Demo Coordinator's

Handbook

[key]

For the Office of

the Chatelaine ~

Kingdom of Caid

July AS XXXVI (2001)

Demo Coordinator Handbook

Introduction

From Their Majesties and the Kingdom Chatelaine

To all the Demo Coordinators and Chatelaines of Caid, Good Greetings.

In an attempt to formalize what is already being done this handbook was created. There has been a wonderful increase in the number of demonstrations being done in this Kingdom and along with that increase, a certain amount of confusion.

It was decided that it was time for a handbook to be written. This handbook is designed to make the presentation of the SCA to the various schools and groups who have asked for a sample of the Middle Ages just a bit less confusing and more organized. This handbook has been designed with a definite eye to make things easy.

There is a guideline on how to do a school demonstration. This guideline can also be used for other demonstrations outside of the school system.

There are two letters of introduction, one directed to a school principal, the other for other public venues such as libraries, theaters, shopping malls and other places that may request a demonstration.

There is a questionnaire that is to be sent along with the letters of introduction. This questionnaire is designed to help us design a demonstration that will be as professional as we can present.

There is a list of possible crafts that can be offered at an event. There is also a one-page checklist you can use to help you keep track of what we are supposed to do at each event.

All of these things can be photocopied for your use and you can make minor adjustments to the letters of introduction and the list of crafts to suit your area.

In Service to the Dream,

Alaricus, Rex Kissa, Regina

[Seneschal THL Rowen and Chatelaine THL Ygraine's signatures]

THL Rowen Killian, THL Ygraine o Gaerllion Fawr

Seneschal of Caid Chatelaine of Caid

June, 16, A.S. XXXVI (2001)

Flow Chart for the Chatelaine's Office

Kingdom Seneschal

Kingdom Chatelaine

| \

Deputy Kingdom Chatelaine

| \

| Chatelaine-at-Large

Area Chatelaine \— — — —Area Seneschal

| \ \

Newcomer’s Guild Head

\ \

Demo Coordinator

Hospitaler

Published by the Office of

the Chatelaine of the Kingdom of Caid,

a division of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.

This is an official publication and it does defined policies and procedures for the office of the Demo Coordinator.

Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.

This handbook can be copied in its entirety (including copyright statement) as long as no changes are made to the content.

The letters of introduction can be copied separately for the purpose of adding names in the areas left blank for that reason.

The questionnaire and demonstration topic listing can be copied as they appear in this handbook for the purpose of their intended distribution.

Demo Coordinator Handbook................................................................................... 0

Introduction............................................................................................................. 1

Flow Chart for the Chatelaine’s Office....................................................................... 2

Table of Contents................................................................................................... 3

Requirements for the Office...................................................................................... 4

Warranting............................................................................................................... 4

Job Description......................................................................................................... 4

Responsibilities of the Office..................................................................................... 4

Letters of introduction and questionnaire....................................................................... 5

Things To Do Before The Event.................................................................................. 5

Reporting................................................................................................................ 6

Financial Reporting.................................................................................................. 6

How to do a School Demo....................................................................................... 7

Why do School Demonstrations?................................................................................. 7

How to arrange a school demo.................................................................................... 8

The demo itself....................................................................................................... 9

Things to Do........................................................................................................ 10

Things NOT to Do............................................................................................... 10

Letter of Introduction for a School Demonstration................................................... 10

Letter of Introduction for a Demonstration............................................................. 10

Demonstration Questionnaire................................................................................ 10

Demonstration Topic Listing & Guideline.............................................................. 10

Pre-Demonstration Worksheet.............................................................................. 10

Requirements for the Office

Warranting

The Demo Coordinator will be a deputy to the Chatelaine’s Office. The Chatelaine will consult with the seneschal (in the shires) and baron and baroness and seneschal (in the baronies) to determine who will be an appropriate candidate for the office. In order to hold the position the coordinator will be an SCA member and will provide proof of membership when they take office and maintain said proof during their term of office. The Kingdom Chatelaine will maintain a copy of their warrant and membership status.

