Bardic Madness XVII: Food and Foolishness

Welcome!	Bardic Madness XVII: Food and Foolishness March 30-April 1, 2007 Hosted by the Barony of Caer Anterth Mawr Mark your calendars now for the very first 48-hour sleepover Bardic Madness! Caer Anterth invites all Bards, Troubadors, Trouveres, Minstrels, Minnesingers, Jongleurs, Singers, Storytellers, Poets, Scops, Skalds, Fillidhs, Olaves, Griots, Wordsmiths, and friends of the arts Bardic! Come join the merriment at Bardic Madness XVI!
What is Bardic Madness?	Bardic Madness is a unique event, invented in Northshield, celebrating the Bardic Arts: song, poetry, story, and other performing arts. If you aren't a performer, remember, performers are nothing without an audience! You'll want to be there as the bards of Northshield and other lands (maybe including you!) rise to a variety of ingenious challenges and teach fascinating classes. Classes on the bardic arts, music, literature, history, and persona development are welcome; please contact the Provost if you'd like to teach. And you'll want to participate in ten special Bardic Challenges! Challenges will take place on Saturday, but additional activities may take place at other times: definitely two bardic circles, perhaps fighting on Friday evening or Sunday. We will be honored with the presence of Their Majesties of the Northshield, Gwyneth and Siegfried, as well as Their Highnesses, Giulia and Hrodir, at Bardic Madness this year!
Song Swap	Jose, the Bard of Jararvellir, will be leading a song swap on Friday night from approx. 7pm-9pm. Have a song or a story, or a poem you wish to teach others? How about one you wish you knew? There will be an opportunity to teach and learn everything you wanted to know. Bring copies of the bardic piece you wish to teach, and teach and learn new material.
Martial activities	Lord Abelard will be organizing two separate heavy weapons activities at this year's Bardic Madness! Friday night there will be a Torchlight Tourney. Sunday, there will be a Regional Fighter Practice from 10-2 outdoors at the event site. There will be no martial activities on Saturday. See the Martial Activities page for more information.
Site information	Our site will be Camp Webb, N1875 21st Ave., Wautoma, WI. Site opens 2pm Friday, and closes 2pm Sunday. Site is wet. Site is semi-handicapped-accessible, with unpaved but well-packed sand roads.
Directions to site	Please visit Camp Webb's directions page for a map and directions. Camp Webb is located off of Wisconsin's State Hwy. 21, with Wautoma to the west and Redgranite to the east. There will be SCA signs to help direct you.
Pre-registration	Click here to view/download the pre-registration form. it is in Microsoft Word format. If you have trouble viewing/downloading the pre-registration form, please contact the webminister at gflower@merr.com and send your mailing address.
Fees	$10/member, $13/non-member; children 6-16 $5, children under six are free. Family rate: $30 for members, $40 for non-members. On-site lodging is included in site fee (subject to availability), as is tent camping space. Feast: $10.
Meals (besides Feast)	All meals will be available for purchase on site: Friday dinner will be pork chili, bread, and cheese for $3 (changed 3/25/07). Saturday breakfast will be coffee/tea and such breakfasty things as eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, and/or pancakes (exact items still to be determined) for $3. Lady Kaitlin will be cooking Saturday lunch, which will include your choice of a chicken barley stew or a vegetarian version of the stew, plus cheese, fruit, shortbread, and drink for $5. Sunday morning will be a "stone soup" potluck brunch. Please bring something to share!
Feast	A lip-smacking feast will be provided by the Barony of Windhaven. $10 per person. Maximum of 120 eating feast; there will be off-board seating for non-feasters. Pre-registration for eating feast strongly recommended. Please contact the feastocrat with any dietary or allergy concerns. Click here for the feast menu.
