Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for September 2007

STAFF ELECTIONS

The Chief of Staff is in the middle of her two-year term. She is looking for someone to join the Staff with an eye to taking up the Chief of Staff position next year when her term expires. Please contact Mia McDavid; mia_mcdavid@comcast.net.

The Captain is in her last year of college and will not be active in Clann while she pursues her graduate studies, therefore we urgently need someone to join the staff as her lieutenant with an eye to running for Captain in a year. Please get in touch with Maeve Kane; mollmccaine@aol.com.

BIG ISLAND SETUP

Tactical Considerations

Every year Clann participates in a Tactical event at our Historic Site on Don Chesney's land near Duluth. This is an opportunity to actually act out military situations, complete with (blank) mortar and musket fire. It's a fun and challenging event for all involved, and is a chance for members of Gaffney's to actually acquire "combat experience".

However, the Board is concerned about the current cost structure of Tactical. Don charges a head fee for the use of his land and facilities (privies). In addition, Clann, as always, buys groceries for all of its members and reimburses members for haulage. Further, it is not uncommon for people to join Clann at the event for the express purpose of eating and having their head fees paid, with no intention at all of participating in any other Clann events.

Clann makes no money at all at this event. If somebody eats at budgeted rates and we cover a head fee of $10 per person, we are out $25.75 just in groceries and fees, without reference to haulage and wear and tear on the equipment.

Tactical is a valued event and we want to continue to participate, but we need to figure out a different way to do this; Clann can't afford the outlay. Please plan to attend the Members' meeting to discuss this issue.

Big Island and Mankato History Fair coming in October

Big Island Rendezvous is the crown of our show year, and it will be especially exciting this year as this is is the 20th anniversary encampment. It is a large rendezvous with historical re-enactors from our period through early America and all the way to the Civil War. There are always wonderful re-enactors and craftspersons, including blacksmiths, flint knappers, and beadmakers. The vendors are also a paradise; though many of the wares are targeted towards the 18th century, leather and fur are always in period, as are basics like firestarting kits and other everyday items. More information on the show is at http://www.bigislandfestival.org/

The 4th and 5th are school days, and the weekend is public. We need enough of us during the school days to run about six demos simultaneously. Organization and scheduling is tight, so even those who don't feel ready to give demonstrations are needed to act as traffic cops and prepare meals. We put on presentations of roughly 20 minutes on some aspect of 17th century Scottish life. On the weekend, we normally have some scheduled presentations like dance and drill, and we may be asked to participate in other event activities, such as the parade. Saturday night is usually a big party near the main stage.

We are allowed to set up the weekend before the event; please check Staff announcements for Corporate setup time. As we did the year before last, we have the prime real estate right inside the gate; we will be the first group that people see!

For a fee you will be able to park at the private residence on the road to the park entrance. Free participant parking is available at Snyder field (not the athletic field, but a lot on the North side of the high school.). Shuttles run from the parking area to the park on a regular schedule. Shuttles run to shower facilities at high school. Showers are free for show participants. Personal vehicles are prohibited from event grounds during show hours.

Location
Big Island Rendezvous is located in Albert Lea, MN - just off Interstate 35 about 98 miles south of the Twin Cities.

Drive Time
Allow about 2 hours from the Twin Cities.

Directions
# From Minneapolis or Saint Paul, take I35 South to I90 in Albert Lea.
# Take I90 West to the 90 west take exit 157 (one mile)
# Turn Left and head South on Bridge Avenue to Hammer Road (about 1 mile).
# Turn Right and head East on Hammer Road to the park entrance.
# You will be able to drive on-site before and after show hours. Our camp will be located inside the park area.

See special Captain's Corner for more info on a very special event happening at Big Island!

Also, a very delectable Notes From the Camp, also to be happening at Big Island!

This is a smaller, lower-key event, but always pleasant and charming. We will set up on the evening of Wednesday, October 10th. The 11th and 12th are school days. It’s unstructured, which means groups come when they come and may be together or breaking into smaller groups, with no set amount of time for presentations. Friday night is always a pot luck among all the groups participating.

Saturday is a public day. We are allowed to remain in camp Saturday night and leave Sunday. Clann equipment will be packed after closing Saturday. Mankato is within day-trip range, but vehicles have to removed before opening.

Directions
From the Twin Cities, follow 169 through Mankato.
Left at the Hillcrest Health Care Center ( if you go past the flashing lights at Co Road 68 you've gone too far);
Left onto Shamrock Lane, which is the second left after crossing the Blue Earth River;
follow this to its end (Jack McGowan's on the map)

GAFFNEY'S SUTLER SEEKS WARES

You can either bring your goods to Heidi at events, or entrust them to her beforehand. We ask that items be small and not terribly fragile if Heidi is to transport them.

Thank you for your support of Clann Tartan.

