Unto the Populace of the Barony of Bergental do we Baroness Marian Kirkpatrick and Dame Perronnelle de Croy send our warmest greetings.
Let it be known that we present ourselves as candidates for the baronage of Bergental. We love the barony and its diverse people. We seek to help it grow and prosper long into the future. As ambassadors for the SCA, the East, and the Barony, we pledge to be a voice for our populace and nurture passion for our game wherever we find it. As to each of our individual qualifications and experience, we have included links to our Wiki pages, Order of Precedence entries and website/photo gallery of projects in our signature blocks.
Together we have over 40 years experience in the SCA as active participants. In that time we have traveled extensively to lands near and far. We have fostered friendships and strong working relationships within our neighboring groups, households, and baronies. We have been witness to the benefits and necessity of fostering and sustaining a strong working relationship between all baronial officers. To that end, we will continually encourage them to collaborate with each other and bordering counterparts to support the continued success of the Society.
It is our greatest hope to embark on a dual prong strategy to enrich and foster continued growth for the Barony in the areas of recruitment/retention and pageantry/medieval ambiance. In a time where membership and recruitment are increasingly in flux, it is vital and of utmost importance to us to encourage continued dedication and service from our existing populace. Over the past several years the society has seen an overall drop in membership and involvement. Our barony is no exception. To combat this and ensure the vitality of our group we need to make recruitment and retention a priority.
First, let us speak to recruiting new members. The Barony of Bergental is home to several higher education institutions which have proven to be great sources of interest in the past. Reaching out to these and other community groups and clubs with adjacent interests can only benefit the Barony. We recommend holding practices and meetings in public places and engaging in regular outreach (e.g. through demonstrations). We would encourage individuals to set up demonstrations in their own communities with support from the Chatelaine and the populace of the barony.
Retention is equally as important as recruitment. Our barony is vast and includes several households representing various disciplines and skill sets. We would like to encourage and promote their participation at business meetings and invite them to take part in the planning and execution of baronial events, tasks, and initiatives. In addition, we also would like to facilitate mentorships between the experienced persons of our baronial populace and younger or newer SCAdians to capitalize on the wealth of knowledge they represent. We would also work to create more children’s activities and teen programs whenever possible as these youth represent the future of the SCA.
Having traveled near and far in service to the East Kingdom, various royal reigns, and the Barony, we have found a passion in pageantry, creating medieval ambiance, and heraldic presence. In an effort to expand medieval ambience at events and our presence among the East Kingdom, we would promote heraldic display(s) whether it be banners, or garb. We would also strongly encourage anachronistic disguises/cloaks to better blend modern tools with a medieval aesthetic. To that end, we propose a series of workshops in block printing, stamp making, stenciling, applique, etc., which will be utilized in a series of smaller projects to progressively work toward an inclusive and cohesive medieval immersive experience. We acknowledge the various challenges that can come with the desire to embellish or improve upon one’s own kit. As such, we seek to make such effort less cost prohibitive by encouraging a community minded approach and knowledge sharing among the populace. Along these lines, we would encourage individual heraldic pursuits, so that the populace may be a beacon of inspiration for others to join in an increased heraldic presence. Moreover, we seek to promote and champion the diverse artistic prowess of the Barony’s artists throughout the vast Eastern lands.
It would be our great honor and a humbling experience to serve as the next baronage. We look forward to the opportunity to support and nurture the populace of Bergental as they have supported and inspired us throughout the years, regardless of the outcome.
Ever In Service to the Dream,
Dame Perronnelle de Croy
Wiki – OP – Personal Website
Baroness Marian Kirkpatrick