Bright Hills Baronial Birthday
(2013-02-09 - Site opens at 10 AM & Closes at 10 PM)
Bright Hills

Bright Hills is renowned for hospitality and we invite you to the party as we celebrate our birthday in courtly style!  The year is 1560 and we witness the bright dawning of the golden age in old England as reflected in fair Atlantia.  Festivities have been ordered and our royals shall attend them with full attention.  Our good queen shall grace us with her fair composure, fiery locks, and dedication as a patron of the arts to judge the worthiness of our Barony.  Our fierce yet kindly king shall take the measure of our fighting forces and ensure that they have not been lulled by too much feasting and drinking through the winter months.

The event officially runs from 10am to 10pm, volunteers for set up and clean up outside of those hours are welcome!  Schedule and activity updates will appear on event webpage.

Website:  http://www.brighthills.net/events/birthday2013.html

Martial Activities: Heavy weapons and rapier will be held weather permitting, armor inspection will begin at 11am and the melee and tavern brawl will be followed by extended practice for fighters looking forward to springtime tourney season.

Arts & Sciences Activities:  
Their Excellencies will be choosing new Baronial Champions for Arts and Sciences and Brewing at Baronial Birthday. Competition details to be announced.

The Poetry of Courtly Love
The Poeta Atlantiae is holding a poetry competition.  The subject is courtly love.  Your poem should be written in the style of a medieval courtly love poem. Courtly love was a medieval European idea of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration.  Courtly love was secret and generally not practiced between husband and wife.  It began at the end of the eleventh century in the courts of Aquitaine, Provence, Champagne, ducal Burgundy and Norman Sicily. Essentially, courtly love was an experience between desire and spiritual attainment that now seems contradictory as \"a love at once illicit and morally elevating, passionate and disciplined, humiliating and exalting, human and transcendent.\"  Be prepared to present your poem to the attendees at some time during the day.

Love by Pen and Brush
Express your courtly love with Elizabethan flair in a scribal competition hosted by Lady Aemilia Rosa.  Bring your scribal work inspired by courtly love in all mediums to compete, documentation encouraged.

In Courtly Raiment
Set up your display and documentation to show throughout the day and see Lady Faye de Trees for your token to signify that your needle has entered the fray.  Attend the court of their Majesties and their Excellencies in your finest Elizabethan attire that you might impress and astound our good queen to win her favour and take home the prize.

A&S DISPLAY: In addition to the competitions, there will ALSO be space for displays of completed projects and works in progress seeking commentary. We also invite experienced artists to display their arts and documentation to offer examples for those still learning how to document and display their projects.  Bring your project and documentation for display.

The Bardic Bear Pit
Bring your late period chops for the sixth annual Bardic at Five Paces- a Bardic Bear Pit competition- come prepared with your best bardic skills and a diversity of weapons styles to meet every challenge!
Tavern space will also be available for bards to congregate, sing, swap stories, share songs and brew mischief with the Bright Hills “sekunjabin bar” hosted by Lady Livia di Samuele.

Cost:  
         Adult, Member:          $8.00 Day-Trip  $10.00 Feast    $0.00 Camping
         Adult, Non-Member:  $13.00 Day-Trip $10.00 Feast    $0.00 Camping
         Youth (6-17):             $5.00 Day-Trip   $10.00 Feast    $0.00 Camping
         Child (0-5):                $0.00 Day-Trip    $0.00 Feast     $0.00 Camping

Make Checks Payable To:  SCA-MD, Inc., Barony of Bright Hills

Cost Notes:  No family (of parents and children) shall pay more than $40 total in site fees. Total refunds will be available if the Event Steward receives your request by February 2nd, 2013. Onsite feast refunds are available ONLY if we are able to resell your seat.

Site:  Manchester Volunteer Fire Company Social Hall, on fairgrounds at York Street and Locust Street, 3291 York street, Manchester, MD 21102. Site opens 10am, closes 10pm.

Site Restrictions:  This site is wet.  No smoking in any building.  Pets must be leashed and cleaned up after.  The building is handicapped accessible and has accessible restrooms.

Feast Information:  The Saturday lunch will be offered as a fundraiser by the Bright Hills archers.  The sumptuous evening feast will be prepared by the famed Bright Hills Cooks Guild with Baroness Cordelia FitzRobert of York orchestrating the kitchen.  The wondrous flair of a royal Tudor kitchen Complete menu will be available on the event website, please notify the Event Steward of any food allergy issues by February 1st at the latest. Advance reservations for feast are highly recommended as only 10 seats for feast will be available at the door, the only good reservation is a paid reservation, please include your member # and expiration date if you are reserving at the member rate.  Registration will be open the day of the event from 10am-4pm.

Merchanting Information:  Merchants are welcome, and should contact Lady Livia di Samuele, abramsonsm[AT]yahoo.com, current merchant listings will be on the event website.

Other Information:  Children’s activities: We will have the ever popular “children’s corner” and activities will be available through the day.  Parents must supervise their child while at children’s corner! The populace will be able to commission valentines made by the quite artistic youth of Bright Hills and all young artists will compete for the favor of the Baroness for their valentines.

Event Steward\'s Information:  Lady Faye de Trees (Angela Yau), 1402 Hillside Dr., Bel Air, MD 21015,  Phone: (410) 838-9694, E-mail:  feataure[AT]gmail.com

Reservations:  Send reservations to Event Steward

Directions:

From the South: Take your best route to I-795 northwest of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and continue to Exit 9A toward Hanover, merge onto Butler Rd/MD-128/MD-795, Turn left at Hanover Rd./MD-30 and continue 13.4 miles then turn right on York St. and go 0.3 miles to destination on right.  The entrance is at the corner of York and Locust streets.

From the North: Take I-83 south to Exit 8 for PA-216 South toward Glen Rock, follow onto PA-216/Sticks School Rd., take Right at PA-516/Lineboro Rd., Continue East on Main St./MD-86, make slight left on Water Tank Rd., continue straight onto Millers Stations Rd., continue on York St. to destination on left.