Hello Altavia!

This past month was a very Arts and Sciences heavy month, which is a wonderful way to spend an especially hot summer!

We had not one, but two Arts Nights, hosted by Petrusha and Jobanna. Their open craft night was very well attended, with crafting ranging from research into historical garb to leatherworking, chainmail, and much more. They also hosted part three of their mead-making series, where they covered back-sweetening the mead they started at the beginning of the series. It has been wonderful to see so many people gathering to learn, make, and share their skills with one another.

Festival of the Rose was a lovely celebration of the work being done throughout the Kingdom, with artists showing off their skills for Her Majesty. Altavia had two artists displaying their work, with many more Altavians participating in the bardic portion of the showcase. It was wonderful to see our Barony so well represented.

We also had two specialty arts events this month in the Kingdom, Perfectly Period Feast and Muses Masque. Both were first-time events, and both looked absolutely gorgeous and were very well received. It is wonderful to see more historical arts events happening throughout the Kingdom, and I am excited to see where these events go in the future.

For outreach, the SCA Worldcon demo took place this past month down in Anaheim. It was four busy days of demonstrations, conversations, and interacting with the public. A big thank you to the event coordinators and to all of the Altavians who donated their time and energy to making the event such a success. Outreach takes a lot of work, and it is always wonderful to see our community coming together to share what we do with others.

We wrapped up the month with a double-header weekend featuring Highland War and the Officer Skill Symposium. Altavia had representatives at both events, fighting on the armored field and shooting on the archery range at Highland, as well as teaching and learning about the many skills that help us run things within the SCA and that can also carry over into our lives and careers outside of the Society.

Next month looks like a fun, busy, and very martial-heavy month, with Angels Anniversary, the CAID Rapier Open, and Crown Tournament all on the calendar. An additional highlight will be at Angels Anniversary, where Altavia’s own Merlin Wynn will be holding his sit-down vigil. He would love to talk with anyone who would like to offer advice, congratulations, or simply share in the excitement of his upcoming elevation to the Order of the Mark.

Thank you all. You are what makes this Barony great.

In service,

Baroness Amabel Radleigh