Event Review - Namron Beltane 2007 - by Zubeydah

This page contains an event review by Zubeydah. This represents solely her opinion and views/thoughts at the time of writing, and do NOT reflect upon her Barony, her Region, her mentors and friends, or anyone else.

I’ve never been to a Namron Beltane before; it sounded intriguing, the more I saw discussed and planned on the various email lists. Another lure was that a friend – Elizabeth de Calais – was planning a surprise 18th birthday party for her daughter, Olivia, at the event. That was a definite clincher – I had to be there!

Friday, May 4th, I was able to scoot out of work 15 minutes early, which allowed me the time to dash over to the Great Harvest Bread Company. I’ve been hanging onto a ‘buy one get one free’ coupon from them for quite some time, waiting for a perfect opportunity to utilize it. I selected one of their honey wheat loves, and a loaf of rosemary garlic bread. The young lady behind the counter was positively passionate about their bread, and gave me a free sample of one of their dessert loaves. YUM!

After a stop by the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items, I got home and began planning the logistics of the evening. Two of my projects required a lot of time to chill in the fridge and another needed time to cool on the countertop. Those, then, had to be my first endeavors.

I started by draining some maraschino cherries that I’ve had soaking in Amaretto liqueur for the last 6 months, and then made up an Amaretto flavored fondant using butter, powdered sugar, corn syrup and Southern Ansteorran Ladies Sipping Cordial (a.k.a. DiSaronno – thus named by Mistress Dyan). Each of the two-dozen cherries was patted dry and covered in fondant. Because I’d not thought carefully ahead of time, I had to use toothpicks to replicate the cherry stems in the process. These went into the fridge to firm up, intended to be served at Olivia’s birthday party.

Next, I whipped up a large batch of Dark Chocolate Kahlua fudge. The recipe is one that I got from my parents, and there’s a funny story behind it. The particular denomination they belonged to when I was growing up had a very small chapel in Bangor, Maine. The church had long since outgrown the chapel, and they decided to raise funds to build a new one. The method of doing so was debated, and it was decided that if they could find one perfect recipe, they could focus their efforts on one item to sell in bake sales and local stores. The ladies of the church were asked to submit their favorite recipe – and the one chosen was for this fudge. They sold enough fudge to construct a new building … and yes, it really is that good!! Sadly, one of the promises that were required to get a copy of the recipe, was that it not be shared outside the church. So, since I’d gone there as a child, I was allowed to have a copy… but I cannot share it with others. (As a clarification, the original recipe did **NOT** contain Kahlua!) One of the secrets of the fudge recipe is to really let the ingredients caramelize as its cooking, rather than taking it off the heat too hastily. So it takes a bit of time and a lot of careful attention, but the end result is well worth the trouble. Soon, I had two pans cooling in the fridge – one for the tavern a la carte donation, and one for Olivia’s party.

Third on the list was a double batch of brownies, all for the tavern. (Triple Chocolate Caffeinated Walnut Brownies) Once the brownies were all done, I covered them in plastic wrap to keep out odors, and stashed them on the counter to cool down. Next on the To Do List was to cook up a pound of bacon! I wanted to make a pair of quiches, and while I usually take a short-cut and use precooked, packaged bacon bits, I wanted these quiches to have that extra rich taste of fresh cooked bacon. So the house quickly filled with the mouthwatering scent – thus, the plastic wrap on the brownies. (It’s a pork fat thing!)

The quiches were quickly put together and went into the oven to cook. While that was going on, I pulled out my fondant-covered cherries, which had firmed up relatively well in the fridge. I wanted to try a new chocolate coating I’d found at the store, and test out its taste and consistency. After microwaving the slab of chocolate, I dipped the cherries in one by one, giving them a nice thick coat. Back into the fridge!

A batch of Cheese Goo was the last item on my list (unsalted butter, cream cheese and Brie, melted together and whipped into an emulsion with herbs). Wanting it to be extra creamy, I upped the amount of Brie, and also strained it through a fine sieve, to remove any un-melted lumps and impurities. This also had the side effect of removing most of the herbs, so I added in more parsley and summer savory. The Goo went into a Tupperware container and into the fridge.

The last thing on my list for Friday was to find all of the stuff I’d need for the next morning. I am most decidedly NOT a morning person, and the idea of stumbling around my house in the dark trying to put things together was Right Out. Finding garb, packing feast gear, finding a small cooler to put the food in, and generally getting my stuff together took about an hour. It was about 11:30 pm when I finally got to bed, excited about the next morning.

