The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us for an afternoon of holiday cheer in a cozy kitchen!
As the year comes to an end, let’s come together to bake cookies, decorate them with heraldic and medieval designs, then enjoy them with a mug of mulled cider or bubbly holiday beverage.
If you’re into baking, you can prepare some cookies ahead of time and bring them over to decorate with the group — or just show up and we’ll hand you some cookie cutters and a bag of frosting and let you run wild.
We’ll gather at 3:00 PM on Sunday, December 29 at the home of our chatelaine Madwen Gam, at 569 W 161st Street, buzzer 6, just east of Broadway. (Note that this site is upstairs and is not wheelchair-accessible.)
All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. No fee. Modern attire; come as you are. You may RSVP if you wish, or just come by and say hello!
We had a nice turnout for today’s trip to the Met, with seven people gathering to view an interesting mix of paintings and artifacts from the fourteenth century. Afterwards we stopped in the recently-refreshed painting galleries to peek at some of the subsequent developments.
As we noted multiple times during the trip, there are at least a dozen other halls filled with items we’d like to examine on a future visit, so I’m sure we’ll be back again in the months ahead. Keep an eye out for additional announcements and we’d love to have you join us on our next outing!
The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us on another informal weekend outing to one of our many world-class museums.
On Sunday, December 8, at 2:00 we’ll gather at the Met to view their exhibit “Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350” which highlights some of the artistic developments at the dawn of the renaissance. In addition to large paintings (and so much gold leaf!) the exhibit also includes a few books, textiles, and carvings. Afterwards, we can pass through the recently-reopened European painting galleries, which had been closed for the last few years to allow for renovation of the building’s skylights.
We’ll meet up on the front steps, weather permitting, or in the lobby atrium, and then enter as a group. (If you miss us there, call Mathghamhain at 917-502-7795 to link up inside the museum.) We’ll probably spend about two hours in the museum, and when we’re done some of us may walk over to Madison to get a snack in a local diner.
Visitors with proof of New York State residence may pay any amount to enter (as little as $1) and the same goes for students from NJ and CT; sadly, for other out-of-state visitors or those without ID, admission is an exorbitant $30.
All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. There is no charge to join us. Modern attire; come as you are. The museum is ADA-accessible; use the street-level entrance to bypass the main stairs.
Our canton’s quarterly business meeting was held on Monday, November 18, 2024. The minutes are attached below, as recorded by Mathghamhain and reviewed by Alienor.
Attendance
Canton Members:
Alienor, Seneschal
Zahra, Exchequer
Ibrahim, Arts & Sciences
Madwen, Chatelaine
Mathghamhain, Herald / Webminister
Thorfinnr
Provincial Guests:
Ragnarr, Provincial Seneschal
Jenna
Seneschal
Alienor: How’s everyone been doing since our last commons meeting in July? Any news?
Anyone need to step back? Anyone want to volunteer to get more involved, as an officer or a deputy or just in general? Reach out to me or the other officers and we’ll help you get started!
Our museum outings have been going well — the Cloisters in October, and Islamic Spain yesterday.
Officers, if you’re not sure about when your reports to kingdom are due, there’s a Google Calendar for that: bit.ly/ek-reports
Arts & Sciences
Ibrahim: I just filed my year-end report, also sent around via email.
At least two of our Canton’s members taught classes at Pennsic this year. The wonderfully generous Madwen Gam has been hosting a monthly “afternoon solar” where folks from our Canton (as well as other nearby parts) gather for handcrafts, snacks, and friendly chatter. We’ve also had intermittent group outings to local museums with exhibits of interest to the SCA’s areas of study. This fall we’ve had a trip to the world-famous Cloisters to browse their permanent collection and a trip to the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (a very small local museum affiliated with NYU) to see their exhibit “Madinat al-Zahra: The Radiant Capital of Islamic Spain” which includes art and artifacts from Cordoba in the tenth and eleventh centuries. More museum trips are expected in the coming months/years. And, of course, folks from Appleholm have attended classes and workshops throughout the Crown Province and its other Cantons.
Herald / Webminister
Mathghamhain: I filed my webministry report in October, and my heraldic report at the start of this month.
I’m continuing to post our local activities to the website, mailing list, and social media.
I did some work on moving the canton’s mailing lists to our new domain name earlier this year, but I didn’t finish the process and flip the switch to take it live; I’ll try to finish that up soon.
Chatelaine
Madwen: We’ve had a good turnout for the Solars. We’re drawing in some new folks who’re trying things for the first time.
Our next gathering will be this Sunday, November 24.
I’d love to host additional gatherings, let me know if you have ideas.
Exchequer
Zahra: I’m coming up on two years in the exchequer’s office, and I’m ready to step down some time in the months ahead.
Mathghamhain: Thank you for sticking at it despite your move. We’ll look for a replacement.
Upcoming Activities
Alienor: Hundred Minutes War is this weekend, Sat. Nov. 23, Sparta NJ.
Mathghamhain: If anyone is driving and has space for a passenger, please let me know.
Madwen: I’ll check with Franciscus to see if they’re driving.
Ragnarr: Folks from the province are going to set up a central location at Hundred Minutes War, come and find us.
Alienor: The November Solar will be the next day at Madwen’s, Sun. Nov. 24, W 161st.
Alienor: The December gallery outing will be to see paintings from 14th Century Siena, Sun. Dec. 8 at the Met.
Mathghamhain: The normal Solar schedule runs into the middle of the December holidays.
Madwen: I’ll host it anyway; we can do a “New Year’s” theme, Sun. Dec. 29.
