[Ravensfort] Fw: {ravensrattan} Re: Demo Opportunity

Thu May 27 19:28:02 PDT 2010

I have posted this on our Facebook page Barony of Raven's Fort.  I did not put personal phone numbers or addresses on the entry.  All three people listed on facebook can be located on facebook.  Also gave the link to Longship Furniture so though who could attend could purchase raffle tickets.  I have 5 because there are some things I want from them.

Crockett is in our Barony.  Not only is this a chance to help a family but at the same time we can show our skills.  It was posted with the proper permission.  FB pages shows date, time, location.

Lady Runa of The Thundering Herd
http://www.bedlambazaar.com
http://bedlambazaar.blogspot.com
http://runa-herd.livejournal.com 
http://thethunderingherd.net
http://www.bootyparlorparties.com/SherMontgomery

  ----- Original Message ----- 

             Good Gentles All,

            I, Ly Katrina Alyse Argo, protégé to Mesterinde Annes Clotilde von Bamburg; Proprietress of Longship Furniture (formerly known as Barefoot Boxes) do come to you with proverbial “hat in hand” begging a boon.  This missive is long, but I must tell the whole tale for you to understand my need and the opportunity awaiting you.

            A few weeks ago, my good Lord Thorkin of Blackthorne, Squire to Sir Arenveld Kief av Kiersted, heard of the plight of a Navarro County family through an old high school friend.  

            At that time, their 13 yr old daughter, Tory Lee Cantu, was in the ICU at Children’s Hospital in Dallas and the parents had no insurance coverage for their beloved child.  It seems that when this beautiful, vivacious girl was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, her parents removed her from the insurance which would have skyrocketed beyond their reach so that she could receive free treatments through the Scottish Rites, a charity hospital.  

            Tory had been doing well through Scottish Rites but awoke one day at home feeling rather ill.  Her local doctor diagnosed her with an infection, and prescribed a few days of antibiotics and bed rest.  By that afternoon she was being rushed to the hospital suffering from convulsions with what appeared to be an allergic reaction.  She was stabilized at Scottish Rites and then transferred to Children’s Hospital as they had better facilities.  For those who are not aware, Scottish Rites and Children’s Hospital are two separate entities, so the “free” care did not apply to her stay at Children's.  Tory had to undergo several blood transfusions and long stays in the ICU.  

            Sadly, Tory lost her fight with RA and the sepsis she developed from the allergic reaction on April 14, 2010.  As you can well imagine, her family and friends are devastated to have lost such a bright, shining star.  Now, the hospital bills are beginning to pour in and her family is dealing with both their grief for their daughter's death and bills that continue to grow daily.   

            There has been local effort to help. Her community in the Corsicana area has made arrangements with Carter Blood Care Centers out of Lufkin to donate $10 per pint of blood donated to her account toward the medical bills.  A trust fund has been set up at Prosperity Bank in Corsicana for donations.  The Cotton Patch Restaurants have held benefits for the family.  They have been selling “Tory bracelets” and having benefit concerts as well as softball tournaments to raise money.

            This family’s plight has touched our hearts also.  Longship Furniture is holding a raffle for a Gift Certificate worth up to $450 toward the purchase of any piece of our camp furniture.  Beyond this we were originally going to try to do the raffle along with a Blood Drive and a small SCA Demo in the Palestine area.  Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, another date and another venue had to be found.

            This past Saturday, I journeyed to Crockett, Texas to meet with the American Legion Post No.134 about possibly using their building to hold the Blood Drive and a small SCA Demo knowing that I would have to explain our passion to them since they had little knowledge of what we do.  

            Before I even arrived, the Post Commander had decided that they were going to do it. He had also decided that they wanted to turn this into a really grand event.  He stated that he had not heard of a more worthy cause than this in a very long time.  He was extremely interested in the SCA and the Demo.  Although he could not attend the meeting, he sent word to his second in command to “go with it.”

            My Lords and Ladies, I have never sat with a more enthusiastic group to plan an event.  They realize that to make this successful there will need to be diversity.  