Lodging	There are 2 large heated cabins that will fit approximately 40 people each. These cabins have twin-sized cots, a few beds, and floor space that would accommodate sleeping bags and/or twin sized air mattresses for maximum usage of space. These cabins also have bathrooms and kitchenettes. The space in these two cabins is first come first served at the event. The main Hall, where the challenges and feast will be held, will also be communal, slumber party style crash space. Approximately 75 people will fit in this space, it is heated, and has bathrooms. There is a basement area that will be heated that you will be allowed to use to store any instruments (though this area has to be accessed from outside). Because we would like to fit in as many people as possible, we are asking that you bring only what you need for sleeping into the Hall, and the smaller your air mattress, the more people we can fit. There is a building across from the main Hall that can be used to store any non-essential items you feel you need to bring. We are asking for your help in keeping the personal items to a minimum so more people can have access to heated space and thank you so much for that help in advance! The unheated cabin shells have 4 twin-sized cots in them, and we have a total of 34 of these. There are 2 other larger cabins shells that have 16 cots apiece in them as well. You are allowed to do any reasonable weatherizing that you wish (example: tack up blankets, tapestries, plastic, tarps, etc...) as long as you remove whatever hardware you use to put up the weatherizing. You are also allowed to use those indoor/outdoor propane heaters in the shells. If every cot is used, we can conceivably fit about 180 people in the cabin shells. The cabin shells are reservable! We are highly recommending that people who are hoping for heated space reserve a cabin shell as back-up and bring along the appropriate bedding for cool-weather camping. If at the event you decide to use the first-come, first-serve heated space instead of a reserved cabin shell, just inform check-in staff and they'll release your reserved space for someone else to use. There will also be tent/pavilion space available for those who wish to take advantage of the flat, sandy ground. For motel/b&b options in the area, please visit www.visitwaushara.com.
Site rules	No pets. NO smoking in ANY of the buildings, at any time. Please dispose of butts and do not leave them on the ground, etc. Please unload your vehicle as quickly as possible and move it to the designated parking area. The lake and beach are off limits to children under 18 or not accompanied by a parent or designated guardian. Please bag all trash and clean up your space. If staying in a cabin shell, please place trash bags at the roadside for pick-up. Please leave your space better than you found it. For those spending the night Saturday only, bedding will not be allowed into the Hall until after feast & challenges are completed. If you are coming in Friday, your bedding must be moved out of the Hall, to the storage hall across the green, to be brought back Saturday evening. Those using propane heaters in the cabin shells, please be prepared to show that they have been rated for INDOOR use at Troll. This is non-negotiable, as threat of serious harm and even death can occur from improper use of propane heaters. If staying in the cabin shells and you put up more weatherizing, please remove any nails, tacks, staples, etc... upon cleaning up to leave.
Merchants	Sorry, there will be no merchant space at this event.
Classes	We have ten exciting classes available for your enjoyment and edifictation this year! Please visit the class page for a schedule, class descriptions, and teacher names. Plus, something new this year: some classes will be presented again Sunday morning, for those who might have missed it the first time around, or who will be on site Sunday during the martial practice and would like something to do. See the end of the class page for a list of classes to be repeated Sunday.
Schedule	Please note that this schedule is tentative and is subject to change right up until the event. See the site booklet on-site for a final schedule, and be sure to listen to on-site announcements for any last-second changes. Friday: 2:00 pm Site opens, Troll opens 4:30 pm Dinner opens 1/2 hour after dark Torchlight tourney 7:00 pm Song Swap, Jose 9:00 pm Song Swap ends, regular bardic circle begins Midnight Troll closes (arrangements will be made for late arrivals) 1:00 am Bardic circle ends Saturday: 6:30 am Breakfast opens 7:30 am Troll opens 8:30 am Challenge signup sheets go up 9:30 am Fyt the First 10:45 am Morning class period (1 hour) 11:45 Lunch opens, or may go off-site for lunch 1:00 pm Fyt the Second 2:00 pm Troll closes 2:15 pm Afternoon class period (1 hour) 3:30 pm Fyt the Third 5:00 pm Court (at their Majesties’ pleasure) Following Court, the Northshield Bardic College meeting will take place, moving to the corner of the room to allow for feast setup. 6:30 pm Feast and Fyt the Fourth Following Feast, the Bardic Circle will begin as people filter in that direction. 3:00 am or when everyone’s too tired: Bardic Circle ends Sunday: 8:00 am Brunch opens 10:00 am Repeat selected classes, for those who missed one they wanted to take 10:00 am Regional fighter practice begins 11:00 am [possible second round of repeated classes] 2:00 pm Regional fighter practice ends, site closes
Event staff	For information on challenges, classes, patronage, or other curriculum questions: Provost: THL Eliane Halevy mka Jennifer Friedman 2010 Allen Blvd. #1 Middleton, WI 53562 (608) 238-7627 gflower@merr.com For information on reservations, logistics, lodging, and miscellaneous inquiries: Co-Event Steward: Lady Deonysia of Rye mka Deanne Walter Milwaukee, WI (414) 464-2379 DeonysiaofRye@aol.com Co-Event Steward: Lady Gwynedd merch Megan o Fon mka Mary Bellis Waller Fox Point, WI (414) 352-2212 mwaller@execpc.com Feastocrat: Baroness Madeleine Bynortheweye mka Penny Van Rens madelein@new.rr.com

Rules for participating in challenges	Challenges are not competitions. You win by entering. There are 10 slots per challenge...first come, first served. Each person may sign up for three challenges. Please limit each performance to 5-7 minutes maximum, to be fair to others. Only one piece per performer per challenge (i.e., you can't sign up for the same challenge twice). This is a family show; if you have a bawdy piece to perform, it might be better received at the post-revel. This is a bardic safe space. Take chances, be creative, put your heart into it, and have fun!