Notes from the Camp

Here is the opportunity to showcase the group's food skills and here is my proposition: Marty said he would do the lamb as that is tradition, but it's going to be a little small this year. So, to make up for a smallish lamb, how about we have a period pot luck dinner and show off our skills? We will need all kinds of dishes ranging from vegetarian main dishes, to vegetarian side dishes, main dishes, sweets, salads, soups, sides and dried bits of goodness. Don't forget the sauces and chutneys. I have faith in you!

How I would like to do this: Those wanting to participate need to contact Renee Petersen at least 2 weeks before the show with the recipe. Only period recipes, please. If you don't have one and still want to give this a go, I have many. Simply tell me what you are wanting to make. Remember, notify Renee 2 weeks before the show so staff can plan to fill in what's needed. More announcements about this will be forthcoming, like numbers of attendees and individuals with gear or fires they can share for cooking on site.

There are a few simple rules:

1.Recipes and ingredients must be period correct for us. Bring copies, folks will want to know what you did.
2.Gear & fires: have your own if you can. If you don't have any personal gear or access to gear and a fire, let me know as soon as possible. Corporate kitchen gear and fires will be already in use. Gear includes: pots, pans, serving things, knives & other tools.
3.Ingredients: bring your own. There is a pretty good grocery close to site for common things. If you require anything special from a co-op or gourmet store, bring that from home. Watch the numbers of members coming so you know how much to make. Everyone should be able to have a TASTE of what you made.
4.If you want to make something at home and bring a finished product to the table, great! Like pies, chutney, condiments, fruit and vegetable preserves, cakes, dried bits of goodness, sweets.
5.There will be a need for after feast cleanup. All of the cooking staff would be delighted for lots of help in this department! I would even go so far as to bribe a clean up staff with say, donuts for Sunday breakfast. Or something equally tasty and solely theirs. Maybe just a big vat of tummy tea as I presume we will all eat ourselves into sedation.

I am looking forward to this feast!

Happy eating all!

Renee Petersen

Board Minutes

Clann Tartan Board Meeting, July 17, 2007

Board Members Present:  Mary McKinley, Glenn McDavid, Bruce Yoder, Sean
McCanna, Cate Hesser

Staff Members Present: Renee Peterson, Julie Yoder, Mia McDavid, Maeve
Kane

Minutes of the June meeting were accepted as corrected.

REPORTS

VP: Sent a letter to a Professor at Augsburg College who is teaching
a relevant class.  Possibility for demos or new members.

TREASURER:  We got the checks from the Minnesota Scottish Fair and from
Twig.  Since we are not doing the Des Moines show we will not have the
budgeted revenue from that event.  Cash flow was positive for the month,
but for the year to date still negative because of the trailer and
insurance.

Food expenses are up, beyond the budgeted $5.25/person/day, but there
are no obvious problems.  Food just costs more.

We still have not been paid for Ramble, so that is now five months
late.  We may need to have a formal contract for next year.  [Since the
meeting the check has come in].  Also, the Landmark Center is unhappy
with the attendance at Ramble.

SECRETARY:  The June Newsletter had to be printed commercially.

QUARTERMASTER:  Muster was good.  A lot of people made progress.  We
need some resources to help members with their character sketches.

Mia and Glenn McDavid have completed their 3rd level muster
requirements.

The trailer had its 500 mile checkup.  It is in perfect shape.  We
need to get a spare tire and wheel.

The Company needs a new priming flask.

CAMP REP:  Absent--no report
COMPANY REP:  Nothing new, i.e. things are fine.

MUSIC: Meeting again--Article in Newsletter.

FIBER:  A lot of people mustered in spinning at Mankato.

HISTORIC SITE:  Tactical was good.  No new work weekends scheduled.

SWORD:  Mustered 12 people at Mankato.  Site problem locally (Marty's
house)--the ground in the yard is not safe.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Deer River	8/3-8/5
Perham		8/18-8/19

Big Island and Mankato are contracted.  No word about Winona.

Maeve advised us that we need to get a new Contracts person, preferably
by February to work on the 2008 schedule from the beginning.

Staff elections (Captain, HCF, and Junior Staff) are coming in November.
We should start publicizing this now.  Board elections are coming in
February.

NIGHT AT THE PUB:  Lake Street Garage is changing its name and
instituting karaoke beginning at 9 PM on Friday evenings, which means
our gatherings there will effectively shut down at that hour.

OLD BUSINESS -- Renee reported that Reenactor Fest
(http://www.reenactorfest.com/) is interested having more non-military
stuff there.  Bruce suggested that she get some more information.  The
event will not pay, but some members may be interested in going.

