Barony of Vatavia

15 members attended: 10 officers/deputies/champions; 1 event steward; 4 members of the populace (2 children)

A brief meeting of the officers was held to cover just urgent business. The post mortem for the Renaissance Festival and monthly finance meeting were also scheduled for this same evening.

The position of Minister of Youth is open. Interested individuals will need to have a background check done. This will not cost the applicant and will take about two months. Therefore an outside individual who has been certified will be needed for activities at Valor.

A demonstration this May on the effects of the Renaissance for the Mayberry School was approved and will be scheduled in the next couple of weeks. It was recommended that the Chronicler seek on-line free updates for the publishing program and related programs to help resolve technical issues. It was also suggested that articles and submissions be sent in a specific format such as pdf.

Bardic has been scheduled for the second Thursday evenings of the month. This month’s will be on the 10th.

H & R Block has agreed to donate $25 to SCA, Inc. for each tax return prepared for SCA members.

The program is easy and convenient. For each new client referred to have their taxes prepared, H&R Block will send SCA, Inc. in Milpitas, California $25! There is no limit to the number of referrals the SCA can make! Please download this link http://www.hrblockreferrals.com/KitDownload.aspx?GUID=8342832EC2CA4A9BA54F0B5578BCA970 to obtain your Referral form. You may print off and distribute the Referral form for your SCA friends now. Take the Referral form to the H & R Block tax preparer and they do the rest.

Thank you for your participation and should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the H&R Block associate who enrolled the SCA (Vicki Willems at victoria.willems@tax.hrblock.com or 317-888-2713) or H & R Block Customer Support at 1-877-600-5432.

Thomas W. Hughes
President, SCA, Inc.

16 members attended: 12 officers/deputies/champions; 3 members of the populace (1 a child), 1 guest

Coronation will be held in the Shire of Spinning Winds (Manhattan KS) March 24th. Members are encouraged to attend this event which can be done as a day trip. The Kingdom Arts and Sciences Competition has been scheduled for May 5th. The Vatavian Champions’ Event will be held April 7th at the Four Winds Girl Scout Camp near Leon, Kansas. Arrangements need to be finalized for the different Champion competitions. The site fee will include that evening’s feast. The budget will be submitted for approval to the financial committee.

This Spring’s Great Plains Renaissance Festival will be organized by the Officer Corps. Some individuals have already volunteered to organize parts of the Vatavian presentation. Contact the Seneschal, Ly. Catlin, about helping. Monthly fighter practice and demonstrations have been scheduled at Exploration Place for the fourth Sundays of each month. This March 25th the demo subject is fiber arts. Ld. Brient will be teaching card weaving on the inkle loom for interested members. Contact HE Marie for details. A special Castle Science presentation at Exploration Place for the March 14th Independent School field trip was approved.

There are two electronic posting formats which can be used for the Dragonflyre: ease of reading and ease of printing. The April issue will provide both formats. The Chronicler requests the populace to provide her feedback on these two options. It was reported that a Vatavian heraldic proposal and Theobald College heraldic proposals are on the current Calontir internal letter. Interested individuals can attend dance practice at Martinson Avenue Christian Church the second and fourth Sundays of each month; start time is 1 pm. The March BUSH class will be presented on the 28th by Ly. Sorcha on Roman oil lamps. The new Arts and Sciences Minister, Ld. Brient, would like individuals entering A and S competitions (Gulf Wars, Kingdom A/S, etc.) to let him know so that he can be aware of the Vatavian involvement in this area.

The Exchequer sent that all reports have been finalized and turned in. The lawsuit tithe has been paid. There will be a financial committee meeting after the Officers’ meeting this evening. The location for storing the Vatavian property will need to be changed this April. Any recommendations by members on sites, facilities or other storage options are needed by April 15th. During the Spring Renaissance Festival and new location move property will be evaluated for repair and replacement.

Fighter practice has returned to South Linwood Park on Sundays starting at 11 am. The fourth Sunday of each month practice will be at Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd. It was announced that the Knight Marshal Deputy will be Ld. Corrigan. Archery Practice has also moved back outdoors. An invitation form HL Michael to shoot at his range has been received. Shooting for the SCA Winter Challenge will be done there. The official archery practice site near Goddard will be used until the end of this summer (2012). The Archer Marshal’s Deputy is Robert the Scot. It was noted that policy requires all minors involved in either martial activity have a parent present when participating.

The Valor bid from HE Wulfric was accepted. Details on non-fighter activities and feast were requested. It was noted that information on all practices and meetings is available at the Vatavian web site: http://baronyofvatavia.org

The meeting adjourned.

