Baronesses of Nordskogen

Greetings good gentles of Nordskogen and Nordleigh,

May flowers were in bloom this month, and we witnessed the stirrings of summer as we travelled to Crown Tournament, to celebrate the next heirs of Northshield, and Schützenfest, which was as fun and beautiful as always. We were delighted to see how many Nordskogen folks fought on the armored field for Crown, and the level of prowess, and honor, that was on display at this fine event. Schützenfest had beautiful weather, and fierce competition for the title of Schützenkönig. We are always proud of this Nordskogen event, and doubly so that the title of Schützenkönig is held within the Barony. As we begin June, and true summer, we look forward to continuing the quest for curiosity with a trip to Kingdom A&S, followed by the enjoyable and creative innovations always seen at Castle Fever. If you haven’t already, be sure to stop by and meet the baronial Yeti, and donate a few tokens to vote on your favorite name for the new fuzzy mascot of Nordskogen. We’ll be announcing the name at Warriors and Warlords (WW) 2024, during the Baronial Concordance of Games.

While WW is over a month away, many preparations are under way. The Baronial structured gathering on June 12^th will support this, where we will create Heraldic sashes to help identify those WW volunteers who communicate emergencies, news, schedule changes, and camp policies. This streamlining of communication is something we are eager to help with, and the Heralds are grateful for the support. For those who want to assist, we’ll need a few irons, sewing machines, green thread, and any green cotton or linen you may have to spare.

We encourage you all to come join us at Nordskogen WW camp this year. We’re setting up some options on Facebook to communicate with other site members. If you are not on FB, but intend to camp Nordskogen this year, please reach out! We are excited to host you all, as well as the Baronial Pavilion, which will have shade and a water feature, fans, ice, and hydration. Be sure to stop by Saturday night after court, for baronial gyros, before visiting the Concordance of Games, hosted by Clan of Blue Feather and sponsored by Jararvellir and Nordskogen. There will be family friendly games, and many awesome donated prizes, and treats.

We’re looking forward to a fabulous summer, celebrating with old friends and making new ones. The support we have received for upcoming gatherings this season has been phenomenal, and we are so excited to enjoy them all with you.

Yours in Loyal Service,

Baronesses Cynthia and Heliseus of Nordskogen

Unto the Flaky Populace, we bear Greetings;

We were exceptionally pleased with the Pas d’Armes hosted by Our Cantons of Blachemere and Nordleigh. The day’s events went well even with Mother Nature’s attempts to shower us with her blessings. Thank you to each of the volunteers who made the event happen. We are delighted to announce that Strauss joins our team as Armored Combat Champion based on his skills displayed at the Pas.

In September history is happening in Northshield. The newly crowned sovereigns will be the first same-sex couple to serve a Kingdom in the SCA. Please feel free to use the public discussion lists to seek travel partners for this and other events. We encourage all who attend to consider assisting the Shire of Border Downs by volunteering some of your time. The members of Border Downs are mighty, but we wish not to wear them thin with supporting such a large number of visitors.

The very next month the Barony will host the Crown Tournament of Northshield on October 8. Volunteer requests will be posted to the website shortly; please consider donating some of your time to support events in our great Barony.

You will be pleased to know we have a backup plan for the Fall Moot. Our Fall Folkmoot will be on October 9, beginning at 10 a.m. Ideally, the weather will be beautiful, and we will enjoy a grand day at the Marsh Lake Archery Range in Bloomington. The day will involve selecting a new Archery Champion, a new Arts and Sciences Champion, and a new Cooking Champion. If the weather sweeps us indoors, we will begin the day at Bwana Archery Range in Little Canada, and continue the merriment at the Geek Partnership Society to visit with our artisans and cooks.

Serving with Joy,

Baron Geoffrey and Baroness Samia

August A.S. 51

Greetings to our Fabulously Flaky Populace,

At our Folkmoot at Brackett Park, one of our own had an unexpected adventure. We were amazingly impressed with the impromptu volunteer efforts being coordinated without undue excitement. The two of us could attend to the needs of newer participants, and were kept abreast on the adventure.

We were further proud to see our people serving as chatelaine-of-the-minute with all of the visitors we attracted. Approximately 80 folks in garb watching a tournament was quite a draw! Seneschal Niamh also circulated a “The SCA appreciates you” card, which was given to the Park staff.

