The Canton of Whyt Whey invites you to join us in rehearsing our steps as we anticipate the spring ball season.
On Sunday, February 19, at 3 PM, we will gather at a local dance studio, Bridge For Dance, 2726 Broadway, between 104th and 105th Streets, in studio 2 on the 3rd floor. (This is the east side of Broadway, upstairs from the McDonalds, just a minute’s walk from the #1 train at 103rd Street.)
We have the dance studio rented for just one hour, so arrive a few minutes early and be ready to dance!
As with traditional country dances of 15th C England, we begin with bransles: double, single, Cassandre & Pinagay. If you can step to your left and to your right, and sometimes do a little kick in the air, you are ready to rumba! Er, I mean bransle! (Pronounced brawl, and can indeed become quite lively.)
There are nearby cafes to which we can repair after dancing, should we wish to socialize before parting.
Accessibility note: this site is NOT accessible. There are 3 flights of 13, 10 & 18 steps to the studio. The banister is sturdy, if you are able to haul yourself.
All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire. Feel free to RSVP or just show up.
Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.
Please join us this coming Saturday, December 17th, 2pm for a brisk outdoors social celebration. We are meeting in Riverside park, at the middle level promenade, on the parapet overlooking on the basketball court, around 102nd St. (It might be the roof of the 102nd St. field house? Google Maps to the field house will put you within sight of us.) We will have chairs, blankets, and mulled cider!
Come toast the health of our canton with the fruits of its harvest, hot spiced cider from our October picking, pressing & brewing season. Skies are expected to sunny and bright, temperature hovering around 40ºF with winds <10mph. Our cheeks will be pink and our spirits high!
[Update:] For those not familiar with this stretch of the park: from Riverside Drive at 103rd Street, take the stairs down into the park, then at the bottom of the steps turn left and go down the long ramp to the promenade level and you will be facing the terrace.
Reminder: canton commons (our semi-regular on-line business and social gathering) is tomorrow! Join us to hear how the Cloisters demo went, talk about our new name, and plan fall activities! Dancing, museums, in-home arts & science gatherings? Let’s chat….
Please join us on the 2nd Thursday in January of the new calendar year, for a Commons meeting and social gathering! Meet your new officers, hear inspiring words from our new Seneschal, Lady Vika Grigina z Prahy, and talk about the future of our canton under new direction.
After the Commons, relax and enjoy the company of your fellow members. You are welcome to bring a project you are working on, socialize, eat, enjoy!
During this portion of the evening, Lady Vika will be lending us her expertise in fitting. If you have a yen to be measured, pray attend. She will have handouts with measurements to be recorded, and measuring tapes to go around. If you need new garb, now is an excellent opportunity to improve its fit, whether you are interested in the simplicity of a rectangularly constructed tunic, or leaning towards a fitted kirtle.
Barley stew, both with and without pork, for dinner, with oatcakes, a simple salad, and berries with cream for dessert. The finest Iron Age cuisine to be had in the 21st Century.
We will gather in our usual location, 255 W. 105th St., #21, on January 11th, at 7pm.
Please join us this Thursday, December 15th, at our usual time (7:30pm) and place, 255 W. 105th St, #21 to practice Medieval Bookbinding!
This is a class on the basic principles of medieval bookbinding, as taught to Lady Beatrice della Rocca by Lady Linden le Bukere at this past Pennsic. We will be binding sections of pages together onto a harder paper cover. We will be using modern materials to save cost. At the end of the class, everyone should have a little book to take home with them. All materials will be provided.
Dinner will be mushroom barley stew — one pot with pork and another without. Then fruit with cream for dessert. Basically a reprise of last winter’s Iron Age feast. Because YUM!
[Update, Dec 15:] Lady Alienor is fighting off a cold and has spent most of the day in bed rather than preparing the promised stew, so we’re going to have to settle for fancy pizza instead. Maybe next time! —Mathghamhain
For the convenience of our hosts, we are moving the Evenings in the Solar, our Arts & Sciences social gathering (and occasional business meeting) to the second Thursday of each month. As always, gatherings will be confirmed via an announcement on this website, as well as in email to the canton mailing list, and by post to the canton Facebook group.
Our next Solar will therefore be December 14th. We will be holding a book-binding party. Lady Angelica di Nova Lipa has provided us with quantities of lovely paper, which we will stitch into signatures under the instruction of Lady Beatrice, who studied bookbinding at Pennsic University this summer.
Please join us Thursday, November 16th, at 7:30 in our usual location, 255 W 105th St., for an evening of scribal experimentation. Our illustrious Vicereine, Lady Lada, Il-Khatun of the Eastern Ulus, will be instructing your hostess, Hlæfdige Alienor Salton, in the finer points of painting, loading the brush and other like basics. Bring your scribal supplies, if any, your questions about basic illumination kit, and your sense of play.
