March Baronial Business Meeting Minutes – The Barony of South Downs

South Downs Baronial Business Meeting

1 March 2017, 7:30pm

Atlanta Friends Meeting House

Notes submitted by Lady Raven Helmsplitter (mka Helena Bretherton Hay), South Downs Chronicler.

THL Mathias Blackett called the meeting to order.

Officer Reports

Chronicler (Lady Raven Helmsplitter)
- Working on newsletter
  - Not too late to submit content – still looking for articles, artwork, officer/guild columns! Please contact Lady Raven via Facebook or e-mail at mawrtyr88@gmail.comwith your questions or submissions
  - New deadline – before Gulf Wars, hoping to publish issue end of March/early April
  - Name for newsletter: The Read Tower

Rapier Marshal (Lord Brendan de Hay)
- Rapier practices are held Sunday afternoons (concurrent with armored fighter practice) and Tuesday evenings, usually at Blackburn Park. Check the Facebook group “Atlanta SCA Fighting” for updates and changes (such as cancellation or temporary location changes due to weather).
- Attendance at practice varies dramatically, but rarely fewer than four, and sometimes as many as 14. We have some new (to us) folks joining us in the last few weeks as well. Welcome to Konrad, Will, David, and Somber.
- Recent stuff:
  - Meridian Challenge of Arms was a successful day, thanks in large part to the support of non-fencers who came out to herald, marshal, make pretty scrolls, and other cool stuff. We rapier folk think you guys are awesome.
  - Special congrats to Master Wistric, who won the armatura challenge, and finished the day with an awesome match vs. Don Lazarus Gage.
- Upcoming stuff:
  - Gulf Wars! If you’re going, and planning to fight rapier, Baroness Adela’s Gilded Companie will be under the command of Master Wistric. I understand Masters Wistric and Morgan will be representing the Order of Jerusalem.
  - We hear rumors that Her Excellency has suggested March 26 as the day to choose this year’s Baronial fighting champions. It also happens that Lady Raven has been discussing that date with other local groups for us to host a regional practice. Watch for further announcements on both topics.

Armored Marshal (Lord Robert Throckmorton)
- Armored fighters practice continues on Sundays – this pas week had a small turnout but practice was good

Chatelaine (Lady Stella di Silvestri)
- Demo season is coming! Abel is coordinating Streets Alive! on 11 June over by Georgia Tech. Streets Alive is held several times a year, throughout the city – the 11 June event is the most likely to not conflict with other SCA events, so come on out!

Herald (Lord Lucien d’Artois)
- Talmere’s Lusty Month of May will be hosting this year’s Meridian Heraldic and Scribal Symposium, so come on out! (13 May, Pickett’s Mill Battlefield Family Group Shelter
- Speaking of Heraldic and Scribal Symposia, the shire of Nant-y-derwyddon will host this year’s Knowne Worlde Heraldic and Scribal Symposium, in Knoxville, TN, 23-25 June, 2017. For more information, go to their: website

Arts & Sciences (Lady Veronica da Lucca)
- Last week’s class was on bliauts, taught by Mistress Sunneva. This month’s A+S class will be on an intro to all things beer (yay!), and will be taught by Lord Camulocaros

Their Excellencies
- Gulf Wars is coming!
  - Please volunteer for raffle tickets and $ for the barony. we have been challenged to provide 75 hrs of volunteering by Baroness Iron Mountain. She is certain that we can easily hit that, so we want to crush that goal 🙂
  - We are processing in with TRM on Tuesday for opening ceremonies – need volunteers for banner holders (need to wear black and white garb)
  - Thursday is Known Worlde party – volunteer! have fun! drink responsibly!
- Coronation!
  - Challenges for scroll cases and for regalia. Next week’s project night will be building scroll cases. Mistress Serafina commented that her office has a pile of cardboard she can contribute to the scroll case cause.
  - Mistress Symonne will make a silk banner for the group that provides the most scroll cases, as well as perhaps some finger loop braiding.
- This month will be our 5th Wednesday garb potluck! Stay tuned for further details.
- Baronial rapier and armored championships! Will be held at the upcoming Regional Rapier practice on 26 March
- MCA scrolls – 4 of the 8 champions scrolls were bestowed upon South Downers (yay!)

Seneschal (THL Mathias Blackett)
- Master Wistric will step up as Seneschal in April

Post-Mortem for Midwinter Arts + Sciences

Food location was great! Having it in the second-floor lounge area worked out really well.
Third floor setup for A+S also worked out really well – good space to organize all the competitions
Yay for multiple lounges – having space for attendees to relax on each floor was greatly appreciated
Mathias is talking to Duke Thomas about the possibility of using KSU as a future event site
Merchant space is still problematic – hallways were crowded. Maybe take one of the lounges as a merchant space? perhaps a classroom near the lunch?

Event Bids for 2017

Event site updates:
- Mathias is talking to Duke Thomas about KSU, but it’s too late to get it for RUM. Maybe Fighters Collegium? Fall is really congested with big events. We just need a field, a place for court/feast (BBQ?)
- Tallapoosa was also suggested, as we’re already familiar with the site
- Mathias will post updates on Atlanta SCA
General future event discussions
- Mathias and Wistric wants to get people together to see who tends to do what all the time, and come up with a strategy to determine what and how can we teach each other those skills so we can cover each other better?
- This would also be a great opportunity to learn how to do a particular job. Jadi has offered to head up the autocrat roundtable
- Margavati mentioned that many newcomers have a common problem – how to get involved if you don’t know where to start? Raven will look into how this can be added to the newsletter (as a column? in the information section?)
Upcoming bid deadlines
- Bids for Red Tower and Castle Wars are due for next month’s (April) business meeting.

Upcoming Events

Fool’s War (7-10 April 2017)
- Mistress Allesandra is heading up the A+S competitions, and she needs judges. You do not need an OVO to judge – just have someone vouch for your experience/knowledge.

Non-SCA Business

Project night 2nd and 4th Thursdays at THL Andreva’s and Mistress Jadi’s home
There is much interest in rebooting the South Downs Supper Club – for further info, check out their Facebook group

All the business issues having been addressed, the business meeting was closed.

Next South Downs business meeting will be held Wednesday, 5 April 2017, at the Atlanta Friends Meeting House.

–Raven