19 members attended: 12 officers/deputies/champions;1 event steward; 6 populace (1 an infant)

Calontir Clothiers’ Seminar is February 5^th; Chieftains will be February 25^th. Moonschadowe in Ansteorra (Stillwell OK) is holding their Provincial Games on February 15^th.

February 11^th, Theobald College in Ark City is having a mini-event, Starry, Starry Night, a masked ball. Event bids for Champions’, on April 7^th, and Valor, Labor Day weekend were submitted and discussed. The deadline for all Valor bids is March 7^th Officers’ meeting.

The Saker Herald has sent the last three Vatavian items on to national for consideration. The Dragonflyre is now on-line. This month’s edition will be larger. This month’s BUSH class February 22^nd will be a hands-on workshop, “Duct Tape Dress Dummy”. Participants will need at least three rolls of tape, four to five for large sized dress dummies.

The Exchequer reported that the quarterly reports and Mid-Winter event report were completed. There is a balance of $12,391.07. A preliminary budget has been made. However, repair and replacement of needed property items can not be done all at once. Fund raising activities will help meet these replacement projects.

The Fighter Marshal reported that there are two new authorized fighters and one new authorized marshal. Ld. Corrigan is the Knight Marshal’s drop dead deputy. When weather allows fighter practice will resume at South Linwood Park. The possibility of scheduling a monthly fighter practice and demo at Exploration Place was mentioned.

Bids for the Spring Renaissance Festival April 21-22 are needed. All Valor bids need to be turned in by March 7^th Officers’ meeting.

HE Donald is scheduling the Vatavian troll shift at Lilies for the first weekend, June 9^th, midnight.

Members are encouraged to go to “Starry, Starry Night” in Theobald college (Ark City). Vatavia is a sponsor for this newly forming group.

The meeting adjourned.

11 members attended: 10 officers/deputies/champions;1 event steward

Planning for the January 28th Mid-Winter event continues. Work days for the event projects are being scheduled.

Exploration Place would like to arrange regular presentations on a schedule convenient for the Barony.

Three Vatavian’s proposals have been sent on to national. Three more individuals’ proposals are at Saker for consideration. BUSH classes are scheduled through March. People will need to bring their own supplies for the February class on making duct tape dress dummies.

$87.88 in donations from the Barnes and Noble gift wrapping were delivered. The 2012 budget will be done once the financial Domesday is completed. The need to replace and to make new Baronial regalia was reported. Fund raising options will be considered. Preliminary plans for new chairs are being researched.

Permission forms for the on-line publication are being obtained, especially from the officers, to move to electronic publication. This is a Society level decision. Publication of a new Vatavian Census this year was discussed. Changes will be required to address electronic publication, access and security.

Archery practice will resume at Diamond Archery now that the holidays have passed.

One application has been received for the Arts and Sciences Minister position. Fourth quarter and Domesday reports are due soon. All officers need to send copies of the report for their office to the Baronage and Seneschal. It was requested to also send copies to the previous Seneschal who is working on compiling the Domesday for that office.

Event bids are needed for the Spring Ren fair, by February Officers’; Valor, March Officers’; Fall Ren fair, August Officers’.

The meeting adjourned.

12 members attended: 12 officers/deputies/champions;1 event steward

Two thank you notes were received from Exploration Place for the presentation the beginning of November. Vatavia was invited to continue to participate in the coming year. Scheduling for appearances will be arranged. It was also requested Vatavians come during the holidays. One presentation will be the week before Christams; one the week after. The dates will be decided soon. The December 3rd Air National Guard party was well received. They also would like to arrange future activities at the base with our group.

The planning for the Mid-Winter event, January 28th at St. Pat’s in Wichita, continues. There will be a staff meeting the 16th.

This month will be the last printed edition of the Dragonflyre. The Chronicler will be getting the details about electronic publication at Kris Kinder this weekend Dec. 10th. Lord Ȯttar’s name has been registered. Three Vatavians’ proposals are being considered for forwarding to national. Three more are in process within the Kingdom. This month’s BUSH class will be December 28th, ‘Music and Instruments of the Renaissance Period’ by Brother Barysch.

A new member, Edward, drove from Ft. Riley to attend the Vatavian activities December 7^th.

The new Exchequer Deputy, Elizabeth Anne Draper, will be completing the new signature card at Kris Kinder. The 2012 budget meeting will be scheduled sometime New Year’s weekend. The Archer Marshal will be looking at expenses for netting and equipment. Additional storage for the Roll of Arms is needed. Any other budget items should be turned in for consideration before the meeting.

