Østgarðr Commons Minutes
21 June 2013
Transcribed by Carol Eskesen Smith
The meeting was called to order. Attending were
our host, Johanna Motyleski, David Minsky, Mitch Krevor,
Debbie Krevor, Richard Solensky, Brad, Lada, Chinua,
Melanie/Elaine, CarlyAnne Oquendo, Jackie Kapaj, Luigi
Kapag, Laurie Copeland, and Carol Eskesen-Smith.
Officer Reports:
Arts & Sciences: activies are
happening. Monthly workshops in Northpass and
Brokenbridge, bimonthly stitch & sing and weekly
dance in Whyte Whey, regular Bardic in Lions End.
Reports were due June 1. All local groups reported
in (one late due to life issues, but Kingdom was
informed of it and is OK with it).
Archery: regular practices in Staten Island
and Lions End at Cedar Creek.
Chamberlain: We have stuff, but not all of
it has migrated back to storage. This will be
handled after Pennsic. We need a regular crew to
set up the new Østgarðr pavilion; Mitch will get it to
Riverfest, and Gui will be responsible for getting it to
Pennsic from Riverfest. We may be able to set it
up Friday evening before Queens Farms.
Exchecquer: This is last report as
Exchecquer. We need to re-do bank forms. We
currently have $5,842.68 in the checking account, but of
that, we owe Kingdom $962.74 from Crown Tourney.
Check will be written and signed tonight. Our
savings account has $6,506.31 in it, after our largest
single expense ever, of $2,600.00 for the new Østgarðr
canopy.
Chatelaine: (report sent in) There were
films and articles based on information collected at
Crown Tourndy. Beau Geste tourney was moved to
Riverfest for June in order to encourage fighters to
come to the demo there.
Vicereine: The Test of Østgarðr and An
Dubheaigainn was a huge success. Østgarðr was able
to field a full team only with the assistance of two
stand-ins, for A&S and Bardic. Our Thrown
Weapons Champion was presented with spears for the first
time at the event, and got two bulls-eyes (after a few
practice throws) when it counted.
Lions End: is planning for a possible
“Lions in the Mediterranean” event in February of
2014. Sherri Witty will co-autocrat, and Sherree
Fuller (Arnbjorg/Helga Nelsdottir) will be head
cook. [CORRECTION: Sherri is willing to autocrat
alone, but not to do EVERYTHING involved with the event
all by herself.]
Whyt Whey: Stitch & Sing, fighter
practices, and dance practices are happening
regularly. The Cloisters demo is theoretically a
Michaelmas demo, and this year actually falls on
Michaelmas.
Events and Demos:
Riverfest: Fighting at demos - Sir Gui
reported that he is trying to establish a “fighter
group” for demos, with a different person in charge of
and responsible for getting fighters for each one.
We have about 7 demos per year, so it should be
doable. Battle of Nations fighters cannot use SCA
space for BoN exhibits, per Board.
There will be our usual A&S display, but we will be
in a different area this year. The entire site has
been re-arranged. We will have access to a gazebo
near the castle, and the area around the castle will be
ours to use as we see fit.
Barleycorn: We know who the Head Cook is;
Baron Ian is head cook of the feast. (There was a
request for apples.)
Queens Farms: Archery at demos –
There was some discussion as to who was ultimately
responsible for demos. It is per the site
restrictions and the approval of the Provincial
Seneschal, who is the person overall responsible for
every event and demo in the Province, per Corpora.
(The autocrat is a designated official deputy of the
Seneschal.) Brad, the Østgarðr archery marshal,
will, with the approval of the seneschal, handle the
archery demo. It may be possible to get more hay
bales to produce a suitable stop for all wild shots; we
will check with the farm staff.
Cloisters: Perhaps the Stitch & Sing
group could do something specifically for
Michaelmas? (Request from the Vicereine).
Musicians' Day: scheduled for Nov 8 – 10 at
Blue Mountain. May conflict with an An
Dubheaigainn event. Can somebody check?
[CORRECTION: No, Musicians' Day is NOT scheduled
for Nov. 8-10. Several Officers expressed a strong
preference against it being held opposite An Dubh's St.
Andrew's event. Further, Bhakail now has a
performing arts event on Nov. 9, which would, quite
frankly, hurt Musicians' Day attendance worse than St.