Job Description

Conducting a demo requires someone who can build an mini-event from scratch using people who are willing to take a day off work or school to show people, who often don’t have any idea of what we do, something they will enjoy and remember. They must do this while maintaining a safe environment and a schedule based on real time as opposed to SCA time. This is a very special ability and requires someone with a cool head and good communication skills.

Responsibilities of the Office

At the same time the coordinator will need to make sure those doing the event conduct themselves in a way that is appropriate. There are guidelines for doing demonstrations at schools that can be useful for all demonstrations. These guidelines will be made available to all chatelaines and their demo deputies and they will be responsible for knowing what those guidelines are.

¨ As with the Chatelaine, terms of office will be for two years with the option to maintain the office annually after that.

¨ A Demo Coordinator should have a good working knowledge of the SCA.

¨ A Demo Coordinator should preferably be involved in the SCA for five years, but this can be flexible if a candidate shows a strong ability to properly conduct an event.

¨ A Demo Coordinator will be responsible for knowing the policies of the SCA and the kingdom as they pertain to Public Relations.

¨ A Demo Coordinator will be responsible for providing reports to the chatelaine and the Kingdom Deputy Demo Coordinator on a quarterly basis.

¨ A Demo Coordinator, as a deputy chatelaine, fulfills the requirement for a chatelaine to be in attendance at all demonstrations.

¨ A Demo Coordinator will confer with the area seneschal to verify that all insurance requirements are met at all demonstrations.

Letters of introduction and questionnaire

Demonstrations most often occur at schools after a teacher makes a request for one. When a request is made the coordinator should verify with the school administration that a demo would be allowed and what restrictions they may have.

A questionnaire developed by Aillenn ingen Gilla Padraic spells out the specific things that the person requesting the demonstration would like to occur is included in this handbook. This questionnaire should be given to the head of the group asking for the demo and should be filled out within a time frame that will allow everything to be arranged. To allow you enough time to properly schedule an event you should try to allow three months from the first contact to the actual demonstration. The questionnaire should be filled out two months before the demonstration. This will allow you plenty of time to schedule your helpers. This questionnaire begins on page 13.

I have created a letter of introduction to be signed by the principal of the school asking for a demonstration. This letter will be found on page 11.

We also do demonstrations in shopping centers, theaters and other public venues. I have created a separate letter of introduction that, like the school demo letter, should be signed by the owner or manager of the location. This letter will be found on page 12.

Before an event takes place these letters of introduction should be copied and sent to the local chatelaine for their files. The letter should be taken to the demo as confirmation that approval has been obtained for the activities that are taking place. These letters can be sent along with your reports after the event.

In the past the demonstrations for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) needed to be treated differently from other demonstrations. When this questionnaire is used and a letter of permission for a martial arts event is obtained there is no reason to treat BSA events as something other than a standard demonstration.

Things To Do Before The Event

¨ After the event has been arranged you must publish it. This is where a local newsletter can prove its worth. Make sure all the proper details are listed.

¨ If there is fighting scheduled for the demo you should make sure that there are qualified marshals in attendance. Without adequate staffing we cannot have fighting at a demonstration.

¨ Waivers must be provided for members of the SCA who do not have valid membership cards.

I have included a single page worksheet you can complete as you are preparing the event. It is based on the questionnaire and is designed to condense the information you have received from the client to a single sheet of paper. This should be very handy in being able to arrange the demo at a glance.

After the event has been arranged you should plan to call members of your area who either have participated in demonstrations in the past or have expressed an interest in helping. After you have a list of people who will be attending you should contact them two weeks and again a few days prior to the event.

Reporting

The demo coordinator should report on a quarterly basis with a Domesday Report at the end of each calendar year. These deadlines are April 1, July 1, September 1, and the Domesday Report is due by December 15 to allow for preparation of the Kingdom Domesday Report. A report should consist of a list of all demonstrations that have occurred in the previous three months. This list should include:

¨ When the demonstration was held

¨ Who the demonstration was for

¨ Where the demonstration was held

¨ How many people attended (estimates are acceptable)

¨ What unusual things may have happened at the event

¨ Photocopies of letters of permission for martial arts

Reports should be sent to the Kingdom Chatelaine with copies being sent to your local officer. You can include any comments or observations you may have in a separate letter. Comments and input are welcome.

