The Quest for Wit & Wisdom XL: Celtic Illuminations
Hosted by Barony of Settmour Swamp - Pittstown, NJ
Event date: May 23rd, 2025 - May 26th, 2025
Event Last Modified: May 15th, 2025
Event details
Join us for an unforgettable adventure through the world of illuminated scrolls, where you’ll find yourself not only admiring but creating art that speaks with the same elegance and color that graced the pages of our ancestors. This year’s quest is more than a journey through history—it’s an opportunity to contribute to a living, breathing tapestry of light and color that will shine as brightly as the Celtic sun.
Weekend Highlights:
The Quest for Wit and Wisdom: Embark on a thrilling adventure, solving puzzles and uncovering the mysteries behind the legendary illuminated works of the Celtic world.
Tentative Schedule of Events:
Friday 5/23
Gate 4 pm - 8 pm
4:00pm: Site opens (Do not Arrive Early)
Saturday 5/24
Gate 10 am - 5 pm
11:30am Inspections and Authorizations
12:00pm Heavy weapons tournament begins
12:00pm Kubb tournament begins
1:00pm Artisan's Row opens
1:00pm Baronial A&S Championship Competition opens
2:00pm Fencing tournament begins
3:00pm Baronial Brewing Championship Competition begins
4:00pm A&S Championship Competition Judging
4:30pm Artisan's Row closes
6:30pm Feast begins
Sunday 5/25
Gate 10 am - 3 pm
8:30am-11am Breakfast
12:00pm-4:00pm Quest for Wit and Wisdom!
5:00pm Baronial Court
6:30pm Pennsic Camp Planning meeting
Monday 5/26
11:00am Site closes
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ARTS AND SCIENCES
BARONIAL ARTS AND SCIENCES COMPETITION
Alchemy is a field of study which combined scientific and philosophical elements to achieve extraordinary transformations, such as transmuting base metals into gold or creating elixirs of life.
Settmour Swamps Baronial A&S Competition will challenge participants to explore the experimental aspects of alchemy through the creation of tangible works. We want all participants to show in their work how materials were transformed to make the product. While we do not expect the participants to create all forms of their material, we would like to understand the process needed to reach its final state.
Bring your current project and show (or tell) how you got from start to finish. For example, if you do illumination what is your process to transform a blank sheet into a beautiful work of art.
ARTISAN ROW:
There will be an artisan row for all who would like to display their work.
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BARONIAL BREWING CHAMPIONS COMPETITION:
Calling all brewers! The hearty spirit of the Celts is alive and well in our baronial brewing championship. Craft your finest brew and vie for the honor of being crowned Settmour Swamp's Brewing Champion.
MUST BE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE TO COMPETE
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Bardic Circle:
The spoken word is just as much a part of Celtic tradition as art—join us for an evening of stories, songs, and poetry that celebrate the tales of old.
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MARTIAL ACTIVITIES
A full slate of fighting events will test the mettle of our warriors, with an emphasis on Celtic-inspired combat forms and themes.
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Come for the quest, stay for the camaraderie, and leave with inspiration and a deeper appreciation for the timeless art of illumination. Whether you are a seasoned artist or a newcomer to the world of Celtic art, there’s something for everyone at the Quest for Wit and Wisdom: Celtic Illumination.
So gather your paints, your brushes, your best stories, and your thirst for adventure—it’s time to bring the ancient arts of the Celts to life!
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SITE RULES:
● Pets: Pets are permitted, and must be kept on a leash at all times. Certain areas will be off limits to pets.
● Alcohol: No alcoholic beverages may be brought on site. There will be a site-run bar available, and open until 12:00am. This policy will be strictly enforced by event staff. Anyone in violation of this policy will be removed from the site.
● Pond: There is a pond on site but is NOT for swimming.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Children:
Children are most welcome, but please supervise your children at all times. Anyone under the age of eighteen must be accompanied to the event by a parent or legal guardian. The SCA youth waiver policy will be enforced.
PLEASE NOTE - NOT COMPLYING WITH THE ABOVE RULES WILL RESULT IN REMOVAL FROM THE EVENT.
LOCAL HOTELS:
For those of you who do not camp, there is a near-by hotel in Clinton, New Jersey.
Hampton Inn Clinton (near the Walmart)
16 Frontage Drive
Clinton, NJ 08809
TEL: +1-908-713-4800
SHOPPING:
A Walmart is approximately 3 miles from the site on Route 513.
