Five Fragments For Friday.

.....Fragment The First: On Tuesday at the Baronial Fight Practice / Social, a member of the Populace was talking to me about a new policy being implemented at Autumn War this year. Those in charge of various activities at the event are being asked to read and sign a 'contract' in support of the activities they are managing. This contract outlined what services were specifically going to be provided. What time they were to be on site and leave site. What facilities and structures they were responsible for overseeing. What hours they had to be in operation. There were apparently other guidelines and restrictions as well outlined in the 'contract'.

.....The person who was relaying this to me was unwilling to sign the contract. They were actually feeling a little insulted. In their case they had been providing this services for several years now. They'd always provided exactly what they said they would provide, and followed all the rules and guidelines given to them. This signing of a 'contract' to them implied that their word was no longer trusted. I could see why they were feeling like they were, to be honest.

.....It'll be interesting to see how this policy works out for Autumn War. I could see a 'contract' being implemented if these people were being paid for their services. Or if they were borrowing specialized or valuable equipment. But for an event that is staffed by volunteers? In support of an event that is catering to those same volunteers? I could really see that turning people away from volunteering all together. And not just because they feel insulted. I could see people reluctant from volunteering based on the simple fact that they would not want the added 'responsibility' implied in a contract.

.....My guess is that this is stemming from others who have made promises in the past but have not lived up to them. But that is inherent in a Volunteer Organization. It's the nature of 'Real Life' versus 'Hobby Life' and all the conflicts between (no matter how you define them).

.....This resembles a Renaissance Faire attitude actually. I'm curious if the inspiration for this came from that direction. At Renaissance Faires I've seen, the performers sign a contract and are paid for their services. Doesn't necessarily mean in a monetary sense as it could be camping or board. That would be a radical shift for the SCA, more in a 'pay to play' direction. It might be the answer to a lot of financial woes. But it certainly goes against some of the very basic tenets of the SCA.

.....Fragment The Second: There is a push happening for a Baronial Gathering on Saturday evening of June Faire. TBT and I are really conflicted on how this should work. The King and Queen will be holding Court that evening, and it will be long. There is at least one Peerage Ceremony of which I know is happening, and maybe another. TBT and I are also planning our own Court sometime in that time frame. So, by the time all is said and done, it will most likely be 8PM or so before we are all drifting back to our camps. We will have urged everyone to have made arrangements for dinner to happen before or during Court (due to a long and physically demanding day), so setting up a Baronial Pot-Luck for the evening seems like a non-starter. At dusk there is a Fire Show tentatively scheduled, and it is always well attended, so I'm not sure that scheduling a Bardic Gathering for that time seems problematic as well. So that really leaves a Bardic Gathering for later in the evening. TBT and I will be exhausted by then. We'll make a presence, but it will not exactly be an active presence.

.....I'm scouting about for ideas on where to take this. A gathering is important as it helps group unity. We like to promote Dragon's Laire as a family, or at least a group of good friends who work together. We should do something. Maybe we could have someone else sponsor a Bardic of some type that we also attend. We'll have to talk about this more and see what ideas come up.

.....Fragment The Third: We finally mitigated the last concerns with the September Crown site this week! Huzzah! The third site owner is no longer in the picture as the Port of Bremerton now officially controls that land. We met with the Port of Bremerton director on Monday to walk over the area and we were given everything we wanted. They want a contract, and to be named on the site insurance certificate. But they will not require a payment at all. Which is great!

.....Looks like they are also going to mow and brush-cut the site for us as well. Fantastic! This will save us a goodly number of dollars. Those dollars will probably go towards paying on the metered water to site. But it'll balance out in the end. The Port of Bremerton folks were also helpful in advice for traffic patterns and other ideas we might implement for the site. I'm starting to get excited. This weekend, the Parking Coordinator, the RV Coordinator, and I will walk over the area and come up with a plan we like.

.....September Crown planning meeting set up for May 2nd. We'll put together our overarching Planning Timetable for the rest of the summer. We have to be careful to not take any momentum away from June Faire. But there are a large number of things that could be done 'under the radar' between now and mid June.

.....Fragment The Fourth: This summer looks extremely scary. Starting with May Crown all the way through to Last Chance sometime in September. If there is not an event on the weekend itself, there is a Serjeantry Testing session the immediate Monday following each weekend. I thought we might be able to day trip to May Faire and Honey Way. But I just don't see how we're going to be able to do it. An Tir / West War is totally off of the table at this point.

.....Next year should be a little better. We'll have a pool of Serjeants who can lead the testing cycle. We'll be fine-tuning the requirements and trying to get them into a final form that is actually publishable. Although I'm still hopeful to make that happen this year. There are people who want to follow the Trials by following along with the written requirements. Which is actually a good way to audit the system in preparation of making a run for it themselves. My goal is to take each section bite-by-bite this summer as each test is completed and make adjustments right then, while it is fresh in everyone's minds. Then, after the Trials are complete in August, we'll be able to publish the final summary.

.....This August / September will be the worst. Picnic the first weekend. Huntsman's Challenge the second. Serjeantry Trials the third. One free weekend to prepare for September Crown. Then September Crown itself. We'll have one free weekend off after that, then the Last Chance Marshallate Championships will take place. It's somewhat exhilarating, but just thinking about it is tiring me out. :-)

.....Fragment The Fifth: One of the things that has defined our tenure are the messages to the e-list basically thanking and recognizing everyone for their efforts on behalf of the Barony. It is a small token, but one that seems to be appreciated by some. Others roll their eyes and hit the delete key every time they see one of them. :-) For which I understand and hold no animosity. They are huge masses of words to read through. But it has been good training in the art of putting out meaningful words by the gross. It has actually helped at work as well. Over the past six months I've been writing up awards recommendations and articles on what the Shipyard Team has been doing in support of the overall mission. Every one of those write-ups has garnered attention and achieved whatever goal was sought. Every one of the awards recommendations ended up as a winner. Every write-up I've done has been taken almost word-for-word and put into the Shipyard newsletter. It's been rather cool to watch.

.....Now, if I could shift that style over to Science Fiction / Fantasy, it would be outstandingly cool! I'd change careers in a heart-beat and just write for a living. Editing has never been my strong suit though. There would still be much to learn before I could get to that point. Starting with focus and the ability to stick to one thing through to completion. That's a very difficult one for me. :-)

.....Now it's time for the weekend. Many things on the 'to-do' list. But sleeping in for an extra hour or so each day certainly makes up for it. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.