Financial Reporting

Only geo-political areas can present a demonstration using the name of the SCA and the Kingdom of Caid. A geo-political area is a barony, shire, canton, college, port or stronghold and must be listed in the regnum of the Crown Prints.

Demonstrations are one of the things we can do to help educate people about the Middle Ages. We do not ask for money to do this. An organization may ask about how much we charge to do a demonstration. Since we do not do this for money we can suggest they offer an honorarium. This can be whatever they can comfortably donate. If an organization does offer a donation the funds must go directly to the treasurer for your geo-political area. Checks should be made payable to “SCA, Inc./(your area’s name)”. The entire amount offered is property of your area.

How to do a School Demo

By THLady Honour Grenehart

Why do School Demonstrations?

As an educational institution, part of our stated purpose is to demonstrate and teach the arts and crafts of the Middle Ages to our members and the public. One of the most effective ways to do this is to give presentations at local schools. By sharing our research and expertise with the school system we are filling several needs.

The school is receiving a valuable assembly for little or no money. Since Proposition 13, schools in California have been woefully short of funds for enrichment activities like field trips. Since the de facto cost of a three-bus field trip to a destination 25 miles away is approximately $2000, most schools are interested in having presenters come to them. If the school you are dealing with gives honoraria to your group that is wonderful. I have found that it is usually more profitable to the SCA group to negotiate with the school or school district to have the use of the property for an SCA event. We have used school sites obtained through demonstrations for weekly fighter practice, War College academias and tournaments, including a Queen’s Champion tourney. In this day of skyrocketing insurance costs, and therefore fees, it is wonderful to have fee sites available to use during the year.

The students are receiving instruction from experts about subjects that they are studying in class. Most teachers do not have a great deal of expertise in the subject areas they teach, because they have a general degree and/or because they have no experience in the subject itself (their first year teaching, etc.). Compared to them, many of the members of the SCA have much more authentic historical knowledge of the Middle Ages. We can speak authoritatively about a number of subjects that teachers have neither the time nor inclination to study themselves. At the same time, we are providing a resource for follow-up activities.

As a community resource for the schools, the local SCA group benefits from good references at parks and other area activities we perform. Schools and school boards have high standards regarding personnel allowed on campus, since children’s safety is involved. Acceptance there eases the process of gaining entry to other venues in the local area.

Finally, schools are a good source of SCA recruits. Teachers with a love of history or crafts can be encouraged to join. Many students will drag their parents to your next local event just to show them what they saw at school. With proper handling, these contacts can blossom into one or more new members for your local group.

How to arrange a school demo

The first contact with the school is usually a teacher calling to ask you to do a demo for his or her class. Try to ascertain what she has in mind: weapons, a fighting scenario, arts and crafts, a feast, etc. What ages will be attending the demo? How many attendees are children? How many attendees are adults? What does the space look like? How big is it? Will the local paper be there? Get as much hard information as you can at this point; you’ll need it when selling your demo to the SCA group. This is the time to mention to the teacher that a full SCA demo involves bringing weapons on-campus. The principal or school board must approve this beforehand. Be prepared to meet with the personnel concerned and give them a sample mini-demo; it often builds community interest in the demo. Don’t forget about SCA personal daggers, etc.

Try to get the teacher to agree to a 3-month lead-time. This will give you time to cover the insurance requirements, round up your presenters and develop a fail-safe plan to have your demo go smoothly. Use your judgment if the teacher wants an immediate presentation; a one-person presentation 30-minutes long to a 20-student class of kindergartners can be done on a week lead-time if convenient, but a day-long presentation to 200 7th graders needs 20 presenters plus the entire three months’ lead-time.

Sell the demo to your local SCA group; they must sponsor the demo in order for you to mention the SCA in any way. If they decide to sponsor the demo, have a blurb about the demo published in the local newsletter before the demo day. This ensures that the event is under the SCA insurance policy. If the school is paying an honorarium it must be made payable to your local SCA group; no one may make any private profit on an SCA-sponsored demonstration.

