The day dawned clear and bright, much to the surprise of those followers of the Great God Murphy among us, as my lord and I prepared to set off for the site of the long awaited Newcomer's Tourney. After some minor mishaps (anyone seen my bodice recently? etc.), we set off. A few brave souls had arrived before us -- Lady Helyn, Lord Thomas, and the Foxstars were staking out our area already with the help of the rangers.

The site had a well enclosed small field surrounded by a hedge, where we set up the Southern Shores Pavillion and the eric as the first people began to arrive. Those of us who planned the event had set things up on a rather tight time schedule, and we had a schedule of events posted on the pavillion to let everyone know just how crazy we were. Naturally, things began somewhat later than expected... but we expected that!

From that point on, my memory of events is rather blurred. I remember a vast sea of faces, many of whom I had never seen before who had come from places such as Esfenn, Westermark, and Teufelburg. There were numerous contests, some of which had been announced in the Page and the Gull and some which had not. Catherine of Umbria sponsored a poetry reading contest in which some lucky souls won beautiful copies of Elizabethan plays. The Southern Shores Coloring Book went on sale (if you don't nave a copy yet, get one! They're great!), and Lord Eric Foxworthy held a coloring contest for anyone who bought a copy. And Lady Ambrosia sponsored a wagering contest for the benefit of the Royal Pavillion fund.

I cannot, I am afraid, remember all the winners of all the contests. But among those whose names stand out are the following: Gwynillion de Montaigne, for her beautiful lacework; Viscountess Hilary for her costume under $10; Tynan for a first SCA costume (Scottish) of tremendous authenticity: Lord Ronald Wilmot, in the unbelted fighter's lists; and Benihan of Lusitania for a really outstanding heraldic submission. My sincerest apologies to everyone else who won and whose names I cannot remember... there were so many of you!

What also sticks in my mind is the HARD work done by everyone to make this an enjoyable event. Most of these people were "simply doing their job", but they did it over and above the call of duty. Dominique du Roye, our Lists Mistress, was organizing her first lists. Sir William of Briardust marshalled and kept the fighting going smoothly. Lady Liala Alacran, our chatellaine, somehow managed to stretch Gold Key to serve many times the numbers it was intended for. And Lady Eislynn Gildara Breemore... without our Lady Herald, NOTHINIG would have gone right. The only time I saw her sit down all day was when she got stuck in a director's chair (they're not made for those modern fashions ... bum rolls and hoops just don't work in a chair with arms!)

Thanks again to everyone for a most enjoyable tourney.