[Steppes] The Great Jack O' Lantern Shoot !!

[William Black Dragon]

Stingy Jack's scary evil minions' attack is only hours away!  
Come help us defend our lands from his spooks, ghosts & 
goblins by snuffing out their grinning Jack-O-Lanterns for another 
year!
 
Come join in the fun & revelry of our "Great Jack-O-Lantern Shoot" 
tomorrow afternoon & evening in Southern Steppes!  (details listed 
below)
 
Hope to see you there!
 
Have a safe & Happy Halloween,
 
Ironwyrm
 

--- On Sat, 10/18/08, William Black Dragon <hlironwyrm at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

From: William Black Dragon <hlironwyrm at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [Steppes] The Great Jack O' Lantern Shoot !!
To: steppes at ansteorra.org
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2008, 10:34 AM

IT'S THE GREAT JACK O' LANTERN SHOOT!!
Saturday 3PM November 1, 2008 

As our days grow short and the shadows longer, 
there's the hint of chill in the blowing wind, 
dogs howl at the rising moon, grim looking 
gourds with dimly lit features quietly watch  
& wait from the darkness.  Soon, very soon 
they shall answer Stingy Jack's call! 

The grimacing ugly-faced Jack O' Lanterns of the 
season are not something to be welcome, but are 
instead something we should be prepared to defend 
ourselves against!

The tradition of carving Jack O' Lanterns 
goes back to ancient times when people 
believed evil spirits roamed the earth and 
returned to their homes in winter. An Irish 
legend tells of a rude & abrasive man named 
Jack whom upon his death, was not welcomed 
in heaven or hell.  "Stingy Jack" had played 
tricks on the devil himself.  Not even welcome 
in Purgatory, Jack was destined to haunt the 
earthly world.  He carried a lantern and came 
to represent lost souls trying to escape the 
forthcoming winter.  

At end of harvest, the Halloween celebration 
represents the time when things die before 
life returns to the Earth to bloom in Spring.  
The Jack O' Lantern is associated with the 
dead whom have returned to haunt the Earth 
through winter carrying lanterns.  Local 
folklore often tells of dark figures holding 
lanterns along highways, railroads and 
waterways.  In the legends, the source of 
the eerie lights can never be found.

Our Steppes archers wish to invite our fellow 
members of the Barony to a gathering in 
celebration of the harvest season and "all 
things pumpkin" in a pumpkin themed afternoon 
and evening of contests, games and fun by 
defending our lands from wandering spirits 
with a dusk to dark Jack O' Lantern Shoot.  

You are all invited to Southern Steppes at 
the home of HL Donnel & Lord Alvin at 1361 
Vista Ridge, Midlothian TX 76065, to help 
defend against "Stingy Jack".  I'm sure a 
few well placed arrows shots can snuff out 
Jack's lanterns and help keep him at bay for 
yet another year.

This is a non-SCA private party, costuming 
is encouraged (Halloween or medieval) but 
not required.  Also it's a family oriented 
party so please keep that mind.  We plan 
games & contests just for fun before our 
Jack O' Lantern Shoot.  Bring your archery 
gear and we'll start our shoot just before 
dark.  We will be enjoying a variety of 
Pumpkin themed foods as well(Pray keep in 
mind our host Lord Alvin's peanut allergy 
when preparing your dishes or treats!).

Due to overwhelming requests we plan to 
add last year's impromptu combat missile 
pinata shoot to this year's list of 
activities.  As well as a mini-crossbow 
contest to help get you practiced up and 
ready for our annual table top siege & 
feast weapon tournament to be held at 
12th Night. 

RSVP is not strictly necessary but is 
appreciated so we know approximately how 
many to plan for.  Guests are encouraged 
to bring a pumpkin themed food to share.

Please note - our hosts request that you 
do not park in the access driveway to the 
water tower on the west side of the house 
and don't forget to bring your camp chairs 
& mugs.

3PM  Activities Start with Pumpkin Carving.
4PM  Mini-Crossbow Contest.
5PM  Combat Missile Pinata Shoot. 
6PM  Pumpkin Themed Potluck Dinner.
7PM  Jack O' Lantern Shoot.
8PM  Pumpkin Themed Desserts.

(times are just estimated, activities might 
run longer than allotted time to complete) 

I plan to make a large pot of chili for 
the potluck myself, pumpkin fried pies, 
and a couple of months back I challenged 
our members of the SLAB (Steppes Loose 
Association of Brewers) to a Pumpkin Ale 
brew-off for the party, I have one 
offering ready myself!  

So pray come out and join our Steppes 
archers for the fun on Saturday Nov. 1 
in Southern Steppes!  

Regards, 

HL William Black Dragon  called "Ironwyrm"


Directions - Make your way to HWY 67 south, 
           - turn left(that's east) on 287, 
           - turn right(south) at 9th/663 
             (between the RR tracks & CVS} 
           - follow 663 until it "T's" at 875
           - turn right(west) onto 875 
           - turn right(north) at Vista View 
             the second right, 
           - follow Vista View to Vista Ridge 
           - it's the two-story house you're 
             facing (1361 Vista Ridge). 
           - If lost call 972-723-5126














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