Andrew's would. So the Autocrats unscheduled Nov.
8-10.]
Brokenbridge: will be having a
banner-making workshop some time in the fall. Date
not ye set.
Østgarðr: will resume fiber workshops after
Pennsic. Hope to have monthly workshops on items
needed from the populace.
New Business:
The incipient group of Nordenfjord cannot have a canton
as a sponsor and has asked Østgarðr to serve as
sponsoring group. We have many ties to the group,
both personally and geographically, and the group felt
that we could well afford to sponsor them (and could
ill-afford not to). Both Stanley Cohen (who
re-established Brokenbridge) and Maria Eskenazi (who was
active in Brokenbridge before moving north) have strong
ties to Østgarðr and are among the askers. Carried
unanimously. [Carl Haiken needs to draft a letter
to them and to Kingdom to this effect.]
Gui wishes to hold Seasons Beatings again, and wishes to
keep it a free event. He hopes to get money from
each of the Cantons and from Østgarðr proper to pay the
site fee of $300.00 for Blue Mountain Lodge, and hopes
each canton will be willing to contribute $60.00 to
sponsor the event, to be held sometime between Twelfth
Night and Birka. Each contributing Canton will be
listed as a co-sponsor of the event. In the event
of an unwillingness to help out, there will also be a
“CHEAP SHAME” list, and other sponsors will be found and
listed appreciatively.
Meetings: The next meeting is August 16 at Steve
and Deborah’s. This will be Alexandre’s last
Østgarðr appearance before he leaves us for Adacemics at
York.
September 20 should be the following meeting; it is the
day before Queens Farms. Perhaps we could pick up
the Green & White, set it up, and then hold our
meeting in the barn or in the meeting shed.
October 18 will be at Jackie and Luigi’s in the Bronx.
August Commons will be Friday, August 16 at 7:30 p.m.
at the home of Deborah Peters and Stephen Bloch, 84-05
113th St., Richmond Hill, New York
DIRECTIONS
By Car
➦from the south: Take Southern State and/or Belt Parkway
almost to JFK, then Van Wyck north (away from JFK) to
Jamaica/Hillside exit; left at second light onto
Hillside. After half a mile and several lights,
cross Lefferts; Hillside curves left, with a
library on the left and shops on the right. Just before
train viaduct, turn right onto Babbage and parallel the
train track. At end of Babbage, turn left under track
onto 84th. Take first or second left (onto Bessemer or
113th), and park. We're the second house down.
➦from the Triboro or Whitestone Bridge: Take Grand
Central or van Wyck to the Robinson (nee Interboro)
Parkway, the only way it goes. Take first (Metropolitan)
exit, turn east (left) onto Metropolitan, and * cross
Forest Park. Take first right after the park onto Park
Lane South. Follow Park Lane South as it veers right,
then take next left onto 112th, first left onto 84th,
and park. We’re the second house on the left on
113th.
➦from Brooklyn: Robinson Parkway to the Metropolitan
Ave. exit, turn right (east) onto Metropolitan, and see
* above.
By Subway
➦from Lower Manhattan or Jamaica: Take J train to 111th
Street in Queens. Walk through turnstiles, turn right,
down the stairs, and you’re on 111th Street facing
north. Keep going three blocks to 85th Avenue (just
after Myrtle). Right on 85th, left on 113th, and our
house is the second to last on the right.
➦from Brooklyn: Take the A train to Ozone Park, transfer
to Q-10 bus northbound, and see bus directions below.
➦from Midtown or western Queens: Take the E train
to the Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike stop, transfer to
the Q-10 bus southbound (the only way it goes),
and see bus directions below.
By Bus
Take the Q-10 bus along Lefferts Blvd. and get off at
84th Avenue. Walk west (up-hill is north) along 84th
Avenue, six short blocks through a residential
neighborhood, cross under a train track, turn left onto
113th Street, and we’re the second house on your left.
By LIRR
Get off at the Kew Gardens station (be in one of the
first four cars), follow signs to the Q-10 bus stop,
wait for a bus coming from your left, and see Q-10 bus
directions above.
A "very well-preserved" goose-egg pysanka has been
discovered in a 15th/16th century water collector in
Lviv.
Several pieces of gold jewelry have
been discovered at a 1,300-year-old farm site on the
Danish island of Zealand.
