Balfar's Challenge & Dragonship Haven Baronial Investiture

It's that time of year again to prepare for War!  Please join us for the first melee event of the season.  Spring time always brings happy images of flowers and sunshine after a long winter but it also awakens the great white polar bear.  Gather your teammates and prepare for a day of martial competition at Balfar's Challenge as Duke Balfar von Grunwald once again challenges you to bring your prowess to the field of battle.

This year, we are delighted to announce that Balfar's Challenge will not only include a vast array of activities, but will also include a Baronial Investiture!  Please come and join us in our celebration of the Barony of Dragonship Haven as we welcome the investiture of Master Morgan ap Rhys ap Bran and Lady Clarice D'allaines le Comte and the legacies of Baroness Reyne Wurm and Baroness Rhode Kephalania. 

Note this is the same site as last year, but it is still a bit shiny and new to us!

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Martial Activities

Three person teams with cool names please!  (Balfar and others will be reading team names in court, so be wary!) Martial activities will include archery, armored combat, youth combat, fencing and thrown weapons.

Armored Combat Rules:
Teams of 3 will work together in a Warlord Tourney.
Each team of 3 shall consist of:
-At most 1 member of the Chiv
-At least 1 great weapon

Fencing Rules:
Teams of 3 will work together in a Roman melee scenario.
Each team of 3 shall consist of:
-At most 1 member of the Order of Defense

Archery Rules:
Teams of 3 are encouraged for participation in the overall Challenge.  Individual archers may still attend to compete for fun.
Each team of 3 shall consist of:
-At least 1 archer ranked as Bowman or below (RR average of 79.99 or under)
-Only ONE of the following:  Master Bowman, Grandmaster Bowman, or Sagittarius
Archers who are unranked are on their honor to rank themselves according to their all-time highest score submission.
If an archer has not actively shot within the last 5 years, they shall automatically be counted among "Bowman or below".
We encourage everyone to make arrangements in advance to find archers who fit into the team structure above.
If anyone needs assistance in formulating a team in advance, the Unofficial East Kingdom Archery Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/174471427110407/ ) may be a good resource for you to meet the community and make some new archery friends!

Thrown Weapons Rules:
Thrown weapons will hold a traditional tournament of individuals, hosted by the DSH Thrown Weapons Marshal in Charge.

Youth Combat:
There will be youth combat activities available!  Activity details to be announced the day of the event.  Loaner gear will be available. 

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Arts & Sciences Heraldic Challenge

Spring has come, and art is still alive.  Come enter the annual heraldic challenge.  Make any piece you want that integrates heraldry.  It does not have to be your own heraldry.  Winners will be selected for the complexity of the item, the best integration of the heraldry, and the best overall.  Documentation is not required, but a picture of the original heraldry must accompany the item.

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For newcomers who want to visit Balfar's Challenge

The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)(www.sca.org) is an international non-profit volunteer educational organization.  The SCA is devoted to the research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat, culture, and employing knowledge of history to enrich the lives of participants through events, demonstrations, and other educational presentations and activities. 

Members of the SCA study and take part in a variety of activities, including combat, archery, equestrian activities, costuming, cooking, metalwork, woodworking, music, dance, calligraphy, fiber arts, and much more.  If it was done in the Middle Ages or Renaissance, odds are you’ll find someone in the SCA interested in recreating it. 

Balfar's Challenge is an outdoor event hosted yearly by the Barony of Dragonship Haven, focusing on historic martial skills.  The event features a myriad of opportunities to engage with the "Middles Ages as they should have been" including:  competitions in archery, armored combat, fencing, and thrown weapons; vendors of costuming and medieval recreations; a delicious buffet befitting a medieval tourney day; and capped off with a Royal Court.

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Health Acknowledgement

By attending this event, you are confirming that you (as well as any minors that you are parent or guardian for):
➢ Are not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html [cdc.gov] )., including but not limited to:
• Fever or chills
• Dry cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing
• Muscle or body aches
• New loss of sense of taste or smell;
➢ Have not been near someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 within the last 14 days without following CDC guidance for self-quarantine;
➢ Agree to follow all COVID safety restrictions imposed by the SCA, the event site, and/or local, state, provincial, or federal government or health authorities.
➢If you have an underlying condition which increases your risk, strongly consider your own health and safety before attending an in-person activity.  (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html
[cdc.gov] ).

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Event Day Schedule:
8:00 am:  Site is available for merchants & Royal staff setup
9:00 am:  Gate opens
9:00 - 11 am:  Fields are open for sign-ups, inspections, authorizations, etc.
11 - 11:45 am:  Morning Dragonship Haven Baronial Court and Investiture Ceremony
11:45 am - 4:00pm:  Marshal activities!
4:00 pm:  Activities finish up and prepare for Evening Court
5:00 pm:  Evening Court

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Other Site Details:

Site is discreetly damp. 

Dogs are allowed on site but MUST remain on leash at all times and cleaned up after. 

Site Opens: 9 am
Site Closes: 7 pm