I was up by 6:20 am, and was able to get out of the house by 7:10, with some help from my husband, Abe. He helped me carry everything down to the car and get it loaded up. While I was getting ready, I kept having a nagging feeling that I should bring my waterbearing things. But they were out in our storage unit, and I just didn’t feel like digging them out, taking the time to re-sterilize them, and be late. So I talked myself out of it. Shame on me!

The trip to the site was uneventful and smooth. It is always a lovely drive from Tulsa to Cleveland – especially crossing Keystone Lake when it’s shrouded in mist. The temperature was moderate, so I rolled down the window to enjoy the breeze.

I arrived on site right at 8:00, and was pleased to see a lot more cars than I was expecting. Because the Will Rogers site is much further from Oklahoma City and Norman than most events sponsored by that area, and because the weather had been pretty lousy for several days, I was worried folks might stay at home. Fortunately, it didn’t look like the weather had been too bad the night previous – I didn’t see any downed tents or other signs of disaster. I parked on the road between the kitchen and the wash house, and headed in to find the Gate.

There, I found Isabella of Mooneschadowe and several other ladies that I did not know. I paid for the event, and was dismayed to hear that tavern was already sold out. Oh no! My dismay was quickly turned into a grin, when the next person I ran into was Adena. She showed off her new garb, beautifully embroidered with Celtic-influenced frogs, in honor of the Spang contents. It looked great! Any day that involves Adena being present is a Good Day. If you don’t know this wonderful lady, take time to find her and introduce yourself. Your day will be brighter as a result. She is truly a shining star of this Society.

I went to the kitchen to find Contessa Vanessa, and give her my donation items for the tavern: 2 loaves of bread, a quiche, a pan of brownies and a pan of fudge. She put everything except the bread into the fridge, for safekeeping. She looked weary, and I could tell she’d been hard at work the day prior and for hours already that morning. Her eyes gleamed when I told her that while I hadn’t brought coffee, I had brought brownies with coffee in them, which she said would be perfectly nice. I asked if there’d be any more tavern slots available for sale, and a gentleman answered, saying that there might be, in a short amount of time, once Mistress ‘Stacia arrived and they’d had a chance to talk.

Next, I spied Danielle de Marseilles in the great hall, clutching a large picture frame, looking slightly dazed and exhausted, but practically floating an inch off the ground. I strode over, and said something to the effect of, ‘if that’s new work of yours, I MUST have a picture!!’ She grinned and confessed she had just finished it, and was very excited with how it turned out. With the consent of Baroness Muriel, I was allowed to photograph the incredibly beautiful original charter, on the condition that I not speak to anyone about who that person was, or what the award was. The work and the colors were stunning – rich crimsons, deep blues and bright golds, ornamented with twin peacocks. Danielle really did herself proud.

Since there wasn’t a whole lot going on just yet, I took off my outer gahwazi coat, and offered to help in the kitchen. The same gentleman who’d told me about the potential for more tavern vouchers seemed to be in charge, so I asked what I could do to help. I asked him his name, and learned that it was Owen Stott – a man I had heard of for many years in reference to his fine skills in the kitchen. Another lady was there chopping up brisket that had been cooking all night, which would be part of a beef stew served at lunch. A third lady was making biscuits. I learned her name was Annabelle, but did not catch the name of the lady who was handling the brisket.

Soon thereafter, I was removing the skin of a chicken that had been simmering for six hours. I de-boned and diced the chicken, which was incredibly tender and fragrant. The remaining broth was reserved, and I strained it to remove all the undesirable bits of bone, skin and fat that remained. The chicken went back into the rich stock, and at Owen’s direction, I added an entire container of mushrooms, two tablespoons of minced garlic and two cans of Cream of Mushroom soup. This was blended well, and put back on the stove. Everyone in the kitchen was very helpful, and didn’t laugh at my goofy questions. At one point, one of the folks who had been camping near the kitchen came through, and confessed that he had been tempted to perform a midnight raid on the building – the scent of the cooking brisket had ‘tormented’ him all night, whenever the wind would shift and carry the scent of the roasting meat through his campsite!