Starts lining up your presenters as soon as you know what areas of medieval life have been requested. People who have work schedules that allow them to be off on the day of the presentations are godsends. Some people have jobs that allow them to take time off during the workday for community service; many government employees can do this. You may have to have the school provide a letter to their employer verifying their attendance. Some of my presenters take vacation time every year just to come to the demo at my school.

Plan on 25-33% more presenters than you actually need; not everyone you plan on will actually show up, due to illness, car-deaths, etc. I double schedule my presenters, so that I have the rooms covered even if someone doesn’t come. I have a sign-up sheet about two months before the event. One month before the event I personally contact everyone on my list to verify that they plan to come, and find out if they need anything special. One week before the event I make a second contact. Finally, I call the night before the event to remind everyone when and where to be, with what equipment. Schools run on real time. They are basically child-care facilities and time is of the essence here. Lie if you have to but get your presenters on-campus with enough time to get set up. One of my veteran presenters is notorious for his SCA time-sense; I have him picked up by an on-time person to get him there at the right time. Be prepared for presenters to not show up; I always hold myself in reserve to teach whatever section does not have a presenter. I have also combined sections when two presenters don’t show.

Emphasize to the presenters that they must appear professional: on-time, know their subject, follow the school rules, etc. The rules are basic common sense for being adult role models around children, but many adults don’t think about what to do and what not to do until they are reminded. A list of basic rules is attached: the asterisked rules are state and federal law.

The demo itself

When you arrive, someone should be available to greet the group and show you where you will set up, change into garb, location of bathrooms, teacher’s lounge, etc. The gear you are not using needs to be stored in a safe place until you need it again. You should have sufficient time built into the schedule to set up before the first group of children enters the room. The children should come in with the teacher, sit quietly and be attentive. Most children do this, but don’t be afraid to stop a presentation to ask the teacher to remove an offensive student. In most instances the teacher will move to control a problem child before you have to do anything. Once in a while though, I have had a group of children come in without adequate supervision. You should never have to present to children without a teacher or principal in the room with you. This is a state law, so don’t be bashful about complaining immediately if you are victimized by this.

Ideally there will be a table or tables at the front of the room to place the artifacts you will be presenting, with room for you to stand behind this area. A “no-man’s-land” in front of the table will separate you from the children on their seats. If space is tight, push the table against the wall and stand in front of it to present, holding each item up as you demonstrate it to the class. If you have one or two items you don't mind passing around, do so every so often during the presentation. If you have an assistant presenter, have that person supervise the passing-around. Tell the children you will take questions at the end of the presentation, and have a 5-minute question and answer period. I have a sword that I pass around in its sheath to the 7th-graders; they know not to unsheathe the sword before they handle it. I do not pass around my flanged mace --- too dangerous! Don't be upset of you don’t finish the demo in the time allotted. Do not keep the class after the bell rings; schools run on a strict time schedule and you may be causing problems for someone else if you don’t allow them to move at the planned time. Plan on having students accost you at nutrition, recess or lunch --- you are the most exciting thing at school this year and some of them will be too curious to stay away. Let responsible students help if they can, safely. Bring snacks to nibble on during a 20-minute break while talking to students. I feed my presenters pizza at the local pizzeria as soon as school is over; these people drive out to the boonies for me once a year and it’s the least I can do for them.

Artifacts are the single most important features of your presentation. After 8 years in the SCA I now have enough artifacts to mount a school demonstration by myself. Until you amass a similar collection, beg, borrow and cajole anything you can find to illustrate what you will be discussing in the presentation. Sometimes you get the person who made it to come baby-sit the thing; use them to explain all the particulars. Make sure that you have your people handling security for expensive, one-of-a-kind artifacts. Don't trust the school personnel; they don’t realize that the bone needle case was a present from your Laurel, or that the Japanese helm cost $800.

Handouts are also an important part of a good presentation. In addition to making your own, useful material is available in almost all SCA publications (call or write for copyright permission if not already written on the page), many teacher-made materials, and the Internet. In addition to SCA site, check out other reenactment groups, university sites, museum sites, and school-related sites.