Arrangements have been finalized to hold indoor fighter practice at Exploration Place Sunday afternoons. Archery has also finalized arrangements for indoor practice Sunday afternoons at Diamond Archery in Wichita. There is a $4.00 fee. Diamond Archery will be asked what limitations, if any, there are for the types of equipment we use.

Lady Sorcha’s warrant as Arts and Sciences Minister is over January. Those interested in the Arts and Sciences position should contact her. Applications should be sent to Lady Sorcha, Their Excellencies, and the Seneschal. Bids for upcoming Spring events need to be made. These are: Spring Renaissance Festival (no confirmed date at this time), Spring Vatavia Champions’ (March-April-May preferred), Highland Games (no confirmed date at this time), and Valor Labor Day weekend September 1-2. Valor bids need to be in by March.

The meeting adjourned.

Martinson Avenue Christian Church, Wichita, Ks
19 members attended: 12 officers/deputies/champions;1 event steward; 6 member of the populace (2 children)

Queen’s Prize Tourney will be in Bois d’Arc November 12th. Seven Vatavians have entries; and, one former Vatavian. Deadline for entries is November 5th.
The Exploration Place demonstration is this weekend. The Barnes and Noble gift wrapping will be Saturday December 17th. The decision on a request for a presentation at the Holiday Family Fun Day at McConnell was pended until a definite invitation and specific details are received.

This month’s BUSH class, ‘Keyhole Necklines for T-tunics’, will be the fifth Wednesday, Nov. 30th, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Baronial website will have the Mid-Winter site up in a couple of days.

A name and device proposal have been forwarded to the Saker Herald.

The Exchequer deputy reported the boom box had been repaired. Two bills will be paid during the finance meeting. The deadline for the Dragonflyre will be noon Nov. 5th due to the populace meeting date change. The Kingdom Chronicler will have meetings at Kris Kinder, Dec. 10th, and Twelfth Night, Jan. 7th, to go over the change to electronic format for The MEWS.

Outdoor archery season is ending. Arrangements for an indoor site will sought, possibly at Diamond Archery. Fighter practice November 6th will be at the Exploration Place demonstration.

A bid was submitted for Crown Tourney 2013. The deadline for all bids for this event for Vatavia is Decembers Officers’ meeting. There being no other business, the meeting adjourned.

12 members attended: 10 officers/deputies/champions; 1 event steward; 1 member of the populace

The Great Plains Renaissance Festival will be the weekend after the Officers’ meeting Final details were covered including the Saturday soup and chili pot luck after the Festival. The schedule for property pick up and set up at the site was arranged. It was noted that the November populace at the library would be one week earlier on November 9th. Queen’s Prize Tournament will be November 12 in Bois d’Arc (Independence Kansas).

The volunteer schedule is being finalized for Night of the Living Zoo October 28th – 30th. November 4th- 6th is the presentations for the reopening of the refurbished Exploration Place Castle. Plans are just beginning. The Knight Marshal asked for information about the demo, especially since the theater will be available for the fighters. The last Saturday before Christmas will be the Vatavian Barnes and Noble gift wrapping.

The October BUSH class will be October 26th, ‘Seven Blackbirds on a Fence’. The deadline for Queen’s Prize arts and sciences entries is Nov. 5th; research paper Oct. 29th. Three proposals will be sent into the Kingdom submissions herald this week. Another member is finishing his paperwork. The Chronicler is looking for ‘Know Thy Neighbor’ contributions for 2012. The next Dragonflyre will have a Thanksgiving theme and give members a chance to share what they are thankful about regarding the Society.

The Exchequer reported a balance of $14,270.84. There are still Valor expenses to be paid once the bills are received. Other financial obligations and expenditures will be covered in the financial meeting after the Officers’ meeting. A large container to transport property to the Festival site was briefly discussed.

The Knight Marshal reported there was an incident at Valor. Paramedics were called as a precaution. The fighter was fine. Practice will officially change back to 11 am at some point. A potential indoor winter site may have been found.
Archery will continue on Sundays at 11 am at its current location as long as the weather holds. A group discount at an indoor site will be sought from a local business. Otherwise archery practice will take a break over the winter.

Their Excellencies and Her Excellency Brialen conducted the Seneschal interviews at the same time as the Officers’ Meeting. Lady Luisa ran the meeting for Them. Quarterly reports are due next week. The arts and sciences report has already been completed and sent in. Lady Sorcha will be stepping down in January at the end of her tenure.

Their Excellencies requested bids for Vatavia to host the Crown Tournament January 2013. It was mentioned that the Kingdom is currently considering the possibility of changing to a Spring/ Fall schedule.

The meeting adjourned.