            The American Legion Post is going to coordinate with the local classic car club and motorcycle club to get them to come out.  They will advertise the event a total of 8 times in the local papers and many more times on the radio station at no cost.  They want to put up flyers and posters all over town and in local cities to draw in more of a crowd, again at no cost.  

            The Women’s Auxiliary is planning a bake sale, hot dogs and drinks the day of the event and are taking the raffle tickets to their churches to sell them there.  They are also going around to the local business to get items donated for a silent auction.  They are lining up the Mayor of Crockett or the Rodeo Queen to come handle the raffle drawing and announce the winners of the silent auction.  There is a very good chance that there will probably be a news crew there from the local TV station.

            And then talk turned to the SCA demo …I explained that we are a non-profit, educational Society with worldwide branches.  I spoke of many things that evening as I often do when quizzed about this Dream that we all love.

            I told them of our Heavy Fighters and had to explain our Order of Precedence, how Crown is won, describe to them our Kingdoms, Baronies, Shires and Cantons. I spoke of our gallant Light Fighters and the honor they give our Queen by serving her during her reign.  

            I mentioned the beauty and grace of our Middle Eastern dancers and the musicians that provide inspiration for them--Of the magic of seeing the Castle at Bordermarch aglow at night with firelight--Of the beauty and pageantry that is the Lysts at Castleton--The joy of listening to our Bards both in Court and around friendly campfires at night--The knowledge and grace of our Laurels and Pelicans, as well as our Landed and Court Barons/Baronesses- -The wealth of talent that are the Merchants of the SCA.  

            I mentioned our Equestrian Group and I thought they were going to explode with excitement. You see, Crockett is in the middle of horse and cattle ranch country and the thought of "real" knights on horseback set them on fire!!  

            I didn’t even make it to telling them about the archery, Royal Huntsman, greyhound coursing and so much more that is the SCA.

            Here is what came from that telling. They want as much of Our Dream as we can bring to them!  There has never been a “medieval reenactment” done in their area and they believe that that fact alone will bring people from miles around out to see us.  

            My “little” demo has turned into something that is totally out of my realm and I desperately need the help of each and every person who reads this!!!  The date of Saturday, July 17th was selected as our target date.  I know that Round Table is set for that weekend, but I am hopeful that I will still be able to get a decent showing for these wonderful Veterans who are so happy and excited about seeing us show up.

            While the Post itself is not large, it is still a decent sized building; they do have a lot of land available and are drawing up a formal outline which they will be sending to me soon.  The Post is surrounded by the Crockett Civic Center and the Davy Crockett Memorial Park.  They would like for the Heavy and Light Fighting to be held in a “fenced” area around their war memorial and a tank under the trees.  

            There is a pasture behind the building that they will groom for the Equestrians, or if needs be, they will make arrangements for us to use the Arena at the Civic Center just across the road. They will set aside five spaces in their RV park area for any who would like to come up the Friday night before to begin setting up early mostly for those with special needs.  They would like Merchants to come and display and sell their wares (for a donation to Tory’s cause or an item to the silent auction).  They would like to see our artisans set up displays inside in the Hall.  

            In all honesty, I have many questions and I need all of the input and assistance that I can get from each and every one of you.  

            Whose domain does Crockett fall into (zip code is 75835)?  ~~Raven's Fort~~

            Since this is not an official event and we are not charging a site fee, do I need to worry about insurance and if so how do I get it?  

            Will I be able to get enough field heralds and water bearers to handle the outside announcements?   

             If you are a Hospitaler or Seneschal within a 2-3 hour drive of Crockett, PLEASE talk to your populace about coming out to what may be one of the biggest demos this area has seen since we were part of TRF. PLEASE contact me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, as I need to know who is interested in participating in this ever growing event! This is your opportunity to really add to Our Dream with new enthusiastic members!

            I await your swift replies and help. I remain, as always, 

            Yours in Service,

            Ly Katrina Alyse Argo

            Mundane Name: Cam Battaglia -  15 River Terrace - Dayton, TX  77535

            Cell Phone:         (281) 904-0218 (no calls M-F between 9 am to 6 pm leave a message)

            Evening Phone:  (281) 576-5485 (please leave a voice message)

            Email:                cam.battaglia@ gmail.com

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