About this time, it was announced that yes, there were 25 more slots for tavern chits to be purchased. I immediately purchased one, and at Vanessa’s request, tracked down Adena, who wanted to purchase some for her family. I also let the folks at Gate know, so they could answer folks when asked. After doing so, I returned to the kitchen. I was able to help with a few other items, but while assisting with some gravy, I burned myself pretty well when the thick boiling mixture splattered my hand. Since I’d put in a good hour and a half helping, I excused myself, and headed out to see what else was going on at the event. It was about 9:40 ish.

It was announced that morning court would start soon, so I grabbed my chair from my car, and headed out towards the pavilions. I was surprised to see that Their Royal Majesties were present; I hadn’t thought they were attending the event. I found a good spot for my chair, and asked Mistress Alix if she’d mind if I sat there. She very graciously agreed, and I spent a few minutes chatting with her about the new project for the Scribal website – an online gallery of award insignia.

Baroness Dominique of Weisenfeuer was sitting directly in front of me, and I leaned forward to say hi to Domi and her beautiful baby. With her mom’s permission, I snapped an adorable photo of Miss Elizabeth.

Soon court started and so did a light sprinkling of rain. Their Majesties, Romanius and Deana, stood and said, “Good Morning!” Everyone said ‘Good morning’ in return, and giggled when their Majesties promptly sat right back down. Most of the business before the court had to do with Their Excellencies Duncan and Muriel of Namron. Items included:

Danielle De Marsailles, who was long a resident of Namron, but who recently moved south of the Red River, was given an award for Baronial service in the Arts and Sciences. Well deserved!!

Their Majesties did call into their court a few folks, some of which caused more crowd reaction than others. One lady, much to her mortification, was trapped in her chair. Some of the fabric of her garb was tangled in the hinge of her chair, so with a gentleman’s help, she appeared before the Crown, chair and all!

Owen Stott was called into court and granted the Star of Merit of Ansteorra for his many long years of service.

Another item of interest of the morning court was the presentation of the Sun Cake. It was a beautiful golden cake, hand painted, and in the shape of a castle. The May Queen was named (drawn by lots) and it was – most fittingly – a lady who was great with child. The Spang Princess was also chosen, and the young maiden was invited to join the May Queen under the royal pavilion. As well, the Court was visited by a Lord of Faerie, with stunning blue wings (portrayed most elfishly by Master Lucais). He announced that the key to the gates of Faerie had been stolen, and a dragon had been slain. The dragon’s mate and her clutch were missing! This did not bode well!

Court was brief, as it is our current Crown’s stated desire that all courts last no more than one hour. After it was adjourned, I asked the fine folks of The Raptor if I might sit with them. Therese and Timothy very graciously allowed me to do so. I sat and chatted with their daughter Kate very briefly, before she flitted off.

Around this time, it was announced that the tug of war was to begin. I got several photos of the children’s tug of war – All of them versus Pooky, the girls versus the boys, and various other combinations. It was rather amusing hearing them yelling, ‘Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!”

Some pick up fights had begun, and there was talk that the dragon would soon be appearing. I came to the realization that there wasn’t any organized waterbearing at the event, and talked with a dear friend – Renault du Mont St Michel – as to whether or not he had anything we could use. I asked if I could make a very huge request – would he be willing to go into Cleveland, and go to WalMart and buy some pop-top bottles? He said he would. I gave him what little cash I had, and then ran off to see if I could find some bottles of any sort that might work. I checked through the area around the field to see if I could spy any bottles, but didn’t see any. I also quickly checked the hall, but didn’t see anything suitable. So, making do, I grabbed a pitcher and a plastic cup, determined to make the beset of it. As I returned to the field, I saw that some coolers had been set up and there were cups there. I was told that the fighters were aware of its location, and it would work out okay, as they weren’t expecting waterbearing. I met up with Renault, and he gave me a handful of various sized pop-tops he’d found in one of his bags.

I took the opportunity to meet with a variety of folks about insignia, including Lady Katrine, who showed me regalia that was made for His Excellency, Master Robert Fitzmorgan, by Darius of the Bells: A stunning pelican medallion and a coronet of delicate open metalwork. I also met with Aelfwyn Webbestre, who is one of the most amazing artisans when it comes to weaving. She showed me an Iris of Merit ribbon she had woven, as well as a sable thistle ribbon she’d woven that was quite cleverly crafted. While I was chatting with Aelfwyn, she offered me some of the water bottles she’d brought. We found a pop-top that fit her bottles, and I felt much better. I started watering the fighters sporadically, but there weren’t many folks who were actively in combat. So, I stashed the bottle for later.

