Preparation is now in full swing for our public event at the Cloisters on Sunday, October 2, and we’d love your help!

This is the SCA’s biggest demo opportunity of the year, with more than fifty thousand people attending New York City’s annual medieval festival.

• Chatelaines, help us answer questions and welcome newcomers!
• Artists and artisans and researchers, exhibit your work to an audience of thousands!
• Musicians and bards, set the mood and capture the attention of the crowd!
• Rattan and rapier fighters, display your mettle before cheering fans!
• Everyone, spend the day showing the public the best of our Society!

All are welcome at this free event, and pre-registration is not needed, but if you’re able to join us, please let us know now so that we can include you in our plans.

Comment here, or email 231060@members.eastkingdom.org, or message me at http://m.me/mcavalletto, or join our planning call by Google Meet on Thursday, September 15, at 7 PM Eastern here: meet.google.com/azp-fqtb-dbn.

Event location and schedule details are available on our website:
https://appleholm.eastkingdom.org/cloisters-demo/

Please join local members of the SCA in a visit to the Cloisters museum on Sunday, November 28.

(If you’re new to the Cloisters, it’s New York City’s 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 filled with a variety of period artworks.)

We’ll meet in the park right across the street from the main entrance and enter at 1:00, and plan to stay for three or four hours. (If folks are in the mood afterwards, we might also walk down the hill and get a bite or a drink at a local restaurant.)

[Update:] Unfortunately, museum policies prohibit visiting in historical clothing; this policy is not consistently enforced, but to avoid problems we encourage modern dress.

To reach the Cloisters by transit, take the A train to 181st Street, then use the elevators to exit on Fort Washington Avenue and transfer to the uptown M4 bus which ends at the Cloisters. (Sadly, the otherwise-convenient 190th Street station is closed for repair work.) Alternately, take the A or 1 trains to Dyckman Street and be prepared for a very, very steep climb up the 180-foot hillside.

If coming by car, I believe you should be able to find parking spaces within walking distance in or around Fort Tryon Park.

Online reservations are required to enter the museum. Please RSVP ASAP to seneschal@whytwhey.eastkingdom.org so that we can reserve sufficient spaces. 

The “general admission” price is $25, but residents of New York State with a valid ID may pay what you will. (If the cost is a barrier, please contact the seneschal for assistance.)

Face masks must be worn throughout the visit. Like many New York City venues, the Cloisters requires visitors aged twelve or over to show proof of vaccination. The East Kingdom requires participants aged twelve or over to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result from the prior three days. Both organizations require photo ID for those aged eighteen or over. 

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try 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.

(Cloisters photograph by Christopher Down licensed under Creative Commons.)

The Crown Province’s weekly practice has been bustling this fall, with fencing, armored combat, and dance lessons happening on the field, as well as engaging with the many passers-by who stop to learn about our activities.

A number of folks from our fair canton are typically in attendance — now’s a great time to join us!

We gather on Tuesdays starting around 7:00 at McCarren Park in Brooklyn, in easy walking distance from the L train — see directions here, or email the seneschal if you’d be interested in catching a ride out by car. (Activities may be cancelled due to weather or the availability of our marshals, so get in touch via email or social media to confirm our schedule.)

Denizens of Whyt Whey and the surrounding lands, join us for a park picnic to celebrate the summer and spend time in good company after so long apart!

We will gather on Sunday, July 25, starting at 2:00 PM — unless the weather is inclement, in which case we will announce a postponement to the following Sunday, August 1.

[UPDATE, July 25: the weather forecast for this afternoon has been downgraded to “scattered thunderstorms,” so it looks like we need to push our picnic back to the rain date, next Sunday, August 1. The long-range forecast suggests next Sunday will be dry and pleasant — I look forward to seeing you all then!]

[UPDATE, August 1: Today’s weather is looking pleasant — comfortable temperatures and no rain until late in the day — so we’re moving ahead with our picnic plans for this afternoon. Pack your lunch and join us at 2:00 on the Great Hill!]

Please meet us on the Great Hill in Central Park, near 105th Street at Central Park West. (You can take the B or C trains to 103rd Street, enter the park and take your first left to climb the hill. Alternately, the park entrance at West 106th Street offers both stairs and a sloping path up to the top.)