21 members attended: 14 officers/deputies/champions/ Baronage; 2 event steward; 5 members of the populace

A preliminary Valor report on finances was presented. A post mortem meeting for the event was scheduled for Wednesday the 14th. Queen’s Prize Tournament will be in Bois d’Arc November 12th. The website for the event is up.

Plans for the Great Plains Renaissance Festival October 8th-9th were presented. Department heads were announced. Safety issues associated with the archery set up are being worked on, specifically the guests continuing to walk behind the shooting range. There will be a Baronial ‘BBQ’ will be Saturday after the Festival closes.

Preparations for Shakespeare in the Park are being completed. Night of the Living Zoo will be October 28^th-30^th. The request From Exploration Place to participate in the Grand Re-Opening of the refurbished Castle exhibit November 4^th- 6^th was approved. The date for the Barnes and Noble gift wrapping is Saturday December 17^th.

November populace meeting will be one week earlier on November 9^th due to the Thanksgiving holiday. December’s meeting is a week earlier as well, December 14^th.

There will be two BUSH classes this month; 14^th on research by HE Zoë, 26th on hair braiding by Roselyn. The theme for October’s Dragonflyre is All Hollows Eve; for November’s I’m grateful. Policy changes related to the move to electronic publication for troll procedures and permission to print were discussed. Details are still being worked out. Lady Ida is the new Vatavian Minister of Youth.

The Exchequer reported a balance of $15,349.28. It was stressed that Valor expenses for the site, porta-johns, and the non-member surcharge have not yet been paid out. The tavern made a profit of at least $900.

Fighter practice continues at the park Sunday starting at 10 am until further notice. An indoor site for winter is still being worked on. Archery practice is at Arganguen’s Sundays from 11 am to 1 pm.

Chatelaine interviews will be completed this month. Interviews for the Seneschal’s office will start the later part of September also. A site for the local winter event is reserved January 28, 2012. Bids for an event on that date were requested. The Kingdom deadline for bids for Crown Tournament January 2013 is January 14, 2012. Interested Vatavians can check the Kingdom website for information as to the needs for such an event to submit a bid.

The meeting adjourned.

19 members attended: 11 officers/deputies/champions/ Baronage; 2 event steward; 6 members of the populace

Valor plans are in the final stages. The budgeted funds were issued to commence tavern pre-cooking. Some Valor event staff will be doing a walk through at the Valor site August11th. A date is still being arranged to have a work day at the site. The Property Master needs to receive lists from the department heads as to the items needed for the event. The exact time to pack up deliver the items to the site will be finalized closer to the event. The possibility of a burn ban being in effect was discussed. Information will be posted at Troll if that is the situation. A Troll class will be held August 10th.

The non-alcoholic brewing competition prize was shown, a handmade teapot. Arts and sciences will be done as informal interest areas where activities and classes will be held. Locations will depend on whether a burn ban has been issued and the actual weather during the event.

Vatavia received an invitation to attend the grand opening August 4th of a store specializing in Ren fair and re-enactor items. A request for a presentation for Andover Library on September 17th was declined. Vatavia is already doing the Shakespeare in the Park presentation the same day. Planning has begun for that demonstration.

The new Chronicler Ly. Murasaki, announced that trial e-newsletters would be done the next few months. There will still be a printed newsletter published during this time. Following the Society goal, the Kingdom newsletter, The Mews, will be electronically published starting in March 2012. Format, delivery and related issues are being worked out. It was requested that all officers turn in reports monthly for the Dragonflyre.

The BUSH class for this month is ‘Lord of the Rings: Chain Mail 101’ by Lord Johann. September Her Excellency Zoë will be teaching about researching and documentation. Heraldic decision results have not yet been received from national. Three Vatavians will have proposals on the next Saker Herald letter.

The Exchequer reported a balance of $9,980.70. A donation of a little over $1000 was received from Eagles Realm for our assistance with the pop booths at the Highland Games and the Renaissance Festival. He reported that the Champions’ baked sale fund raiser brought in $64.25. The August finance meeting will cover Valor expenditures, the purchase of hay bales and monthly bills.

Some archery practice has been managed despite the extreme heat. Fighter practice continues with the Sunday 10 am schedule to allow for some practice at a relatively cooler time.

A couple of applications for the Chronicler position have been received. Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday August 10th. The Seneschal will be stepping down at the October populace meeting. The deadline for applications is the September populace meeting. Letters should be sent to Their Excellencies and the current Seneschal. Officers and officer applicants must be national card holding members. Verification can be obtained on-line if cards have been misplaced. Membership number and expiration date need to be provided by applicants.

The meeting adjourned.