NEW BUSINESS -- Bruce raised a concern about members who join at
Tactical for that event alone.  Clann then covers their food expenses.
As a result our total food expenses were about $300 for a non-revenue
producing event.  There is also some concern about the registration fee
for each person (also covered by Clann), and that the total cost was
still being negotiated--we did not have contract.  Clann is losing money
there.   [Bruce has since reported that the food expenses for Tactical
were $170.]  [In fact, this is not entirely new business:  The minutes
of the July 2006 meeting show that some of these issues were discussed
then, but apparently no action was taken.] 

Should Tactical in fact be a Clann Event?  We will present the issue to
the membership at the November meeting.  Mia will write an article about
it for the Newsletter.

Mary presented a proposal to do an event for a Girl Scout troup and
their families.  Mankato was mentioned as a possible site and we may
simply invite them to Muster next spring.

Next Board Meeting:  August 21, 2007--Marty's Birthday.

Board & Staff

If you need to contact someone associated with Clann Tartan, here is where you find out how. If you are unsure who to contact, you can always email us at: info@clanntartan.org

Guilds

Contact:
Marty L. Byers
orthodoxdruid@gmail.com
651-483-1173

MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!

At the request of the multitudes, Gaffneyis is holding music meetings again.

We will sing and play music of many styles and places from our period. Bring your voice and/or your instrument(s). Neither need be period correct.

The Yoders have graciously offered to host music once a month. We will meet at their house at 4736 12th Ave S, Minneapolis, from 7 - 9pm the 4th Monday of each month (September meeting is on the 24th.)

To contact the Yoders, call 612-825-4519 or email to Julieyoder@juno.com.

To contact your Music Chair, call David at 612-378-1973 or email to baethan1630@yahoo.com

Thanks, and I look forward to making some noise with y'all!

David

Dance

Questions? call Mary at 651-699-6853 or Julie at 612-825-4519

2nd & 4th Tuesdays
Saint Christopher's Episcopal Church, 2300 N Hamline Ave. in St. Paul.

It is at the northeast corner of Highway 36 and Hamline Avenue (Hamline is between Snelling and Lexington). The church is actually encircled by the highway entrance ramp.
The Dance Guild gathers weekly from 7PM-9PM to learn and practice historic Scottish country dances.
For more information call:

Mary at 651-699-6853 or Julie at 612-825-4519

It's a great place to meet people!

Other Guilds

DUN GOWAN WORK WEEKENDS

Dun Gowan is our ongoing permanant historic site project located at Don Chesney's farm in Fredenburg (near Duluth).

We have a couple upcoming work weekends where we will continue working on the first house in the village, which we started last year.

No construction experience is neccessary. Just bring your enthusiasm.

Contact Don Chesney (218-721-4501 or DLChsny@aol.com) or David Vavreck (612-378-1973 or baethan1630@yahoo.com) for further details.

Drill

Captains Corner

To honor the memory of Shaun Gaffney and his gracious family, and to celebrate twenty years of fellowship in the group he founded and twenty more to come, we will be hosting a special feast on Saturday night at Big Island. The current Gaffneyis Ensign will be retired at sundown and given into the care of his family, and a new ensign of the same design will be paraded. Afterward, to celebrate the family nature of our organization, our gracious Head Camp Followers are organizing a pot luck dinner. I urge everyone to participate in some way, as no job is too small. As many of our members are fond of saying, clan means family, and the best way to celebrate the memory of the man who gave us this family is to pitch in even if you can't cook. Every member of our family is important and loved.

Your Captain,

Maeve Kane

Calendar of Events

Event Schedule for the 2007 Season:

The following is a list of the dates of the events that are currently on the schedule for this year. The staff has met and decided to keep this running list of events in the newsletter to give you a chance to get an idea of what is going on this season as well as keep you updated to changes in the schedule.

The column titled status will include the following information.

Tentative- this means that an event organizer or Clann has expressed a strong enough interest in doing this event that it warrants reserving space on the calendar for the event.

Pending- this is the next stage of an event. This means that Maeve has entered serious discussion about Clann doing an event but we are still not committed to the event. You should however if possible think about wether or not you may be able to attend this event.

Scheduled- this level means that the board and staff have approve the event and we are committed to providing manpower to making the event happen. When an event is assigned this level please let Julie know as soon as possible if you can or can not attend this event.

Canceled- This means that for various reasons an scheduled event has been removed from the current season. We will try and give as much notice as we can prior to canceling an event.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me regarding this matter

Thanks,
Maeve Kane.

Maps

Map to Board Meetings &1st and 3rd Wednesday Dance Bruce and Julie Yoder's Home 4736 12th Av S, Minneapolis, 55407	Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance
Map to /Quarterly/Annual Meetings Corcoran Neighborhood Center, 3334 20th Av South, Minneapolis, MN	Map to Marty & Judy Byers home 2821 Churchill, Roseville MN

Big Island Albert Lea, MN October 4-7, 2007

Mankato History Festival Mankato MN Oct 11-13 2007