NR - Maybe this is a stupid comment, but...

[Burke McCrory]

At 11:58 PM 8/31/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Kat said:
> > I don't think there was ever the perception that the event was for
> > any one local group.  Certainly Wiesenfeuer never demanded or
> > claimed to be entitled to more credit than any other group.  Had
> > that happened, I think the event would have died that first year.
>
>You know, I just sat here for five minutes trying to put my thoughts into
>words.  This subject is hard to define, because it sits close to the hearts
>of many people.  Thus, it takes many words to express.
>
>The way I looked at it, Wiesenfeuer had an event for the kingdom and asked
>everyone up here in the North to help them with it.  They'd take
>responsibility for co-ordinating it, and the rest of us would help them by
>taking charge of individual activities.  I had no problem calling it a
>"Regional Event", because everyone in the region was invited to help.  If
>Northkeep, Eldern, or Wastelands has run it instead, it still would have
>been the same kind of thing.  It was "OUR" event, "us'uns", "we'all", etc.
>The North.  And a group stepped forward, and an autocrat put her sanity on
>the line... :)
>
>A few years later, the kingdom took note of our actions, and defined for the
>benefit of all what it takes to run a "regional" event.  They used the
>exacting words of law to do this, capturing as well they could the inexact
>currents and feelings behind NRT.  Why?  I guess because "we'uns" set such a
>good example that other areas of the kingdom wanted to follow suit.

Your Excellency is right on the mark.  While the concept of regional events 
dates back to Sir Frederick's tenure as Kingdom seneschal it wasn't until 
NRT that regional events actually started happening on a continuing 
basis.  NRT was the event that motivated the Kingdom to actually write down 
guidelines and rules for regional events.  And I can say without any worry 
of contradiction that when I wrote the last Kingdom law I used NRT as the 
model for Regional calender events, when you have a great example you use it.

>I still view NRT as "our" event, the North getting together to put on a good
>event for one another and send a little money back to Ansteorra's coffers.
>And to show the rest of the Known World how to work and still have a good
>time.  We get things accomplished that benefit us, helping out the folk who
>cannot travel as far by bringing some of that back here.

I agree

>And I feel NRT was a success *because* it had one group in charge.  I hate
>governance by committee; if I had wanted that I would have joined the
>Society for Creative Democracy.  Committees tend to argue about the best way
>to boil eggs.  With a single autocrat/steward, they say "Three minutes".
>Right or wrong, it's three minutes.  But at least the egg gets cooked.  And
>if it's wrong, we'll do better next year.

Again this is why the idea of coordinating group is part of the guidelines 
for putting on a Regional event.

>So thank you, Wiesenfeuer.  I have enjoyed several great NR Tributes under
>your stewardship, and hope to see more in the future following the example
>you set.
>
>Baron Ulf

I would echo that and add a thank you to Gitana for starting the event in 
the first place.

Burke

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