At this point, my friend and mentor, Nicolea, invited me to her cabin, to get a sneak peek at the championship charters that had been painted. I greedily snapped several photos of them, and also got a picture of the baronial award that Danielle received. It’s hard to describe the admiration I have for these two ladies; both as individuals, and as artists. I enjoy and value the time I have with them.

As I emerged from their cabin, I saw that the adult tug of war was in full swing. I raced over to try and catch a glimpse of the goings on, and arrived just in time to see Northkeep win. Alas, I was only able to snap one photo. Baron Ian was glowing with triumph (and perspiration from his exertions), quite a figure in his cream-colored shirt, bare feet, and kilt. Baron Duncan approached him, and the two embraced as brothers, clapping each other heartily on the back.

There were so many things going on at once! I wanted to make sure I saw as much as possible. I knew the A&S competition was being set up in the hall, so I headed that way next. It seemed as if everyone had ‘gotten the memo’ – for every single display had something to do with fiber arts! Knotted rope slings, naalbinding, and lucet work were included in the displays. I snapped photos as best I could, but my camera was behaving badly.

I wandered back into the hall, as it was getting on towards 11:00 and I was starting to see people eating lunch. After some discussion with the Tavern folks, I sliced up the fudge and brownies I’d brought, and arranged them on a plate. Walking out of the kitchen into the hall, I called out loudly, “CHOCOLATE FOR SALE! BENEFITTING THE BARONY OF NAMRON.” I immediately got a lot of interest! Several folks were very generous, and let me ‘keep the change’ as the sale was a fundraiser and they knew it would go to Namron’s benefit. One person bought five pieces of fudge and brownies! I was asked for the fudge recipe a few times, and had to tell the tale of its origin, sadly responding that I could not give out the recipe.

I exited the hall, and made my rounds through the field. The brownies and fudge went very quickly, and it was extremely gratifying to hear the moans of pleasure as folks tried the items they’d purchased. In just ten minutes, I’d sold every piece of fudge and brownies, raising a total of $42.00! I put all the monies in a baggie, and turned it over to Mistress ‘Stacia with a grin. I washed up the dishes I’d used, tossed out the trash, and headed back out to the field.

Soon it was time for THE DRAGON to appear! It emerged in all of its golden glory from the glade, snarling and howling for its revenge. Appropriately given voice by Syr Owen ap Aeddan, the Dragon called out for the ‘puny humans’ to fight it! I grabbed my makeshift water bottle, and started offering the fighters and the dragon something to drink. As always, the fighters were very courteous and appreciative.

Several fighters tied together formed the Dragon, wearing yellow fabric stuffed appendages on their helms to designate which part of the dragon they were. There was a head, two wings, four claws, and a tail. Each fighter wore a yellow tabard. The head was most fierce in appearance and in temperament!

The Dragon’s opponents were drawn by lots, and the first group went out to face the fearsome beast. The dragon fought ferociously, and the stalwart defenders of Namron were slain. His Royal Majesty, Romanius, embodied one of the front claws of the dragon. In one dramatic moment, he leapt out to attack someone who had strayed too closely, but alas, he was tethered to The Great Immovable Object – i.e., Owen! HRM Romanius was nearly pulled off his feet by the jarring impact of hitting the end of the rope before reaching his intended target.

Midway through the fights, Renault appeared with a pair of plastic bags from Walmart. Inside were some largish squirt-top bottles. I gave him my grateful thanks, and sprinted off to the hall, where I filled the jugs up. On the next pause in the battles, I circulated with these larger capacity bottles, and received some positive feedback on the change. It really was awesome of Renault to get them – I appreciate him!!

After the first fight, Sieur Jean-Paul de Sens had to give up his place as a Dragon part, and leave the site – his two squires were graduating college, and he wanted to attend. During this pause, I asked Millicent from Mooneschadowe to braid up my hair. The breeze kept blowing it right into my face, and it was getting difficult to deal with. She braided a piece of rope I’d found into my hair and used it to tie off the braid. I really appreciated it! I also congratulated her and Ollj on their newly announced, soon-to-be-parents status. Those two are going to be great parents, and I hope to be counted among the many SCA Aunties ready to spoil their child rotten. While Millj was braiding my hair, I chatted with Ollj about insignia. He gave me two examples of the cast pewter Rising Stars he’s been working on, and also laid a largish cast pewter piece into my hand. He asked what I thought it was – I responded that it looked like a peacock feather. He chuckled, turned it 180 degrees, and I could immediately see that it was an angel. He nodded, and said it was his gift to the ladies of the Province for Christmas! It felt really great to be included in that number, and I was very appreciative of his work and his kindness.

