Skewered IV: There and Back Again will be a Spring Festival celebration in the Shire! The day will be filled with activities and food to suit our celebration of the return of warmer weather. We will have a Crafters Green, Family Activities, a Maypole Dance, Rapier, Archery, Thrown Weapons, and a Lunch Feast! Event schedule and activity descriptions follow.
Preregistration is always recommended and can be accomplished through SCORES or by mailing a check to our Reservationist, postmarked no later than Saturday, May 11th, 2024. You can also pay with cash or check at the gate.
SCORES Registration Link! – Online Prereg deadline is May 13th
Reservationist Information
Name: Kat Zamboni (Katharine Cerveny)
Address: 16720 Bethayres Road, Derwood MD 20855
Phone: 571-334-9104
Email: katzamboni1600@gmail.com
Date and Time: May 18th, 2024. Site opens at 9 AM & Closes at 7 PM
Site: Izaak Walton League, Lois Green/Sligo Chapter
8711 Turkey Thicket Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Event Steward: Adelaide Half-Pint
Reservation Contact: Coming Soon
Site details: Alcohol allowed. Dogs allowed if they are leashed, owners are responsible for cleaning up after them. Entry by gravel driveway, use caution. Additionally, the site is an active apiary for European honeybees.
Feast: Coming Soon
Gold Key: Garb will be available to borrow for any newcomers.
SCHEDULE
09:00am – Gate opens, marshal activities inspections begin, Crafters Green setup
10:00am – Rapier tournament begins, thrown weapons field opens, archery opens, Crafter’s Green opens
11:00am – Maypole Dance 1, children’s activity (make a hobbit garden) begins
12:00pm – Provost prize fight (rapier)
1:00pm – All activities pause for Lunch
2:00pm – All activities resume
3:00pm – Maypole Dance 2
5:00pm – Shire Moot (gather to summarize the day’s activities)
6:00pm – Tear down
A&S: CRAFTER’S GREEN
Tired of static A&S displays? Wish you could meet and talk with the artisans behind the works of art? Is KASF your favorite event? Then the Crafter’s Green at Skewered might be for you!
If you practice a period art or science, we invite you to claim a stall in the Crafter’s Green and set up whatever you’re currently working on. Demonstrate your craft, interact with the populace, and share resources with other artisans!
How to get involved: The Crafters Green is an area of Skewered where any artisan of any skill level may set up a workspace in order for them to work on their period project(s). This is NOT your typical A&S display. Artisans are encouraged to stay with their projects and actively work on them during the event. The idea is for artisans to demonstrate period techniques, discuss their methods, and give informal instruction if asked about their craft. General populace at the event are invited to visit and spend time chatting with, watching, and learning from the artisans. There are no requirements for documentation, type of project (except where limited by site) or length of time. Each project should emphasize period methods where possible and appropriate. Sign up in advance not required, but please contact the A&S Coordinator, Aurelio Vitrisoni, if you have specific concerns or requirements.
Reach out to Aurelio Vitrisoni, [ajlanphere@gmail.com] with any questions or to arrange a spot!
FAMILY ACTIVITIES:
Skewered will have a build a hobbit garden activity for up to 10 children. This activity will include the materials to make your own mini garden. Bring your creativity!
We will also have bubbles and coloring materials for children to play with on site.
MAYPOLE DANCE:
Have you ever wanted to dance around a maypole? Maypole dances are a folk dance performed around a tall pole topped with greenery and hung with ribbons that are woven into patterns by the dancers. For this activity, we will learn a maypole dance and give it a go, dancing together to create a woven design!
RAPIER:
Inspections and authorizations will occur after Gate opens.
A double-elimination tournament is planned for the morning.
Provost prize fight of Nyvein bat Rav Adam (before lunch if time permits, or after if the tournament runs long).
Rapier activities will break for lunch.
After lunch, a capture-the-flag style melee, where teams take turns attacking (stealing) and defending objective markers.
ARCHERY:
There will be archery activities for the day run by Naran Bagsh!
THROWN WEAPONS:
There will be thrown weapons activities for the day run by Baron Fergus of Hanna!
LUNCH FEAST:
This year’s lunch feast, a springtime picnic theme, is brought to you by Duchess Melisande de Belvoir and will feature:
- Pyes of Parys (contains pork)
- Mushroom Pyes (vegetarian)
- Carrot salad (vegan, gluten-free)
- Strawberye (vegetarian, contains wine & almonds)
- Excellent Small Cakes (vegetarian, contains sherry)
- Prince Bisket (vegetarian)
- Bottled water
Ingredients for each dish follow:
Pyes of Parys: pork sausage, eggs, apples, raisins, dates, ginger, pepper, pie crust (store bought, exact ingredients TBD)
Mushroom Pyes: mushrooms, eggs, parmesan, mozzarella, butter, olive oil, garlic, parsley, pie crust (store bought, exact ingredients TBD)
Carrot salad: baby carrots, oil, vinegar, chervil, parsley, dill
Strawberye: strawberries, sugar, rice flour, red wine (burgundy), almond milk, almonds, cider vinegar, currants, spices (pepper, ginger, cinnamon, galingale), butter
Excellent small cakes: butter, sugar, flour, currants, cream, sherry, eggs, nutmeg
Prince bisket: flour, sugar, eggs, rose water, caraway