Things to Do

1. Be early!!

2. Be early!!!

3. Be early!!!!

4. Be on time.

5. Verify that weapons are allowed on campus.

6. Handle your materials in a safe manner; weapons tied in sheaths, etc.

7. Follow the school rules (ask for a copy when setting up the demo).

8. Follow general safety regulations: don’t block exits, have cords lying on the floor, etc.

9. Use as many artifacts in your presentation as you can cram in your car.

Things NOT to Do

1. No drugs, alcohol or tobacco are allowed in any public school: it’s a felony!

2. No beepers or cell phones allowed on campus!

3. Don’t wear inappropriate clothing (tube tops, wide-leg pants, spandex bike shorts, etc.) to the school.

4. Don’t talk inappropriately (foul or threatening language, sexual innuendo, etc.) to or in front of the students.

5. Don’t touch students, or allow other students to touch or hit a student.

6. Don’t use slang SCA terms (“stick-jock”, for example). Also don’t use arcane language without explaining the terms.

7. Don’t bombard the students or staff with too much information; this is probably the fastest way to lose your audience

8. Don’t undress (to change clothes or get into or out of armor) in front of the children or staff. Do it in private.

Society for Creative Anachronism

Letter of Introduction for a School Demonstration

Date:

Dear ,

My name is ____________________________. I am the information officer for the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. I have been contacted by __________ _______________________________ , a teacher at your school, requesting a demonstration of the arts and crafts of the Middle Ages. We would be glad to do this.

It is our purpose to offer the school an interesting and educational view of the Middle Ages, its grace, chivalry and the craftsmen’s skills. The more information we have on how to do this for your school, the better job we can do.

The Society for Creative Anachronism is a 501c3 nonprofit public benefit corporation whose goals are research and education in the field of pre-17th-Century Western Culture and was incorporated in 1968. The SCA's purpose is to engage in research, publish material of relevance and interest to the field of pre-17th-Century Western Culture; to present activities and events which re-create the environment of said era, such as, but not limited to, tournaments, jousts, fairs, dances, classes, et cetera; to acquire authentic or reproduced replicas of items representative of said era; and to collect a library.

So you understand what we do I have included with this letter a list of crafts that we demonstrate. Some of the crafts are very specialized and we cannot promise that every one would be available but feel free to ask if a certain craft can be demonstrated for you.

Along with the rest of this package is a questionnaire for you to complete. This questionnaire is designed to allow our group to do the best job we can for your class. It will also explain certain activities that we commonly do for a demonstration. These activities cover arts and sciences and also martial arts. You have the option of deciding what crafts and martial activities you would like to have at your event.

We also ask for input on what restrictions you would have for us. Since we do an exhibit of armor and weapons; such as swords, daggers and spears used during the Middle Ages we ask you to clarify what we can and cannot bring onto your campus. The choice is entirely yours.

Thank you for this opportunity,

Society for Creative Anachronism

Letter of Introduction for a Demonstration

Date:

Dear ,

My name is ____________________________. I am the information officer for the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. I have been contacted by __________ _______________________________ , requesting a demonstration of the arts and crafts of the Middle Ages. We would be glad to do this.

Along with the rest of this package is a questionnaire for you to complete. This questionnaire is designed to allow our group to do the best job we can for your group. It will also explain certain activities that we commonly do for a demonstration. These activities cover arts and sciences and also martial arts. You have the option of deciding what crafts and martial activities you would like to have at your event.

Thank you for this opportunity,

Demonstration Questionnaire

Please fill in this questionnaire and return it in the attached SASE.

This information will help us deliver a well-constructed demonstration for your school/group. It will also help us, The Society for Creative Anachronism, so we don’t run afoul of School rules, Local and District Laws or Campus conventions.

Thank You

1) The Demonstration Space

A. Will the demonstration be held in a room, auditorium or out of doors?

________________________________________________________________________

B. If the demonstration will be in an auditorium, will microphones or other forms of amplification be available to us?

________________________________________________________________________

C. Will tables and chairs be made available to us to use in the demonstration, and will the tables be in an area where children cannot easily reach them or the items placed upon them?