The combats against the dragon lasted for about an hour, with pauses for some dramatic confrontations between the Baroness (who was ardently protecting her scotch) and the Faerie who had come through the gate, and the dragon. At one point, the Dragon attempted to negotiate that HE Muriel would become his bride for one thousand years! (She regretfully declined)

Finally the dragon was defeated, and they tromped back down to the glade. I followed the group, making sure they got plenty to drink. It took refilling my water bottles twice, but finally they were de-armored, cooled down, and comfortable – I was a smidge worried about Aethelred, as his color was a very dark red. But he was sweating and that’s always a good sign. Several folks wandered down to the glade – some stayed, including Master Cassius Leapus’ intended, Kajira, and some departed. Someone brought Master Tarl some lunch – a bowl of gumbo – but he had stepped out of the glade for a time. So the boys happily passed it around themselves a bit. I asked if they’d like some more food, and got a resounding group ‘yes!’ as a result. So I scampered up to the hall, grabbed my Tavern card, and got two ‘punches’ worth of gumbo, snagged some of the a la cart items I’d brought, and headed back down.

The honey wheat bread and gumbo were received well, but the quiche disappeared in nothing flat. I don’t often have the opportunity to just sit around chatting with folks, and rather enjoyed it. As the guys were talking, I did a bit of clean up, gathering up the duct tape that had held the dragon bits onto folks’ helmets, and the rope. Master Tarl’s sharp eye saw that a tick had fallen from one of the ropes onto my arm, and he quickly swatted it off – ack! Into my hair!! In a mere second, he had it plucked out and thrown away from me. Gah. I Do. Not. Like. Bugs!!! He agreed that he had much the same opinion. While I was puttering around, Sir Aesoph told me to please catch up with him later, as he had a gift for me. I blinked and told him that I would.

At one point, His Royal Majesty asked how many Centurions of the Sable Star were present at the event. The assembled gentlemen named off those who wear the crimson cloak, and it totaled nine or so. Romanius then decided that he would hold a gathering of the Centurions later in the day. Sir Cassius’s son was dispatched to go inform the Centurions not present of His Majesty’s wishes.

There was some discussion of ways to make the Dragon more workable, so folks weren’t getting rope burns, or being tripped up quite as badly. One suggestion was a different type of system to secure the dragon parts to the main head – using a belt with rings, so that ropes weren’t being tied around people.

Eventually, I headed off with Elizabeth de Calais, as she let me know that her daughter, Olivia, was arriving soon! I dashed up to the kitchen to fetch the things I’d brought: A loaf of bread, the Cheese Goo spread, the second pan of fudge, and the chocolate covered cherries. I hadn’t thought to grab a knife, so I used a pocketknife I had in my pouch. This really didn’t work too well. Fortunately, someone brought one over, and we got the fudge sliced up into big decadent chunks.

Moments after everyone was gathered, Olivia walked past where we were hidden. We all yelled, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” She blushed prettily and grinned hugely, obviously very happy that folks had taken part in the celebration. She looked lovely in some new garb. I started singing the Happy Birthday song, and everyone chimed in. After the song was done, she was quickly swamped by well-wishers bearing gifts and hugs and good thoughts. I waited my turn to give her a hug and offer her one of the Chocolate Covered Amaretto Cherries, and pointed out the pan of Kahlua fudge (her favorite!) made just for her celebration. She ate one of the cherries and her eyes rolled back in her head and she made happy noises. Success!!!

The celebration was quickly in full swing, with folks nibbling on the collected treats. There were mini tarts and a variety of other finger foods, plus all the items I’d brought. I started walking around the chocolate covered cherries, asking folks to critique them as they’re an item I plan to make for Castellan. I got positive reviews. Woot!

The day was slowly wound down. The final Tavern meal was being prepared, but I wasn’t really hungry, after eating all that food at the birthday party. I ran into Emmalina and her sweetie, Yoshi. They had just arrived at the event. We chatted for a bit, and I offered them my tavern card and my feast gear so they could get something to eat. They expressed their thanks, and I wandered off.

(Unfortunately, I didn’t finish this event review at the time of the event, and my memories are a bit too fuzzy of how things went, so this story ends here…)