ANST-Announce - TRF - Year of the Silver Masque

[StephenMacthomas at aol.com]

Greetings unto all from Lord Stephen Macthomas, sponsor of the Texas 
Renaissance Festival mask competition.

Over the past seven weeks, I sponsored a weekly mask competition to promote 
the SCA's participation with the theme of TRF this season, the Year of the 
Silver Masque.  Over the season, we had a tremendous response, with entries 
of all materials and designs.  We had two skilled artisans teaching 
maskmaking to others - Lady Kieran, who created many blank mask forms and 
provided the fabric and other materials for those she taught, and Honorable 
Lord Brian, who brought his leatherwork out and helped many of our 
participants to create their own masks of hide.  Kieran and Brian were a 
fantastic assistance in helping promote the mask theme this year, and they 
helped a good number of Ansteorrans to wear masks when they otherwise would 
have had none to wear.  My thanks go to you both.

Our weekly winners were:  Lady Seren, Milady Jara, Lady Kieran, Tighearn 
Finn, Milady Guinivere, Milord Tyger and Milady Carina.  Each of these good 
gentles received a retired, undated Texas Renaissance Festival coffee/cocoa 
mug decorated with Real Musgrave dragons.  During Halloween weekend, we also 
held a costume contest, which was won by Lord Ragan of Raven's Fort, for his 
demon's armor and bonecraft mask.  Lord Ragan received a box in the shape of 
a tower's top, with a chained gargoyle holding vigil on the lid.

I wish to point out that the weekly winners of the last three weeks of the 
Festival were all children, and overall our young participants showed an 
amazing enthusiasm for this contest, and an exemplary grace in their 
participation.  Vivat our children, Ansteorra's future!

The overall winner received an exquisite limited edition block print entitled 
"St. Michael", created by Lady Lyonette von Leyden of the Barony of Elfsea.  
Lady Lyonette is apprenticed to Mistress Meadhbh ni Ruaidh o Chonnemara of 
the Barony of Bryn Gwlad.  This print was presented at Kingdom A&S by Lady 
Lyonette and was the first of four prints in the series.  Her contribution to 
this competition made it all the more special, and I thank Lyonette for her 
talents and her generosity.

The overall winner, chosen by volume and duration of the applause of those 
attending court on Sunday, was Lady Seren verch Gethin of the Canton of 
Gate's Edge.  Lady Seren created a bejeweled, beribboned mask from braids of 
hair.  The mask was stunning whether being worn on her head or on her face.  
Seren also created two other masks for the season, each one completely 
different in design and materials from the others, and each specific to her 
daily garb.  One of these masks was a full headpiece created of vividly 
colored feathers, complete with a "beak" for her face and ribbons of sheer 
fabric on her sleeves to mimic wings, and the entire ensemble was highly 
regarded in the costume competition held during Halloween weekend.

Again, my thanks to everyone that participated in this most entertaining 
competition, and my congratulations to the weekly winners, Lord Ragan and 
especially Lady Seren.  Vivat!


In your service,
Stephen
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