20260523 A note of gratitude from the Event Steward for the the Kingdom of Meridies Artsy Crown event.

Earlier in the year while I was at Gulf Wars with Earl Benen, an opportunity found its way to our doorstep back at home for our shire. The Kingdom had sent messengers that it was in need of a host for the Spring Crown List and Arts and Sciences Faire (Artsy Crown) in May. Mistress Ellen, our seneschal, got to work trying to figure out if it would be possible for us to be of service to our beloved kingdom.

Our shire,  in good order and well attended, is strong and full of good folk but we were already obligated for a rescheduled Kingdom's War College and Fighter's Collegium event in June which (originally slated for January 2026). For this reason, we needed some help if we were to host another Kingdom event in such a short time period.  

It was at this point, seeking a partnership to help us, that the Shire of Vulpine Reach was approached and graciously accepted our request for assistance. Meetings were held with both groups and membership of both agreed that we would answer the Kingdom's call. The Shire of Easaraigh in partnership with the Shire of Vulpine Reach would host Artsy Crown. But, there was a caveat…

The event is structured as a 2 day event, held over the Memorial Day weekend. The A&S Faire is held on Saturday. The Crown List is held on Sunday. The site that we would bid the event for is a day trip site. It doesn’t have the amenities for an overnight event. So, we bid the 2 day even as a 1 day event.

Our great Kingdom of Meridies accepted our bid with a compressed 1 day structure for Artsy Crown. This was the event I accepted the honor of stewarding for our two shires.

A lot of rapid, fast planning went into it. The two group seneschals, Zayn al-Munajjima known as Mittens and Ellen Delacey, got to work on getting the two groups merged into one event team. Easaraigh taking the lead in some areas, Vulpine Reach led in others. Together, we moved forward and together we pulled it off. This was a first event behind the curtain for many of our members. Mentoring was the rule of the day. Everyone that could, pitched in and a lot was learned in the process.

In the compressed timeline, our Kingdom held its Crown List and secured its legacy with new heirs in TRH Conrad and Genevieve. The Rose Tea was held with Mistress Katherine Spencer and the Valkyries providing support to that effort.  Mistress Ellen managed the hall where A&S Faire entrants showed their work for both judging and display after which the Queen chose her new champion in M. Ysabel de Sancte Croix and a Writ for Order of the Laurel was presented to Master Rodrigo Luis de Alburquerque. 

And then there was the usual event stuff that was done while everything else was going on. Mistress Zayn (Mittens) and crew served a filling lunch for everyone that attended. Cecily, Kilat and Kira supported many newcomers at the first event with help from The Oloye Kehinde running guided tours. Lord Ronan of Axbridge oversaw the pavilion activities for us while the list was happening then he and HL Ignatius Xavier Cortez Galeno de Compostella oversaw pickups for armored and rapier in the afternoon. All day long, Duke Lawrence of Ashana hosted a thrown weapons range (he would be asked to join the Order of the Mark later in the day). Ldy Eleri uxor Ronani and her staff managed an orderly check in and registration. Ldy Constance Saxham ran children's activities for all the children present. So many people chipped in to fill out the staff teams and make it happen. My appreciation to all of you.

It was a busy day. For my part as event steward, there were no issues of note. My role was that of a fireman. I was there to put out fires. But, there were none. The train ran on time. We hit our checkpoints. The kingdom and populace was served. It just worked. I could not have asked for things to have run much better than it did.

For those that attended and shared the day with us, Thank You! All day long, people were jumping up to help us with this and that. The assistance of the populace as we went through our plan was the intangible thing that really made light work of the whole thing in the end. 

An event is not easy. I do not want to make light of the work and effort that went into bringing this to completion. But, every hand, contribution, word of advice, and the support of our kingdom made the hard, possible and seem like it was routine.

Please know that these words are the truth that I believe, my part in this affair was nothing but that of a figurehead. 

Many people came to me during the event and took time to thank me for the work the team did. It was the work of both shires and Kingdom officers that made all this happen and gave us a successful result. Every word of thanks and comment of appreciation I received goes to them. 