________________________________________________________________________

D. Is the demonstration space accessible to the handicapped?

________________________________________________________________________

2) Demonstration Time and Students / Attendees

A. The time for which the demonstration is scheduled is between the hours of ________ and ______________.

B. Will the demonstration be one long demonstration or will the time be broken up into smaller repeating demonstrations?

________________________________________________________________________

C. What is the age/grade level of the attendees/students attending this demonstration?

________________________________________________________________________

D. Will this demonstration be for a single group/class of students or multiple groups/classes?

E. Approximately how many attendees/students will be attending this demonstration?

________________________________________________________________________

3) School Rules

A. Please list anything that we may not bring on to the campus (i.e. Tobacco products, cell phones, beepers, medications, etc.)

________________________________________________________________________

B. What is your Company/School’s policy on Historical Weapons? Will you allow Historical Weapons on campus for display only? Should presenters not wear personal blades / eating knives?

________________________________________________________________________

C. If your company/school district allows it, would you like to have a fighter’s component as part of your scheduled event? SCA fighters use either rattan sticks wrapped in duct tape or blunted (the tip is covered) fencing blades to approximate the live steel weapons used in history. The weapons used in combat are not “live steel “ weapons. If a fighting component will be part of your demonstration, Can you submit to our group a permission letter, stating that a fighting demonstration will be allowed on your campus, signed by either your manager, school’s Principal or a District officer prior to the demonstration taking place? (If this letter of consent is not provided, no fighters will perform, even if an “oral” agreement was reached prior to the demonstration.)

________________________________________________________________________

Initial here to verify you understand the paragraph above. This is not granting permission for the martial arts demonstration, only that you acknowledge that a letter of permission needs to be provided before we can offer a martial exhibit.

4) Day of the Demonstration

A. Who will be our campus contact for the demonstration?

________________________________________________________________________

B. Where should we meet our contact?

________________________________________________________________________

C. Where should we park our cars? Is Handicapped parking available?

________________________________________________________________________

Is there any other information you feel is pertinent for us to know? Please include additional information below. Thank you for taking the time to fill out this form. It will help us present with a well-planned demonstration.

In service

Additional Information:

________________________________________________________________________

Demonstration Topic Listing & Guideline

Below is a brief listing of the topics / components that could be covered in a demonstration. If there is a historical topic that you do not see on this list, please contact the demonstration coordinator at the number listed below. It may be possible to find someone with the knowledge you seek if the coordinator is contacted in a timely manner. If you wish to pick topics for your demonstration, based on the list below, please allow at least 90 days time from the time of your request, until the actual day of your demonstration. If you are willing to let us design your demonstration, a lead-time of 60 days is requested.

Archery - The period making, fletching and shooting of arrows

Armoring - The design and making of armor; it’s history and uses

Bardic Recitation - Period singing and story telling; its history and development

Bookmaking - The binding of hand printed or hand copied text; the sheaving of paper or velum

Brewing - The craft of turning grain or fruit in to potable drinks. Brewing does not always involve alcoholic beverages. There are non-alcoholic tonics, cups, bowles and vinegars (drinking vinegar tastes like fruited lemonade)

Calligraphy - The scribal art of lettering, the making of inks and the making / sharpening of quill pens

Candle making - The art of wax dipping or wax rolling to create candles

Cartography - The art and Science of map-making

Cooking - The art and history of food through the ages and cultures

Costuming - Who wore what when & why

Dancing - The art of dancing from English country dancing to Court dancing

Drama & Comedy - The various forms of stage entertainment through out history

Drawing - the use of illustration and art work in history, and its changes over time

Dyeing - The use of herbs, vegetation, sea life, and bugs to create colored cloth

Embroidery - One of the many forms of needle craft done throughout history

Fighting - The rules and codes of honor and combat. What was a Knight? What was a Squire? What is Chivalry? What is personal honor?

