Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for September 2011

Scottish Heritage Festival

Since 2008 , we have been part of the Scottish heritage festival at the First Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Wisconsin, on the second weekend in September.  It's a pleasant one-day family-friendly event, an easy drive from the Cities, though we often set up the evening before.  The church is in the suburbs of Hudson and has grounds to match.  The organizers have generally placed  us along one side of the driveway that leads to the acres of parking, patrons cross to see our civilian and military displays, and we cross the road in turn to dance for them.  We set our own schedule, so interactions with patrons can be extensive.  This year the festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 10.  We will be setting up starting at 7:30 AM. Driving directions are at the church's Web site, http://fpchudson.com.

The Big Island Rendezvous

The Big Island Rendezvous http://www.bigislandfestivalandbbq.org/, opens with school days on Thursday and Friday, September 29-30, and concludes with public days on Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2.  It's our biggest event of the year, and one of the most active, as we offer continuous demonstrations to the school groups, take part in parades and military drills, and visit with the many members of the public who attend during the weekend.  It's also a fabulous opportunity for shopping (tightly regulated in an effort to ensure fur trade period correctness).

You can see the featured entertainment at http://www.bigislandfestivalandbbq.org/rendezvous/entertainment.php; on Saturday night there iss usually a big party near the main stage.  In past years, arrangements have been made for partipant parking, shuttle buses, showers, and other amenities, and Gaffneyis has generally been given a prominent location on the festival grounds.  Information will be sent out on the members e-mail list as it comes to light.  Maps and directions are off the main Web site under Big Island Rendezvous/Information/Maps.  Cars are not allowed on the grounds proper during the event; for this and other site rules, see Big Island Rendezvous/Registration/Participants.

We usually set up camp during the preceding weekend; individuals with their own tents are encouraged to set up at the same time, so as to produce a handsome layout.  Please watch your e-mail for announcements on that as well.  All skills and skill levels are welcome:  even if you don't have a specialty of your own, your presence at the camp to direct traffic, assist with meals, and generally help out will be very valuable.

Wanted!

Submissions for the Newsletter!

Items must be received by the 15th of each month to be considered for inclusion for the upcoming months issue. Mailed submissions will not be returned unless requested. All pertinent submissions will be considered as space permits. All research articles must reference at least three sources. Submissions may be broken in multiple parts.

Deadline for articles to go in the August newsletter will be the 15th of July.

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 at clanntartan dot org

Our garage is located at 4352 Nicollet Ave S in Minneapolis. Access is in the alley on the west side of Nicollet. South bay of the double garage. Minor problems or issues should be reported to Bruce. In the event of an emergency, the landlord is Brad at 763-670-9200

Guilds

Contact:
David Vavreck
baethan1630 at yahoo.com
612-378-1973

Music

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.

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

To contact your Music Chair, call David at 612-353-1237 or email to baethan1630 at yahoo dot com

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

David

We have a yahoo groups email list for the guild that we use for reminders about the meetings and topical discussions. If you want to be on the email list, request an invitation to join from Bruce at bruceyoder at juno dot com.

The Dance Guild gathers weekly from 7PM-9PM to learn and practice historic Scottish country dances.

1st & 3rd Wednesdays

Our usual site, the Lake Hiawatha Neighborhood Center in Minneapolis, closes early during the summer. We plan to resume Wednesday dance there this fall.

2nd & 4th Tuesdays

Saint Christopher's Episcopal Church, 2300 N Hamline Ave. in Roseville.

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.

For more information call:

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

It's a great place to meet people!

We have a yahoo groups email list for the guild that we use for reminders about the meetings and topical discussions. If you want to be on the email list, request an invitation to join from Bruce at bruceyoder at juno dot com.

Fiber Guild

Historic Site

Calendar of Events

Be sure to contact your staff if you plan on attending a show event. Try to give at least a ten day notice when possible. This allows proper planning for the feeding of our members, and in some cases is required by event organizers to allow entry as a participant.

You can call any of the staff members listed, or send an email to staff at clanntartan.org.

SEPTEMBER 2011

OCTOBER 2011

Hello all,

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 the Contracts Administrator 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 whether 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 the HCF 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 staff regarding this matter

Thanks,
Your Staff

Maps

1st and 3rd Wednesday Dance Lake Hiawatha Neighborhood Center 2701 E 44th St., Minneapolis	Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance
Map to Bruce and Julie Yoder's Home Music and Board Meetings 4736 12th Ave S, Minneapolis 55407	Map to Margaret's Home Host for staff meetings 2636 17th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN

Event Maps and Notification

SCOTTISH HERITAGE DAY

September 10, Scottish Heritage Festival, First Presbyterian Church, Hudson, WI. http://fpchudson.com/. A day trip event. We will set up starting at 7:30 AM. The event begins at 10. Hudson is 30 miles east of Minneapolis.

Big Island and Mankato History Fair coming in October

Big Island Rendezvous, September 29-October 2

Big Island Rendezvous is the crown of our show year and always well worth attending. 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 Thursday and Friday are school days, and the weekend is public. We need enough of us during the school days to run about eight 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.

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.

Mankato History Fair, October 6-8

This is a smaller, lower-key event, but always pleasant and charming. The weekdays 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.

Setup is TBA. In the past couple of years we have been dropping the gear off directly after Big Island and setting up during the day as the evenings are short.

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)