Fyt the First	Ensemble Tale Northshielders are nothing if not inclusive. All those who wish to participate get up together, and tell a tale from beginning to end, with the sponsor 'conducting' by pointing to the person whose turn it is to continue the tale, and deciding when it is time to end. You might get pointed at multiple times, so be ready! Patron: Master Owen Alun You Say Tomato... The tomato was brought to Europe from Peru by the Spanish in the early 16th century, and it was first grown in Spain around 1540 and England in the 1590's. Tell us, in story, song, verse, or other creative medium, the story of those who discovered the tomato, and how it was received when they brought it home to Spain. Patron: THL Ingus Moen
Fyt the Second	So here's the question, now do your verse! What are you wondering? Or maybe you have all the answers! People attending the event, please contribute a question on any SCA or SCA period related topic to the hat on the table. Participants: draw a question from the hat, and answer it in poetic format. Originator: Owen; Patron: THL Dahrien Cordell Authenticity's Delight Perform an original piece (yours or someone else's) in a period style, or perform a piece documentable to SCA period. Plan to briefly introduce the piece by saying what style it is in, and from when/where. Originator: Ysolt Pais du Cuer; patron: HE Eithni ingen Talorgain, Baroness Jararvellir
Fyt the Third	Bring your Axe (let's hear your [pork]chops) Bring any instrument, and accompany yourself as you perform a spoken or sung piece. Stretch yourself! Originator: Will Douglas; patron: Mistress Rose Marian Sestina Soup A sestina is a highly structured poem invented in the 12th century by the Provençal troubadour Arnaut Daniel. Present us with an original sestina. Extra applause for sticking to the event theme! There will be an informative handout near the signups, and a morning class will be offered by Freydis. More info on sestinas can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestina Originator and Patron: Freydis Not on Bread Alone Food is not all we need in life, nor in the SCA. What feeds your spirit in the Society, and makes you feel fulfilled? What, or who, nourishes you and helps you grow? Tell us, in song, story, poem, or other medium. Patron: Mistress Margaret Malise de Kyrkyntolaghe
Fyt the Fourth (during Feast)	Bard Scribe Illuminator Given a subject in the morning, compose, calligraph, and illuminate a text on that subject. This may be done individually or as a team. Patrons: TEs Morgan and Alexandre, Baron and Baroness Windhaven Drinking Song Sing us a drinking song (or read us a drinking poem, tell us a drinking story, dance us a drinking dance, etc.) Please, save "I was so drunk that..." stories for the post-revel. Patrons: Their Excellencies Alasdair and Kateryn of Caer Anterth Mawr Royal Challenge: The Glimmer of the Rose Their Majesties Siegfried and Gwyneth challenge you to present a performance in any format, concerning the Compass Rose. Extra applause for including the colors black, gold, and silver. Originators and Patrons: Siegfried and Gwyneth, King and Queen of Northshield

Credits, disclaimer

This is the website for Bardic Madness XVII (March 30-April 1, 2007) and is maintained by THL Eliane Halevy. Any discrepancies between the electronic version of any information on this site and the printed version (in the Northwatch) will be decided in favor of the printed version. Site last altered: 3/26/07 Background graphic: thanks to Retrokat.com Jester graphic: Hals, Frans. "Jester with a Lute", c. 1620-25, Oil on wood, 28 x 24 1/2 in. (71 x 62 cm), Musée du Louvre, Paris. So it's a tad out-of-period. So sue me. Bread/wine graphic: thanks to Aolmaia Tuscany Society.