Site Opens: 4:00 PM Friday
Site Closes: 11:00 PM Monday
Event Location
Clinton Elks Lodge
211 Sidney Rd
Pittstown, NJ 08867
Google Map
The event site is accessible per the East Kingdom Accessibility Porter's Checklist.
Directions:
Take your best route to Sidney Road in Pittstown. It is readily accessible from I287, I78 and NJ22 and NJ202.
Registration Fees
Registration:
Registration fees:
Adult Member, Friday-Monday: $35
Adult Non-member, Friday-Monday: $45
Saturday or Sunday only, Member: $30
Saturday or Sunday only, Non-member: $40
Feast Saturday: $15
Merchants' fee: $5
Youth 17 and under: Free
Feast:
Feast fee : $15
Feast Menu:
First Remove:
Vegetarian haggis
● Finely chopped and grated vegetables mixed with oats, barley, and spices that are cooked in a vegetable casing (a substitute for sheep’s stomach). This tasty dish goes back at least to the 15th c. in Scotland
Neeps and Parsnips
● Neeps and tatties are a classic Scottish dish, but tatties (potatoes) were not introduced into Scottish cooking until after the medieval period. Previously, other root vegetables, like parsnips or carrots, were also cooked with neeps (turnips) and will be used in this recipe. The parsnips and turnips are boiled with some salt and then roughly mashed with cream to create this classic dish that has historically been served with haggis
Beltane Bannock
● A large oatbread loaf that was traditionally baked around the Beltane festival. While bannocks were baked and eaten regularly, for Beltane, a custard-like mixture of eggs, milk, and oatmeal was poured on top of the baked bannock and was then baked a second time, creating an almost crackle layer on top of the bread
Tarragon chicken
● Roasted chicken with tarragon and butter and a tarragon cream sauce
Second Remove:
Leeks and kail with ginger and garlic
● Kail (kale) has had a long history in Scotland and was the primary vegetable that even the lower classes could easily have to hand. Due to its significance and how many people did, and still do, grow kail, the term ‘kailyard’ came to refer to the kitchen garden. This recipe sautees the kail with ginger and garlic. The leeks are added for a sweeter and more mild flavor
Scottish Rarebit
● A classic recipe that has different variations depending on the region (Welsh, Scottish, or English). For the Scottish version, melted cheese is poured over toasted bread and the cheese is usually mixed with a bit of Scotch Whiskey.
Salmon with hot orange vinaigrette
● Fish were more common place in Scotland compared to other regions of the United Kingdom in the medieval period. This was primarily due to proximity to the ocean as well as the social idea of fish. Fish was consumed by the upper classes as well as monastic populations as it was often viewed as a religiously acceptable alternative to meat. This dish consists of seared salmon with a sauce of mustard, orange, and white wine vinegar
Mushroom scotch pie
● A scotch pie is a traditional hot crust pie that was made with minced beef instead of lamb for special occasions. This version will contain minced mushrooms to create a vegetarian version. The minced mushrooms will be cooked with onion, rosemary, and basil in a hot crust pastry.
Dessert:
Clootie dumpling with drambuie sauce
● A clootie dumpling is a traditional, Scottish take on a holiday pudding or pud. Similar to sticky toffee pudding, which is a cake-like bun soaked in syrup, not what is usually considered a pudding in America. Clootie pudding consists of a ginger and nutmeg dough that is soaked in golden syrup after baking. Drambuie sauce is a butterscotch cream sauce that is poured ontop of the pud before serving.
Make Checks Payable to: SCA NJ Inc - Barony of Settmour Swamp
Contact Information
Event Steward:
Ashling Mac Kyannd mka Kasey Auriemma
252089@members.eastkingdom.org
551-226-0505
Emidio de Arquata mka Mark Saladini
167621@members.eastkindgom.org
Send Reservations to:
PayPal link:
https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/644353?lang=en
A PayPal invoice will be generated within 24 to 48 hours of the online pre-registration survey being submitted. Online pre-registration is not complete until the PayPal invoice has been paid.
May 11, 2025 is the final date for PayPal pre-registration.
This survey does ask for membership information but you will still need to provide proof of membership at the event.
Checks can be sent to:
Victoria Swann
123 Essex Avenue
Bloomfield, NJ 07003