[Western] a big thank you! (long)

[rlportwood]

Greetings!
We would like to thank everyone who came to Bonwicke's 20th
Anniversary and 12th Night for sharing a wonderful day and evening
with us!  We hope you all had as good a time as we did.
Thank you to Their Majesties for gracing us with their presence!  We
hope you had a wonderful time.
Congratulations to HL Erazmus for winning our Heavy Tourney, Don
Ansgar for winning our Light Tourney, Lady Margaret for winning our
Arts & Sciences Competition, and Alexander for winning our Youth
Chivalric Tourney. And a big congratulations goes out to Lord Louie
for becoming the newest Royal Huntsman. VIVAT to all!
We would like to send a huge thank you to the cooking crew!  To Master
Rosario, Mistress Ulrica, HL Sigren, Lady Revekka, Lady Ysoulde, Lord
Byron, and so many, many more for preparing and serving such a
magnificent feast!!!  You don't know how much we appreciate all your
hard work and enjoy your incredible cooking.
We would also like to thank the populace of Bonwicke for working so
hard to make 12th Night a wonderful success!  Thanks to Bonnie, HL
Niccola, Lady Caidhae (sorry, it's that Gaelic thing) for running
gate, and another thanks to Niccola for EVERYTHING ELSE you did, and
one more thanks to Caidhae for clean up.  Thanks to HL Kainin and HL
Oriana for EVERYTHING you did from the auction to stuffing eggs to
serving, etc.   Thanks to Lady Serafina for your artistic skills.
Thanks to James for helping with everything including the list field.
Thanks to Clinton for all your sweeping and mopping (you must have
learned that on your dad's sailboat, matey!). Thanks to Brittany for
being our MOC for the day.  Thanks to Lady Margaret for running the
Youth Chivalric Tourney, Waddles for running the Light Tourney, and
Lord Jasper for running the Heavy Tourney.  Thanks to Lord Eadric for
coming such a long way to run the Royal Huntsman Competition.  Thanks
to all the List Mistresses for running the Lists. And thank you to
everyone else that helped.  We apologize for not knowing everyone's
names and the help they contributed.
No other place in the Kingdom is like the Western Region.  Many people
from other parts of our Kingdom, and beyond, comment on how we are
more like one family than separate groups.  It doesn't matter what
event it is or who's hosting it, we all pitch in.  It's not because we
have to, but it's because we want to.  Years ago, we used to hear very
negative comments about being from the WR, how "provincial" we were,
how backwards we were, how we didn't play the game the way it was
supposed to be played, etc.  This is no longer the case.  The comments
we hear now are so positive!  Now, it's considered an honor to be from
the WR.  Be proud and be glad you are a part of such a great region!
Vivat the Western Region!!!
Congratulations goes out to all of those who received awards this
weekend.  They are all so well-deserved.  An especially big
congratulations goes out to HIS EXCELLENCY CHIANG TI LUNG.  Wow!
That's way cool!!!  Baron Chiang!  Boy, that sounds good!  Just kinda
rolls off the tongue, doesn't it!
Whew!  Can we all kick back for awhile now?  We'd like to say yes, but
No!  Next is Crown Tourney in March!  HL Kainin is the Steward of the
event so please offer your help to him so that we can show off our
wonderful region again!
Also, please remember other events coming up within the WR.
Adlersruhe is holding Bards and Arts the first weekend in February,
Bonwicke's Champions de la Croix is in April, and Mendersham's
Defender is in May.  We've always said that it was good to go to at
least one event each month.  These are all within the region and
within "day-tripping" distance.  Please try to go to these events and
support your "family".
In Service,
Vallust et Ascelyn
Baron et Baroness de Bonwicke