How The Dream inspires us to create community
by her Excellency, Baroness Hillary of Langforde
Once upon a time, there were a group of people who loved the SCA. They loved fighting, brewing, other arts and sciences like the making of many many many many cookies because the Queen of the beloved Dragon so asked, and serving feast. They were made of cooks, and heralds (or retired heralds), chatelaines, and combatants. They loved being together and making SCA happen. But an evil force at times prevailed in the land. A dark presence that kept some of the company of friends from doing ALL THE THINGS! The force was known by all who lived in the once and future lands of Ayreton, it was known as Rush Hour Traffic. For our brave friends would try to drive into their most honored and respected home of Rokkehealden as they used to in their slightly younger youth (before they had achieved “Careers”, but later work days and Rush Hour Traffic often prevented the company of friends from being able to do those things they loved, with people whose company they missed. They hadn’t been able to attend such things as fighter practice, and A and S nights and sewing nights and heraldry. At least not on a regular basis as they wished to.
Our heroes were sad. Despondent even. They were attending events, but the connection with a local group was lacking, through no fault of their own home group. Then while sitting together in a kitchen, saddened because the demographics were only growing, not diminishing which meant MORE TRAFFIC and LESS TIME to play, a forward thinking soul, wanting to abolish the sorrow from his friends for once and for all, stated with a self-depreciating chuckle, “We could always form a group around here.” The gentles laughed. The gentles stopped laughing. The gentles looked at each other in wonder, and thought, ‘Can we? Should we? Would we?” Eight years, five events, 5000 cookies and twenty-eight feasts served later, on a sunny day, the then regal Majesty of the Midrealm declared Foxvale a Shire!
Which lasted for a year. As Foxvale was being born, the shires of Ayreton had come together to host Carnival events, and create silk banners for all the baronies in the kingdom, and cook and serve feasts, and host tournaments and practices and do All The Things. The year that Ayreton was named a Barony, the Shire of Foxvale, loving the groups that had helped them become a :”Really Real Group” stepped down as a shire and stepped up as one of the five founding cantons of the Barony of Ayreton. The people of Foxvale rejoiced, for as there was still the evil Rush Hour Traffic, there were people all over their homeland to play with, and the little canton was all the richer for it.