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.)
Whyt Whey banner on display at a recent Provincial practice.
Join the Canton of Whyt Whey with Aurelia di Giovanni Bedici of the Crown Province of Østgarðr right here in the East Kingdom for a special multi-kingdom event!
Join us for a two-part adventure with Chaucer! Aurelia di Giovanni Bedici will introduce us to concepts in 14th C. English law, followed by a dramatic reading of The Physician’s Tale from the Canterbury Tales!
This will allow us to engage with the incredible amount of 14th C. law embedded in the tale, as Chaucer makes use of a lot of coded language and euphemisms that would have been readily understood by his contemporaries but require more explanation for a modern audience, as the law has changed significantly in the intervening period.
Reading the tale in advance is encouraged! https://chaucer.fas.harvard.edu/pages/physicians-tale-0
Our readers are:
Susan of Etherstone, MKA Sue Lewis, of the Midrealm Baroness Helouys le Poer, of Lochac Catelin Straquhin, MKA Catherine Strachan, of the East Kingdom Verenne de Forêt, MKA Victoria Larkin, of the East Kingdom Lady Bethoc the Unhomed, MKA Carol Eileen Rouhani, of the West Kingdom
Aurelia di Giovanni Bedici, MKA: Tamara Bedic, is a resident of the Crown Province of Østgarðr has a Master’s in medieval history from NYU and Columbia and a law degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in medieval literature at CUNY.
The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.
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.)
The best way to reach the festival is to take the “A” train to the 190th St. station, then follow the crowds up the elevators and into the park. (This is the way many of the other 50,000 attendees will arrive, so the elevator up from the subway to the park can be fairly crowded, but it only takes a few minutes.)
When you reach the park, walk through the main gate and continue down the road for another minute until you see an open field on your left; our encampment is in a cluster of tents on the top of that little hill.
Alternately, you can reach us via a less-trafficked walkway by entering the park just to the left of the main gate, and then taking the first right, as shown in the map below.
Park Entrances And Paths
The M4 Bus
You can take the Cloisters-bound M4 bus north to its last stop at the entrance to the park. (Accessibility note: unlike the subway, this route does not involve any stairs.)
Intercity Transit
For those coming from outside the city via Amtrak, NJ Transit, or regional bus, you can transfer to the New York City Subway’s “A” train at Penn Station or the Port Authority bus terminal; from MetroNorth or LIRR take the “S” Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square to connect to the A train.
Carpool
If you know several people who are coming in separate vehicles, it may be worth the effort to meet up somewhere just outside the city where parking is easy and then car-pool in from there to reduce the parking hassle.
Driving Directions
The event organizers discourage driving to the site because traffic and parking will be challenging, but if you’re bringing a significant amount of gear, or if you have limited mobility and can not climb the multiple flights of stairs from the subway station, read on for details about getting to the site by car.
The place within the park where we will be set up is just south of the “New Leaf” restaurant at 1 Margaret Corbin Drive.
If you’re traveling to the site by car, you may find police barricades directing traffic away from the site, but you can tell them that you’re a performer working at the festival and they should allow you through.
The map attached below highlights some areas to give you a sense of where we’ll be within the overall site area, and where the parking and transit options are.
Region of Cloisters Demo
Loading And Unloading
If you want to drive into the park to drop off gear, you must arrive before 9:30, as all vehicles must be cleared from the park by 10:00.
There is ALWAYS a traffic jam of entering vehicles. We are conveniently located just inside the south entrance, which eases our loading. Please take care not to block the roadway for others who are attempting to drive further into the park.
Alternately you can stop your car outside the park, unload on the sidewalk and have passengers walk your gear to the site while the driver stays with the car.
If you are delayed in transit, and arrive after 10:00, you will not be able to drive your car into the park. Instead, find parking and haul your stuff in manually. If you need unloading assistance, come to our demo location and ask for help.
Cars will be allowed back on site to load gear once the crowd clears, around 6:30 or 7:00. We must wait for the public to walk out before we start driving in. The festival ends at 6:00. It takes time for 60,000 people to exit the very large park.
