The common daily tasks of a medieval family are the focus of this schola. Baking in an outdoor beehive oven will be the centerpiece of our day, and we hope to offer classes on such things as fleece preparation and spinning, weaving, whipcord braiding, butter making, soap making, herb cultivation and use, and more.
Holcomb Farm is a town-owned, agriculture and open space oriented learning center with great outdoor space and open-classroom style indoor space. The Farm keeps a small livestock population, including chickens, ducks, and Jacob and Shetland sheep.
Food: No food provided, so please bring your own lunch. There will be an indoor gathering area/dining area available. If the weather is good, there is plenty of ourdoor space for open-air dining. Pop-ups and awnings may be set up. Indoors, there may be some outlets available for crock-pots. No refrigerator space, so please plan accordingly.
Childrens Activities: No separate childrens' activities are planned, but many of the classes will be open to participation for most ages.
General: Parking will be on a gravel lot (small) and open field (large). Indoors, chairs are available but may be limited. Please consider bringing your own seating for your comfort. Indoor bathroom facilities are available.
For more information on the site, visit this website:
http://www.holcombfarm.com/index.htm
Preliminary Class List
Fleece Preparation: Mistress Ana Ilevna, 1 hour, Viking wool combs. Raw and washed fleeces. No materials fee.
Drop-spinning: Lady Gwennlian
Soap Making: Mistress Annara, 1.5 to 2 hours, materials fee TBD
Butter Making in a Viking Churn: Mistress Ana Ilevna, 1 Hour
Early Northern European Hide Shoe Pattern Making: Mistress Annara, 1.5 to 2 hours, class limit 6 people, auditors welcome, no materials fee
Hand Sewing: Lady Ebeline an Froach
Embroidery In The Home: Lady Johanna de Glastonburi
Blackwork Embroidery: Lady Carlien
Beehive Oven Baking Class: Mistress Elizabeth Vynehorn
The site has a beehive oven which is regularly used to bake bread, pizza, etc. This class will be a day-long experiment with using the oven to create period food. Come join us throughout the day as we learn how to feed and maintain the oven, load and unload it, and bake bread, pies, and whatever else we come up with. A rough schedule is as follows: early morning - firing up the oven; midday - baking bread; afternoon - baking pies, pastries, etc. If you are interested in baking a specific item, please contact Mistress Elizabeth Vynehorn (muirnesue@aol.com) to discuss reserving some space and time in the oven.
Livestock Review: Holcomb Farm itself owns several sheep (Jacobs and Shetlands), as well as ducks and chickens. Observation is both allowed and encouraged, and there will be a tour of the barn and sheds.
Directions:
Take your best route to Interstate 91 in Connecticut. Take Exit 40 for Route 20 west.
(This exit is about halfway between Springfield MA and Hartford CT. The exit puts you on a six-to-eight lane expressway to Bradley International Airport, sometimes called “the airport connector.” You must exit the expressway just before the airport to stay on Rt 20. This is clearly marked and is a right-hand exit.)
From Exit 40 off of I-91, follow Route 20 for approximately 10 miles to the center of Granby.
(Granby Center Landmarks: Coming in Rt 20, you will pass a Geisslers Supermarket plaza on your left, come straight through a stop light at Bank Street, and come to a stop light at a crooked intersection where Rt 20 crosses Rts 10/202/189, and Rts 20 and 189 join together briefly. Go straight [actually very slightly right] through this intersection in order to stay on Rt 20; this is well marked. Just past the town municipal complex [police/library/etc.], bear LEFT to stay on Rt 20. Again, this is well marked.
Stay on Route 20 west for another 2.6 miles, and then turn left onto Day Street South. Holcomb Farm is ahead 0.7 miles at the end of Day Street South.
(Day Street South ends at a T intersection. Holcomb Farms is straight ahead. You have to turn right onto Simsbury Road, then left into the driveway/parking area.)
If you miss Day Street South, take the next (soft) left onto West Granby Road, then left onto Simsbury Road and look for the Farm. If you miss that turn, take the next (very hard) left onto Simsbury Road and look for the Farm. All these roads run together. You can check it out on Mapquest. If you get as far as Rt 219, you have gone entirely too far and need to turn around and come back.
Site:
Holcomb Farm Learning Center
113 Simsbury Road
West Granby, CT 06090
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Site Opens: 9:30 a.m.
Site Closes: 6:00 p.m.
Event Fees:
Site : Event Fees: $10 for adults ages 18 and older, $9.99 ages 16-17, $5 ages 6-15, ages 5 and under free. Non-Member Surcharge of $3 applies to adults. (Updated 3-21-2010.)
Feast: Not applicable; no feast.
Send Reservations to:
Baron Dinsdale of Northumbria: Tony Leshinskie, PO Box 714, Granby CT 06035
Autocrat:
Baroness Aelfgifa of the Hazel Thicket, amleshinskie@sbcglobal.net, 860-653-5901
Make Checks Payable to: SCA - Canton of Bowman's Rest
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