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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoBodyTextIndent><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Once again, the Board of the Sam Houston Folk Festival has requested that Raven’s Fort rebuild their rendition of Hugh’s Town!</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoBodyTextIndent2><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">Last year, the Board Chairman, Dr. Patrick Nolan, did his own research to prove the 1160’s ancestry of General Houston and, despite the misgivings of several of his Board members, he contacted Raven’s Fort to introduce that facet of the Houston history To the Festival.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We all know that his gamble paid off and the attendees were enchanted!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>This year we, and the Museum, suffered a staggering blow.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Dr Nolan, our benefactor, suffered a massive heart attack and died.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But his plans for Hugh’s Town lived on.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We had made such a positive impression on the Board members that they were “overjoyed when you contacted us.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That made my job much easier… in that respect.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>First and foremost:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>they have moved us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We are no longer inside the white picket fence near the front on the Festival. A team of knowledgeable Raven’s Forter’s walked the Site before the 1<SUP>st</SUP> meeting, looking for the things necessary for safety of the fighters.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then, we met with Mrs. Ruth Samuell to see the Board’s suggested parcel.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As HE Brian and Don Charles discovered, the area was perfect -- all level, grassy land under a canopy of many, big trees.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Though it is all the way across the Festival site,
there is a parking lot only yards away, in which we will have 3 spaces assigned to us for loading/unloading and shuttling use, and there will be port-a-potties fairly close.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Board’s reason for the move was that we were such a popular attraction, that we formed a ‘road-block’ near the front of the Festival grounds.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With our new placement, they hope we will draw the attendees all the way through the Festival just to see us…. And on the way back, maybe they’ll spend some more money.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Second:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hugh’s Town will be more of a true, historical re-enactment than we usually do when doing a ‘Demo’.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The village, itself, is a trading village built up around the castle fortifications Sir Hugh had made.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This year, it will focus more on what was done in 1160 AD in western Scotland.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And each of our people will have an 1160 Hugh’s Town personae to be for the Festival.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"> This was the time of Richard the Lion-hearted, and Templars, and the Robin Hood mythos.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The garb was simple in lines:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>t-tunics and leggings, tunics, & long robes for the lords; t-tunics, shifts, coathardies with or without sideless surcotes for the ladies. All women, outside, wore head coverings!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A coif, cap, wimple, a veil… they just did.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And NO kilts, not even the Great kilts… that was the Highlanders.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hugh’s Town was in the
Lowlands.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Of course, fighting garb is fighting garb.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>I’m still brainstorming the kinds of things we can have under the A&S pavilion.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And will be talking more … via the Raven’s Fort list and on FaceBook.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Things like the kinds of foods they ate, the things they made for trade, their daily life, how they made cloth and much more. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Now, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the SCA part of the Demo.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>No, there will be a pavilion with the Hospitaler’s table and the albums and handouts and always someone to man it, to talk of who we are and what we do.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We just won’t be doing that in Hugh’s Town proper… much.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Third:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>At the 1<SUP>st</SUP> meeting, there had been some talk of having a stage near Hugh’s Town with performing acts… acts, which we would need to tone our noise down to accommodate.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That, as you can imagine did not sit well with the fighters.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I explained our problems to the Director, and, at the 2nd meeting, she had an answer for us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We were not to worry and to conduct our fights as usual.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Vivat!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Fourth:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Concerning the fighting, there was talk among the Marshals and their deputies of going to some form of regulated, timed fighting for this year and posting a sign with the times for all to see.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>At the 2nd meeting of the Board, that is exactly what they decided they wanted from all performers (that’s how they have classified Hugh’s Town).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Double Vivat!!!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN><B>The Festival runs the last weekend in April; Friday April 27, 9am to 4pm and Saturday April 28, 10am to 7pm.</B><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So mark your calendars now.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Please come and join us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you have any questions, please email me at ms_shanahan@yahoo.com.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoBodyTextIndent3><FONT face=Tahoma>That is all I have to report for the February and March meetings.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We have our land and the basic idea of what they want and a time frame.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So now we can see about making the miracles that we are so good at doing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hugh’s Town, here we come!</FONT></P></DIV></div></body></html>