For the Shires of Easaraigh and Vulpine Reach, I say Thank You! I applaud you and will sing your praises for all to hear. 

To TRM Randver and Arianne and the Kingdom Seneschal, Duke Wulfstan  - Thank you for placing your faith in us. 

Ad Astra!

Syr Eoin Mac Cana, OP
Warden of the Northern Plateau
Event Steward for the Kingdom of Meridies Spring Crown List and Arts and Sciences Faire

Reflections on my elevation to the Order of Chivalry

Now a few weeks removed from my second elevation, I am pondering where to go from here.

I have earned two peerages now in the SCA. Order of the Pelican first. Order of the Chivalry second. Both, quite suddenly I might add.

The road to the Order of Pelican was accidental. I did not purposefully seek recognition. I did things that I thought needed to be done. I did things I wanted to do. I supported folks around me doing things that they were doing. Add in a lot of time of repeating these actions and someone noticing. Viola! The Order took me in. I do feel like I earned it. I don’t feel like I trained for it… if that makes any sense. I was never a protégé. I never sought the attention of anyone in the Order. I just did ‘my thing’.  Doing ‘my thing’ is the only thing I know how to do. I expect that won’t change. I’d have to deliberately turn off that mannerism, and I don’t think I know how. That part of my participation in our hobby, just doing things that need doing when I can do them, is the part I like and is the part that fulfills my SCA when nothing else has my attention. 

Will I seek to train future Pelicans? Can’t say for sure. As I said, I never was a protégé. Im not sure I know how to help someone become a Pelican. Telling someone to just ‘do what I do’ isn’t very intuitive or informative. Training someone else on how to serve and be of service… well, Ill need to think on that. 

Now, I am a Knight of the Society for Creative Anachronism. I am no longer a squire. I was a squire for about 34 years at the time of this writing. It was part of my identity in the SCA. That is gone. Finished. I ask myself, what kind of knight will I be? I honestly never delved into that question before. I expect I will be answering this question from now until the end of time. This achievement was a reward of pursuit. I am still the same person I was before. I am the same fighter as I was before. That idea best expressed in the movie ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ keeps coming to mind. Will I be a better fighter? Will I be a better person? I don’t think those are things I can answer for myself. Those are matters of franchise where perceptions of others set the tone. But none the less I am dubbed ‘knight’ and that means a lot of things to different people. I am not certain that I know what being a knight means to me yet.  I feel the intangible weight of it. The Order accepted me for who I am now, but I feel like I need to be better somehow for those on the outside looking at me and for that matter, maybe myself. I feel this more now with the Chivalry than I did with the Pelican. I attribute that feeling to the difference in how I found these achievements.  I’ll need to revisit these thoughts later to see is this perception I am feeling is true or just something ethereal in my mind. 

Will I take on squires? I think I could after I have worn the mantle for a bit. I think I understand how to support and manage someone on the chivalric path. If someone comes along seeking that guidance and the relationship feels right, I will probably take them on. Time and circumstance will dictate where my path goes from here.

Am I in some sort of SCA limbo now? Where I sit now in my SCA journey is unexplored territory for me. There are plenty around me that have done the same. But this is a first for me. This is the start of a time where I choose the direction my path takes without the subtle nudges of others helping me decide. This will be an adventure of my making. Much like when I started in this hobby back in 1987, the whole of the SCA is laid before me to discover. I am in some small way, starting anew. I think I will be wandering a bit. A ‘walkabout’ is in order. I’ll get into some things I have been putting off for various reasons and maybe just enjoy not having the gentle pressure that wearing a red belt put on me. This hobby has so much to offer and my small participation in it barely scratches the surface. I look forward to whatever comes next.

I’ll see all you dreamers out there soon, there’s fun to be had.

Well met friends. Safe journey to thee!

Syr Eoin Mac Cana called 'Clyde', OP
Warden of the Northern Plateau
Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies