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<div>After reading Her Grace Willow's email, I felt I had to respond. </div>
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<div>Your Grace, there are a few things I must disagree with you on...</div>
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Most of the vigils are big shots patting other big shots on the back and getting drunk. They bear little or no relationship to a real vigil. Many people who are new to the SCA or don't have a peerage or are not in with the crown don't go.</blockquote>
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<div>Pray pardon, Your Grace, but I feel you are incorrect here. Vigils, at least the ones I've been to (knights, laurels, and pels), are not a big drunkfest. If I know someone is new to the SCA or the kingdom, I encourage them to go to a vigil and speak with the person being elevated. Many times, that newbie will glean some interesting insight into the SCA and the person being elevated has the satisfaction of knowing they helped someone new to the game. Sure, people drink at vigils. It IS a celebration, after all. But to make a blanket statement that vigils are big shots patting each other and drunkfests is patently false. </div>
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">The evening Bardic at Warlord boasted 25 performers and as many in the audience. As far as I could see there were only three Laurels and one Knight watching the performers and as for nobles there were four baron rank and myself. There was a definite feeling of being on the wrong side of the track.</blockquote>
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<div>As someone who competed at the Bardic Saturday night, I did NOT feel that way, nor did the MAJORITY of people I spoke to. So what if there were only three Laurels and one Knight? So what if there were four barons and a duchess in attendance? For some of us, performing at a Bardic is MUCH more than "getting noticed by the hats". I'm willing to bet those Laurels/Knights/Coronets/Crowns were being pulled in nine different directions (which I'm sure you know much about, being a Pelican and a Duchess) and could not be in five different places at once. The person those bards needed to perform for was there - Her Excellency Katherine, as gracious a hostess as ever I've seen. His Majesty even popped up out of the shadows as did His Excellency Namron. Perhaps Your Grace is projecting your own feelings on the crowd. Those I encountered Saturday night were awed and entertained by the Bards. </div>
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">we are being split into the important people and the not important people.</blockquote>
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<div>That's not what I'm seeing. Again, it's all in how you perceive things. </div><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">When I was doing my survey of why people weren't staying. I was told by some that the group was being run by old people who were stuck up.</blockquote>
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<div>Well, you know...perhaps you should ask the people you talked to WHY they feel that way. I have not seen a single person who was "stuck up" in this Barony, either before I left or since my return. Elfsea is one of those anomaly baronies - we are well and truly a family. Sure, we all have people we don't get along with or those we don't hit it off with immediately. But, I can say with complete certainty that if I requested help from someone, I would get that help, regardless of what "clique" I may or may not belong to. </div>
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">When we were trying to recreate pre 17th century activities we all worked together to produce a believable scenario. We need something that will bring us all together.</blockquote>
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<div>We HAVE that already. We're just in a small slump right now. Every Kingdom/Barony/Canton/Shire goes through that. People get tired. It happens. </div><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">One Elfsea Defender we had a fete and dancing on the green. We lite the list field up and had an hour shoe of good performers and then did dancing and we had food and a dessert table. We only had 250 people on site but we started a secondary area after the show and we had people going from the bardic to dancing and to the food all night. Late that night we had a capture the flag game. The party went on to 3 or 4. It was labor day and everyone was there for the next day tourney. By the way the temperature went up to 108.</blockquote>
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<div>That's awesome. It reminds me of ATYC, my very first event. </div><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">This was done by Elfsea as a whole and people in Elfsea went out of their way to invite people to the party. As I remember the party was in honor of the Queen of Love and Beauty. I think part of the party's entertainment was Crowning the Queen of Love and Beauty. This was when Elfsea was in a very Arthurian venue.<br>
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<div>Well, that may be what it was like back then. But, with everything, times change. People change. There is a different focus now than when you look back at those hazy, sepia-tinted remembered days. It's easy to look back at the past and say things were better then. We do that all the time mundanely. It's why we have oldies stations. :o) Perhaps instead of looking back and saying "it's crap now. It was so much better in my youth", why don't we work at making it better NOW? That's my goal,Your Grace, and I know that it is yours as well.</div>
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<div>As always, these are just my opinions and are said with the utmost respect and reverence.</div>
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<div>Ever in service with a song and a smile,</div>
<div>Lady Eleanor Cleavely</div>
<div>Bard of Elfsea</div>
<div>Descendant of the White Oak</div>
<div>member since 1999 (yep, still a young pup!)</div></div><br>-- <br>"Mine honor is my life; both grow in one;<br>take honor from me and my life is done."<br>--William Shakespeare<br><br>Ego existo obstinantus - I am resolved<br>
<br>Reluctor ultum , pareo parum - Resist much, obey little