We had SO MANY VOLUNTEERS at our Cloisters demo at the Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival the first weekend in October! I have been compiling this list ever since, and even then I know I am missing some people. Please forgive any omissions! You’ll notice I have also failed to record all the jobs people did — because everyone was hustling so hard! And our demo was HUGE. We collected almost 80?? new e-mail addresses from people interested in our activities.
Here are the 73!!! people who turned out and pitched in. Please correct any misspellings or titles — I checked the heraldic registry and the order of precedence where available, but those don’t necessarily list preferred spellings and have some omissions.
Lord Alexander MacLachlan, ably ran our fencing tournaments.
Lady Beatrice della Rocca, managed the children’s table, fencing mistress of lists, setup & takedown.
Lord Erich Guter Muth, our minister of lists for armored combat, herald for the fashion show, fencer, setup & takedown.
Hlæfdige Alienor Salton, who walked in the fashion show & watched in amazement as everyone did such a fabulous job!
Bóaire Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin, youth combat marshal.
Baron Yehuda ben Moshe, wrangler of youths combatant.
Alaxandair Mórda mac Matha, youth fighter.
Kenneth the Red, youth fighter.
Odin, youth fighter.
Leo, youth fighter.
Samuel, youth fighter.
Galen, youth fighter.
Callum, youth fighter.
Lady Angelica di Nova Lipa, bearer of burdens, bringer of infrastructure, chatelaine, children’s table.
Avran of Northpass, armored fighter.
Lord Wilhelm of Northpass, dance master.
Lady Conandil ingen Donngaile, dance mistress.
Benjamin, teacher of period games, dancer.
Gabriel, dancer.
Lord Conor Ó Ceallaigh
Lord Brandr nefsbrjotr Aronsson, blacksmith.
Randvé Littill Hamar, blacksmith’s able assistant.
Lady Erlan skáld í Norðrlandi, lampworker.
Lady Godiva de la Mer, fashion show, hats!
Mistress Judith the Uncertain, masks, fashion show.
Lady Magdelena Caminante, chatelaine.
Lady Marion of York, fencer.
Lord Mongu Chinua, pointy weapons, herald for the provincial court.
Lord Miyamoto Jirou Tadayoshi, called Daishi, armored fighter.
Lord Rónán fitz Robert, fighter.
Lady Sáline baen Rónán fitz Robert, scribal demo.
Mistress Sofya Gianetta di Trieste, chatelaine, fashion show.
Lord Ervald La Coudre Edwardson the Optimistic, armored combat marshal in charge.
Count Jarl Valgard Stonecleaver, armored combat.
Caitlin of Østgarðr, children’s table, bearer of burdens, fast as lightning, setup & takedown.
Martin Harding
Lady Anneke Valmarsdotter, wire ring making teacher, fashion show.
Il-Kha’an Suuder Saran, pointy things, viceroy.
Il-Khatun Lada Monguligin, scribal demo, vicereine.
Lord Þórfinn Hróðgeirsson, spinning teacher, fashion show.
Jean de la Rue, bearer of burdens, setup & takedown.
Lord Seamus of Arindale, fighter.
Baroness Sorcha of Stonegrave, chatelaine.
Baroness Suzanne Neuber de Londres, chatelaine.
Lady Sorcha de Barry of Coill Tuar, chatelaine.
Lady Juliana le Chaluner of An Dubhaigeainn, chatelaine.
Lady Nyfain merch Coel of Rusted Woodlands, chatelaine.
Lady Aislinn of An Dubhaigeainn, chatelaine.
Stephanie of Østgarðr
Lord Reuben the Curious
Lady Branimira of the Isles, embroidery, taker of names, setup & takedown.
Lord Özurr the Bootgiver, armored fighter.
Lady Elizabeth nic Ian merchenting
Alysaundre Sherre de Saford
Gawain Enlil Mackay, fighter.
Luna Vega
Lord Muiredach of Ostgardr
Thomas Trueheart
Lady Zippora DuBois of Buckland Cross
Stanislaus Polanski of Buckland Cross
Michelle of Brokenbridge
Jade of Settmour Swamp
Kate Regina
Anne, setup & takedown.
Samantha Rosas
Bella of Carillion
Franklin of Gryphonwald
Bayan Hanover
Padraig of Midland Vale
Marta of Midland Vale
Frank Ehlers
Sarah McGill
Victoria, setup & takedown.
Here was our layout on the day — you can see what an enormous effort was required to meet & greet, entertain & educate the near-constant stream of visitors with our armored combat, fencing, youth combat, lampworking, blacksmithing, pointy weapons, scribal, dancing, fashion, hats, embroidery, masks, games, children’s activities (catapult, brass rubbings,…), wire ring making, spinning and MORE!