Parking Passes
For a limited number of participants who contact us in advance, we might be able to arrange a pass for parking near the site. If you’re interested in a parking pass, contact the event steward ASAP: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin, at 231060@members.eastkingdom.org or via phone/SMS to 917-502-7795, and provide your full name, a description of your car, and your license plate number.
You do NOT need a parking pass to drive your vehicle on & off site at the beginning and end of the day. The parking pass also does not guarantee you a spot. It simply allows you to look for parking in the cordoned-off parking area nearby. Folks with parking passes should arrive early to increase your chances of finding parking in this area.
Even with a parking pass, be prepared for delays getting on and off site, because it can take a long time to get vehicles into the parking area, you may have to park some distance away from our field, and when the event is over and you’re ready to leave you will find yourself in the middle of a miniature traffic jam that takes a while to clear.
Public Parking
If you don’t have a parking pass, or if the cordoned-off parking-pass area is full when you arrive, you may need to drive several blocks away to find free street parking, or use a paid parking lot. Street parking nearby fills up quickly, but if you are early you may be able to find something.
Below is a map of nearby parking garages. Garage #3 is not as useful as it appears in this aerial view, because to get into the park from there you need to walk up a very steep hill (almost a cliff); the other two are an easier walk.
Parking garages near Fort Tryon Park
If you’re not carrying a lot of gear and you don’t want to deal with this parking hassle, you might want to stop at some distance from the event and look for on-street parking then take a taxi the rest of the way, or find parking near a station of the “A” train and take the subway for a few minutes to reach the site.
This Sunday, September 30th, from 11:30 to 6:00, the New York City chapter of the S.C.A. will once again be participating in The Medieval Festival at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, the largest event of its kind in our area.
The best way to reach the festival is to take the “A” train to the 190th St. station, then follow the crowds up the elevators and into the park. Walk through the gate and continue down the road for another minute until you see an open field on your left; our encampment is in a cluster of tents on the top of that little hill.
Here’s a summary of some of what we’ll be exhibiting to the public:
The Society of Creative Anachronism will host a medieval village on the south lawn re-creating many aspects of life from the end of classical antiquity through the renaissance.
Learn how you can join our society, master these skills, and immerse yourself in living history, so you can experience “the middle ages as they ought to have been.”
Fine Arts & Practical Crafts:
Visit throughout the day for displays of fine arts and practical crafts, including calligraphy and illumination, spinning and embroidery, glass and metalwork, weapons and armor.
Performance & Pageantry:
Get an up-close look at the music and dance, clothing and ceremony of the middle ages.
• 1:00 Musical Performances And Medieval Sing-Along
• 2:00 Historical World Fashion Show
• 3:00 Medieval and Renaissance Dance
• 4:00 Musical Performances
• 5:00 Crown Provincial Court
Fighting Arena:
Armored fighters protected by steel and leather fight brutal battles with heavy weapons, while fencers engage in rapier duels that are more elegant, but just as deadly.
Youth Activities:
Discover the kinds of games kids would have played five hundred or a thousand years ago. Watch our trained child warriors fight to the (pretend) death, or let your own youngsters try some target practice with our foam-padded swords and spears.
Please join us Thursday, September 13, for a Commons meeting and post-Pennsic classes solar.
The Commons will chiefly cover the Cloisters demo on Sep. 30. If you have anything specific you’d like to put on the agenda, please reach out to your humble correspondent.
Following Commons, we’ll talk about things we learned & saw at Pennsic. Bring any handouts or details you’d like to share!
We will be at the usual location, 255 W. 105th St., #21. Commons will begin at 7pm, and the schola will follow.
Sunday, April 29, 2pm – 5pm at the Grecian Pavilion in Prospect Park (96 Parkside Ave. Brooklyn) we are picnicking in the ruins! Please join us for a lovely afternoon in the park, sharing food (potluck) and companionship (storytelling, dancing, fighting, music & fiber arts).
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!
