Welcome to the Canton of Porte de l'Eau!
Greetings and welcome to the SCA!
This site is for the Canton of Port de l'Eau,
the local SCA branch covering the Eastern portion of King County.
For information about our parent branch please refer to the
Barony of Madrone website.
If you are looking for information about another area within central AnTir, see
the kingdom
branch list.
For more newcomer's help and information, please contact our chatelaine, Sir Martin du Harpur
The Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA
for short, is a group of people who formed in order to research and recreate
various aspects of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, sharing this
information and their passion for these times with each other and with the
public. For more information about the SCA in general, please refer to the
main website at http://www.sca.org, or the
introductory page at
http://www.sca.org/sca-intro.html.
Description of Activities and Events:
Activities that were common during the time period the SCA works with, such as armored fighting, rapier, and combat & target archery, are major elements of the SCA. These have weekly practices and seasonal tournaments, and many social activities center around practices or tournament fights.
Costuming is another mainstay. Outfits created in a style similar to what would have been worn during the "period" are collectively referred to as "garb". Methods of costume design and construction are taught through the Sewing Guild, and classes are also offered at Arts & Sciences events.
Each person participating in the SCA has the opportunity to create a "persona", or model characterization of someone who could have lived during the Middle Ages. Period names and associated symbols (known as "devices") are adopted by many to accompany their persona. These items are researched with the help of the local Heralds.
And no society can function on an empty stomach. Members of the Culinary Guild and other cooking groups recreate period recipes for everything from simple dishes to sumptuous feasts. Feasts are often part of major weekend events during tournament season, and we also have banquet events where the feast is the main focus.
Tournament and banquet events are great opportunities for the many entertainers of the SCA to share their talent. Performing groups play period instruments, or sing madrigals, or put on plays written by talented local playwrights. Period dances are taught to the interested populace at weekly dance practice, and the canton co-sponsors an annual Day of Dance in the spring.
Awards are often given at events by our kingdom's King and Queen, or their local representatives the Baron and Baroness. Such awards are usually presented with a medallion or token on a necklace, and are accompanied by a hand-painted scroll. The processes of designing, illuminating, and writing text in period calligraphy styles are referred to as the Scribal Arts. Similar to fighting, costuming, cooking, and dancing, these Scribal Arts are also practiced at regular gatherings and taught at events.
Events where the main focus is teaching the public about period activities and arts are classified as demonstration events, or "demos" for short. We also sometimes provide a demo element to a non-SCA run event. Such demo events are open to the public and period garb is not required. Local gatherings and business meetings are also typically non-garb events. Other events, particularly banquets or weekend tournaments, usually recommend or require garb. Some loaner costumes, termed "Gold Key", may be available. If you don't have your own garb, ask about Gold Key at the gate of any such event, or check with our chatelaine ahead of time to borrow something from Porte de l'Eau's Gold Key.
Local Gatherings:
One of the best ways to meet people in the canton is to come to the Friday evening fighter practice and social gathering. There is also a Scribal gathering on the second Tuesday of each month. We also have periodic Arts & Sciences nights, Dance Socials, Archery practices as the season allows, and Madrone Madrigal Singers on alternate Friday nights. Information on regular events can be found on the main page, details of special events are often sent to local email lists.
Business Meetings:
Port de l'Eau business meetings are another good way to meet people and get involved with the branch. They are the third Monday of each month at an area restaurant starting around 7:30, but folks gather at Ceolfleod and Aleyn's house at 6:30 ish, sharing food and stories.
The Barony of Madrone also has regular monthly business meetings, on the first Monday of each month. Please refer to the baronial web page for more information.
Canton Mailing List:
Another useful way to get information about the goings-on within the canton is to subscribe to the canton e-mail list. Information on how to subscribe can be found here.
Upcoming Events:
Canton Events: http://dubhlinn.com/pdl/events.htm
Barony of Madrone: http://www.baronyofmadrone.com/c-e.asp
Kingdom of AnTir: http://www.antir.sca.org/Upcoming/
Membership:
If you are not yet a member of the SCA you can
still come to most gatherings and events. However, membership allows you to
hold office, participate in member-only events, and receive regular copies of
the kingdom newsletter. Additionally, there is a non-member surcharge of $3 at
non-demo events that members do not pay.
For more information on registering please see
http://www.sca.org/members/welcome.html.
Thank you for being interested in the SCA and the Canton of
Porte de l'Eau!