* (See below for more information concerning fighter’s component)

Gaming - Historical games, like fox & geese, nine men Morris and chess. How these game taught strategy to warriors and statesmen

Herbalism - The use of plants and herbs in everyday life in history. Herbs were not just used medicinally

Horticulture - How plants were grown historically. The different theories for crop rotation. What plants were indigenous to what areas

Illumination - The painting of manuscripts or scrolls. This is the beautiful artwork you see in the text or at the beginning of a paragraph in historical manuscripts. How to make your own paint, golf leaf, gesso and brushes

Inkle Loom Weaving - How to use an inkle loom to weave thread into strips of trim and or belts. How to design your own patterns using different color thread

Leather working - How to take a tanned hide and turn it in to any of the hundreds of things needed in daily life in the Middle Ages. The making of pouches, shoes, game boards, belt, leather bottles arrow quivers, scabbards and armor

Medicine and Disease - What is the difference between pneumonic plague and bubonic plague? What is sweating sickness? What is the Theory of the 4 Humours? Did bleeding cure disease?

Needlework - Covers embroidery, blackwork, hardanger cutwork and any other form of needle / thread decoration used on clothing, household goods or vestments

Paper making - From animal skin to fiber, the different forms of “paper” used through history and how it was made

Period Fencing - The use of fine blades for weapons / fighting. What is a rapier? What is a duel? What is the history of fencing?

Scribing - The art of copying text by hand. (See calligraphy & illumination)

Textile Arts - Taking any fiber from its natural form and processing it into cloth. Or going from “sheep to shawl”...i.e. combing, dyeing, carding, spinning, plying thread weaving, cutting, sewing, trimming and finally wearing your new piece of clothing

Weapons Smithing - How to take an ingot of metal and make a blade. How to take an ingot of metal and make wire to make chains to make mail. How to make arrowheads of various types, and the uses for the various types of arrow heads

Weaving - Unfortunately, due to size and portability restrictions, only lap looms and inkle looms are available for weaving demonstrations. (See textile arts)

Wood Working- How to make things from wood in a period fashion. How to carve decorations in to the wood. What wood would be used for what piece? How was medieval furniture made? How to make plates, bowls, cups and spoons

Again if there is any topic on this list that does not cover something you are interested in, please contact the demonstration coordinator. If there is anything on the list that you would like more information on, or would like to know if a “hands on” version of a demonstration component is possible, please contact the demonstration coordinator.

* Be aware that we can provide “tournament demonstrations”, in which actual SCA fighters depict a combat between equally armed and chivalrous combatants. Fighters may be either heavy weapons (Sword & Shield) or light blade (Rapier), depending on whom is available for the day of your demonstration. If you would like to have a combat component added to your demonstration, please contact us as soon as possible.

PLEASE NOTE: For a combat component to be added to your demonstration, we will need to know what your school/ group/ organization policy is regarding weaponry on your premises. We will also have to have written permission from some one in authority stating that a fighter’s demonstration is allowed on your premises for the date of the demonstration. Without written permission, no fighting component will be allowed to go on at any demonstration, no matter what may have been agreed to in any prior verbal exchanges.

If you have any further questions, please contact the demonstration coordinator,

Name:

Phone number:

E-mail:

Pre-Demonstration Worksheet

The Demonstration Space

The demo is being held in __ a Room __an auditorium __out of doors

If the demo will be in an auditorium, will microphones or other forms of amplification be available to us? __Yes __ No

Will we have tables and chairs available __Yes __ No

Will children be able to reach them? __Yes __ No

Is the space accessible to the handicapped? __Yes __ No

Demonstration Time and Students/Attendees

The demo is scheduled between the hours of ________ and ______________.

Will there be __one demo or __ several repeating demonstrations?

Will there be __ a single class or __ multiple classes?

How many students will be attending? ____________

What is the grade level of the students?____________

Campus Rules

Things we cannot bring on to the campus __ Tobacco products __ cell phones __ beepers __ medications __ other ___________________________________

Can we bring Historical Weapons on campus for display only? __Yes __No

Should presenters not wear personal blades / eating knives? __Yes __No

Do we have a approval letter for martial arts__Yes __No

If so attach to the questionnaire for quarterly report

Day of the Demonstration

Who will be our campus contact for the demonstration? ________________________

Where should we meet our contact? __________________________________________

Where should we park our cars?

________________________________________________________________________

Is Handicapped parking available? __Yes __No

Additional Information

________________________________________________________________________