[Ansteorra] Event Calendar

[Chris Zakes]

At 08:33 PM 1/2/2011, you wrote:

>"*But most of that information is already on the Ansteorran calendar
>website. For example the date for *next* year's Candlemas is already posted,
>as are general locations--by both SCA and mundane name--for it, and most
>other events on the calendar. (The major exception being the location of
>"floating" events like Crown Tourney or Queen's Champion; but the dates are
>there.) So if someone needs a six-month lead to request time off for, say,
>Queen's or Gothic War, or Bryn Gwlad Baronial, it's easy to find out what
>the date is.*"
>
>I also know what day the Fall semester is going to start on two years from
>now... that doesn't do me one whit of good in planning that semester until
>the course catalog for it is published.

Maybe not, but it *does* tell you when you need to be home from your 
vacation that summer. And presumably they *will* post the course 
catalog in time to plan that semester. That's the same way the 
Ansteorran Calendar works: the dates are scheduled months, sometimes 
years in advance. As we get closer to the event, detailed websites 
are set up and links are posted to the online Calendar.


>I can plan to go to an event on a certain date all I want, but knowing that
>something is on such-and-such weekend in such-and-such barony isn't that
>helpful. Where in the barony? It matters, you might not find driving another
>hour to be a problem, but it can be quite cost prohibitive to some. If I am
>not mistaken, the northernmost point of Glaslyn to the Southernmost point of
>Lindenwood in the barony of Steppes alone can constitute a two hour drive.
>With the price of gas, that can be a considerable distance.

<chuckle> Funny you should mention that. I'm planning to go to 
Guardian of the Gauntlet and Steppes Twelfth Night this coming 
weekend. My daughter wants to go to a non-SCA event in Denton. I was 
figuring "Okay, Denton isn't *that* far from Dallas, we can probably 
do this..." then I discovered the site is in *Athens* 75 miles 
southeast of Dallas.


>There is also the matter of simply: will I have anything to do at this
>event? Social events are great for me, especially if they are going to be
>outdoors; but I have a hard time with A&S and bardic competitions and it is
>frustrating to hear that "there will be an A&S/bardic competition" at and
>event with no real qualifiers, and then find out later that the A&S
>competition is using the kingdom judging sheets and/or does not allow
>performance arts or they don't want research papers, or that there was an
>unannounced theme that I can't meet; or to find out that the bardic
>competition has requirements that I can't meet (I'm not really a "bard"
>anyway). Some people don't just show up at events to swing a stick around,
>and ending up at events where everything is just fighting with no real
>social atmosphere or anything else isn't fun.

And that kind of information *should* be on the website and/or the 
Black Star announcement. But does it really need to be on the Kingdom 
Calendar, when you can get to the information with a couple more 
mouse clicks or by turning a few pages?

         -Tivar Moondragon