Wisconsin Ren
Faire for 2007.

OLD BUSINESS -- Everything tabled.

NEW BUSINESS -- We will not have a Members meeting in August.  The
date conflicts with Deer River and in any case Corcoran will be closed.
There will be a Board Meeting on the 3rd Tuesday (August 15) as usual.

NEXT BOARD MEETING -- July 18.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM.

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

Calendar of Events

Event Schedule for the 2006 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,
Rob Johnson.

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 Board/Quarterly/Annual Meetings Corcoran Neighborhood Center, 3334 20th Av South, Minneapolis, MN	Map to Lake Hiawatha Community Center 2701 E 44th St in Minneapolis 1st & 3rd Wednesdays dance location Helleand Building
Map to Marty & Judy Byers home Location for for Sword Drill 2821 Churchill, Roseville MN

Des Moines Renaissance Festival Saturday and Sunday, September 9-10 2006

Directions:

From: Saint Paul, MN US
To: 4051 Dean Ave Des Moines, IA 50317-1662 US

1. Start out going NORTHWEST on WABASHA ST N toward 4TH ST E. (0.59 miles)
2. Merge onto I-35E S via the ramp on the LEFT. (18.75 miles)
3. Merge onto I-35 S (Crossing into IOWA). (220.44 miles)
4. Keep LEFT to take I-235 W toward DES MOINES. (3.44 miles)
5. Take the EASTON BLVD exit toward IA-163 E/E UNIVERSITY AVE EASTBOUND/US-65 N. (0.13 miles)
6. Stay STRAIGHT to go onto EASTON BLVD. (0.07 miles)
7. Turn LEFT onto E 21ST ST. (0.23 miles)
8. Turn LEFT onto IA-163 E/E UNIVERSITY AVE. (1.15 miles)
9. Turn RIGHT onto E 30TH ST/IA-46. (0.62 miles)
10. Turn LEFT onto DEAN AVE. (1.20 miles)
11. End at 4051 Dean Ave Des Moines, IA 50317-1662 US
Total Estimated Time: 3 hours, 54 minutes
Total Distance: 246.62 miles

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

Big Island Albert Lea, MN October 5-8, 2006

Mankato History Festival Mankato MN Oct 12-14 2006

Big Muddy Rendezvous Winona, MN October 17-22 2006