This month we look forward to the Pas d’Armes in Nordleigh, co-hosted by the Cantons of Nordleigh and Blachemere. We will select Our Armored Champion at this noble tournament, with the assistance of the collected gentlepersons of the audience. The tournament is open to all armored combatants attending the event, and any participants may choose to also compete for the title of Baronial Champion. Members of the Barony may joyfully participate, whether or not they chose to compete for title of Baronial Champion.

Our upcoming Folkmoots will be in the fall, selecting our Archery, Cooking, and Arts & Sciences champions; and in the Winter with our Toys for Tots Tournament. We seek assistance with the coordination of each of these activities.

In loving service,

Baron Geoffrey and Sitt al-Thullaja

July A.S. 51

Greetings to Our Flaky Populace.

We hope you have had a great Warriors and Warlords event! Whether you shot archery, celebrated Crispin’s elevation, fought on the battlefields with honor, shopped to your heart’s (or wallet’s) content, or learned all the geeky things from the great class offerings, We are glad you joined all of us.

Our Spring Folk Moot has been postponed to July 19 (rain back-up July 26), at Brackett Park in Minneapolis. There will be an armored combat tournament, plus fencing, dancing, and a pot luck. Please bring an ingredients list, or the original packaging for purchased foods. If it’s food you’d like to share, it is welcome at our table.

Looking ahead, we are planning on a Late Summer Folk Moot on a Sunday with the archers (seeking a volunteer to steward this activity) where we also hope to hold a tournament to determine our new Archer Champion. Looking even further ahead, We would like to start work on our Toys for Tots Tourney in December. Please let our Seneschal Niamh know of your interest in helping with either or both activities.

In loving service,
Baron Geoffrey and Sitt al-Thullaja

June A.S. 51

Greetings to the good people of Nordskogen, Nordleigh, and Blachemere.

We hope our missive finds you well and dry in this rainy spring. We find comfort knowing that the rains feed our shade trees and cool grasses as we continue into the camping season.

Those who were able to join Baron Geoffrey at our Kingdom’s Crown Tournament certainly have stories worthy of sharing! Many will be pleased to know that Prince Yehudah is a member of our Canton of Nordleigh. In addition, wordfame and honor were brought to Nordskogen by THL Refkell Melrakki Einarsson and THL Jeahanette de Provins as they competed, and by many members of the Nordskogen fencing community while they served as marshals for the Tournament.

We and our Cousins Baron Robert and Baroness Leona are pleased to invite you to the summer extravaganza Warriors and Warlords (WW) in July.

Master Vidi has been working mightily on Our behalf to prepare a new camping location for all of the Barony of Nordskogen and our guests at WW. We will be near the battlefields and the new shower locations. All are welcome to camp with Us. We will have the Nordskogen Pavilion with us this year, and all should feel welcome to join Us in our Baronial “living room” for a cool sip of water or a moment of respite.

On Tuesday, June 14, we will be joining the Armored Practice at Brackett Park in Minneapolis for a Moot. Garb is welcome, and We plan to have awards and recognition’s for some of our populace.

This Fall we plan to have a Sunday Moot with the Archery community. We will also select our Arts and Sciences champion based on the completion of a UFO, or Un-Finished Object. Our Champion Lord Bazyli will provide more details shortly.

What has someone done which made your SCA experience more fun this year?

In loving service,

Baron Geoffrey and Sitt al-Thullaja

May A.S. 51

Greetings to Nordleigh, Blachemere, and greater Nordskogen from the Baron and Baroness.

Inspiration abounds in spring, doesn’t it? Being in the lands of Snowflakes, we have the joy of seeing the first blush of green on damp branches, of hearing the first robins returning to our skies, of seeing the creeks come alive with gurgles and giggles over the rocks and branches. The warmth of the sun no longer comes with the sting of the wind. The smells of apple blossoms and lilacs call to us from our chores.

We ask that you share your stories, your warmth, your inspiration. When you find that inspiration in the people of the Barony, will you share it with us? Tell us what deeds, what arts, what prowess inspire you in Our populace. Tell us what you love about the contributions and tales of others. Tell us how we can recognize those around you.

We look forward to seeing you at our Folk Moot on Tuesday, June 14 at Brackett Park in Minneapolis (address available on the Nordskogen website). Bathrooms will be available. Please bring chairs, finger foods, and laughter. Garb is welcomed but not required. We will support our Armored Combat community, and our Youth Combat community. Plenty of space will be available for our fencing community as well.

We would like to give awards to members of Our populace at this Folk Moot. Please write to us about your fellows.

In service,
Geoffrey and Samia