Alienor: Deck the Halls of Valhalla is coming up, Sat Jan 11, Brooklyn.
It’s transit accessible. Make sure to pre-reg soon because it will fill up.
Thorfinnr: I can teach a class, either the same one as last year or something new.
Ragnarr: I’ll pass that along to the event steward.
Alienor: We could do another gallery outing on Sun. Jan. 19 — please let us know if you have suggestions for a destination.
Alienor: The January Solar will be Sun. Jan. 26, but note that this is up against Birka.
Mathghamhain: Some folks from the province will make the trip up for that, but lots of people will still be around.
Alienor: Our next quarterly commons meeting will be Monday, January 27.
Zahra: I’m going to be wiped out after Birka so I might not make it to the meeting.
Alienor: For the February gallery outing, perhaps we can schedule this for Sun. Feb. 2.
We could go to see “The Book of Marvels” at the Morgan. (Runs from Jan 24 – May 25.)
Alienor: Are there any other events or ideas we should discuss?
Mathghamhain: Ibrahim has recently talked about organizing a couple of Tuesday night fencing-themed garb/gear-crafting sessions over the winter.
Madwen: Some of the rattan fighters have been talking about an armor-repair night, maybe we could pair those up?
Mathghamhain: I’d like to organize another May Day picnic in the spring.
When going through scanned canton newsletters from thirty years ago I noticed that they also held picnic events in that same location, so we’re carrying on a tradition!
Alienor: We should restart dance classes.
Madwen: Yes, please — multiple people have mentioned an interest in dance classes.
Alienor: I can investigate studio space availability — what days or times do you think would work for people?
Madwen: The folks who’ve talked about this have regular weekday work schedules, so weekends would be best.
It was lovely to see folks at this weekend’s gallery visit to the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World for their exhibit of artifacts from the tenth-century capital of Islamic Spain. It was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of this intriguing culture that is sometimes relegated to the margins of our study of the medieval world.
We’ll review recent local activity and discuss possible plans for the winter months. We can also consider any other business raised by the officers or populace. As always, folks are welcome to hang out and socialize following the conclusion of the meeting.
Our gatherings are open to everyone. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. We look forward to seeing you!
Our thanks to Madwen for hosting the eight of us for a pleasant afternoon of handcrafts, snacks, and friendly chatter. We had a delightful mix of newcomers and old-timers — of locals with folks who’d come in from nearby cantons — and of beginners practicing new skills and experts putting well-honed crafts to work. We look forward to seeing folks again next month!
The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us for an afternoon of crafting, conversation and companionship!
You can bring a handcraft project to work on, a snack to share, a story to tell, or questions you want to explore — or walk in empty-handed and leave with a full belly, freshly-learned skills, a length of fabric, and new friendships!
We’ll gather at 3:00 PM on Sunday, October 27 at the home of our chatelaine Madwen Gam, at 569 W 161st Street, buzzer 6, just east of Broadway. (Note that this site is upstairs and is not wheelchair-accessible.)
All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. No fee. Modern attire; come as you are. Feel free to RSVP or just come by and say hello!
Detail of knitted sock fabric from Egypt circa 1200 CE. Used under license from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a small gallery and our visit is only expected to last around an hour or so. Afterwards, some folks may choose to go to lunch at a nearby diner.
The ISAW gallery is located at 14 E 84th St, between Madison and Fifth. The closest subway station is the 4 train at 86th and Lex, or you can take the M1, M2, M3, M4, or M86 bus.
Admission is free. The site is wheelchair-accessible and ADA-compliant.
If you have trouble difficulty finding our group at the museum, you can call Mathghamhain at 917-502-7795 for assistance.
All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. No fee. Modern attire; come as you are.
The Canton of Appleholm invites you to join us on another informal weekend outing to one of our many world-class museums.
On Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 we’ll gather outside the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park and enter as a group. Our visit is expected to last for two to three hours. Afterwards, folks who are hungry may walk down the hill to a local restaurant.
(If you’re new to the Cloisters, it’s New York City’s unique immersive museum of medieval art and architecture, constructed from several medieval European buildings which were purchased piecemeal a hundred years ago and relocated to upper Manhattan, then reassembled and filled with a variety of period artworks.)
To reach the Cloisters:
By subway, take the A train to 190th Street, then use the elevators to exit on Fort Washington Avenue. From there, you can either transfer to the uptown M4 into the park to reach its final stop, or you can walk north along the path into the park for about fifteen minutes to reach the Cloisters. (Note that while maps may suggest that you could take the A or 1 trains to Dyckman Street and walk into the park from there, we generally don’t recommend this route because of the 180-foot climb up the stairs on the very, very steep hillside.)
By bus, take the uptown M4 bus to its last stop.
By car, navigate to 99 Margaret Corbin Drive and look for public parking space in or around Fort Tryon Park.
If you have trouble reaching the site, or arrive late and have difficulty finding our group, you can call Mathghamhain at 917-502-7795 for assistance.
Residents of New York State with a valid ID may pay any amount to enter, as little as $1, and the same goes for students from NJ and CT; sadly, for other out-of-state visitors or those without ID, the museum’s admission fee is an exorbitant $30.
Unfortunately, this site is not wheelchair-friendly due to the cobblestones and numerous stairs throughout the facility; they are reportedly able to shuttle wheelchairs into the building, but access to many of the exhibits is still limited.
All are welcome to join us. No Society membership or previous experience required. Modern attire; come as you are. (Note that the museum’s rules specifically exclude “costumes,” and although it’s unevenly enforced, folks in garb may be turned away.)
