At the Sign of the Elderflower and Boot

Hosted by Barony of Bhakail - Philadelphia, PA

Event date: January 25th, 2025

Event Last Modified: January 8th, 2025

Event details

Welcome to another year in Bhakail's Tavern!  We look forward to seeing you again! 

~BARDIC~
This year's Bardic Championship will be in two rounds.
One round will be based on the theme of Winter.  The work can be, warm & cozy, seasonally festive, dark & cold; however you want to represent the season.  The other round will be bards choice.  Be prepared to present a favorite performance piece, or something you love. 

Performances may be any kind of entertainment, including but not limited to songs, instrumental music, stories, dance, juggling acts, and puppet shows.  Pieces should be period, period-compatible, or SCA-related, but no documentation will be required.  Each piece should be less than 5 minutes.  If there are five or more contestants, contestants may be eliminated after the first round.

~GAMING~
Board in Exciting Times!

Bhakail is in the midst of an exciting time!  We have just witnessed the Investiture of our new Baron, kennari Mikael melrakki.  It is one of His Excellency's early obligations to appoint a new Baronial Gaming Champion.  At Tavern at the Sign of the Elderflower and Boot, a new Champion will be decided.  The format will be as follows.  Boards will be set out for chess (a medieval form, rules below), nard (backgammon without doublets or a doubling cube), alquerques, plaisant (modern checkers or draughts), and fox and geese.  Players may play any combination of games, but must win at least two different games.  The player with the most wins at the end of the tourney will be declared the winner.  In the event of a tie, the champion will be decided by a best of three of nine man morris.

Our version of chess will be one of the earliest versions, taken from CA #71 and called “simple chess” by the author.  All pieces except the pawn and the queen move as modern pieces do.  The pawn does not have an opening two space move, but otherwise moves and captures as in modern chess.  The queen may move only two squares, though in any direction as in modern chess.  There is no castling.  A pawn that makes the final row is promoted to the capitol piece that started in that space, though the king or queen’s space is promoted to a bishop.


~MENU~
Occitan Style Medieval Dayboard

Hors d’oeuvres:
Occitan-style charcuterie board - A mixture of Occitan meats, cheeses, fruits, and other accoutrements
Fig salad with goat cheese - Romaine lettuce topped with fresh figs, goat cheese crumbles, almonds, and pears with a honey balsamic vinaigrette

Entrees:
Mig Roast in almond milk - Chicken thighs browned and cooked in an almond, chicken broth, and various spices sauce
Fried fish with escabeche - Pan fried white fish topped with a thick vegetable, vinegar sauce
Zucchini Fritters (VG) - Grated zucchini breaded and fried in a pancake style

Side Dishes:
Bakers Potatoes (V) - Scallop-cut potatoes roasted in broth
Sauteed peppers and tomatoes (V) - Julienned peppers and halved tomatoes sauteed and roasted with herbs and spices
Vegetable and Bean Casserole (V) - Vegetarian Cassoulet with white beans, an assortment of vegetables, topped and baked casserole style

Dessert:
Rice pudding with almond milk - Vegan rice pudding with almond milk, cinnamon, and sugar
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Due to the size of the venue and the nature of the event (as a training opportunity for folks to run other events), attendance is capped at 60 people, so pre-registration is encouraged.  PayPal is now available!

Site Opens:  10:00am
Site Closes:  8:00pm

Site Opens: 10:00 am
Site Closes: 8:00 pm

Event Location

German Society of Philadelphia
611 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA  19123
Google Map

Directions:

From the North:  Make your best way to I-95 South in Philadelphia, take exit 22 (Callowhill Street).  Continue on Callowhill Street.  Take North 5th Street to Spring Garden Street.  Turn left onto Spring Garden Street.
From the South:  Make your best way to I-95 North in Philadelphia.  From I-95 North, take exit 22 (Callowhill Street).  Continue on Callowhill Street.  Take North 5th Street to Spring Garden Street.  Turn left onto Spring Garden Street.

PARKING:  This site is a few blocks from Center City Philadelphia.  There is only one small free parking lot attached to the site which will need to be used by the event staff.  If there are any spots remaining in this lot, please park there only if you have a physical disability.

If you park on a residential side street without meters/kiosks, please follow any posted parking regulations.  There are paid parking lots within five blocks of the site - carpooling is encouraged, as is public transportation if possible.

PUBLIC TRANSIT:  This site is very easy to get to via public transportation.  Please check http://www.septa.org for more information.

Registration Fees

Registration:
Due to the limitations of the site and the nature of this event, attendance is capped at 60, so pre-registration is encouraged. 

Pre-Registration Fees
Adult Member (18+):  $20
Adult non-Member (18+):  $30
Youth (6-17):  $15
Children under 6:  FREE

Pre-registration via PayPal is available at https://surveys.eastkingdom.org/index.php/816984?lang=en

A PayPal invoice will be generated within 24-48 hours of the online preregistration information being submitted.  Online preregistration is not complete until the PayPal invoice has been paid.

Feast:
There is no separate feast at our Tavern.  Instead, the kitchen has food available all day, with various hot and cold dishes made available as the day rolls on.  For fun, every attendee will be provided with coins and 'prices' will be posted at the bar.  As there is gaming in the tavern, folks can use their coins to purchase things at the bar and/or attempt to win more throughout the day.

All food is included in the registration fee, however, so use the coins as you wish :)

Make Checks Payable to: SCA PA Inc.  - Barony of Bhakail

Contact Information

Event Steward:

Autocrat:  Laura V.
Dillena o'r Gwyrddol
445-232-3019
300289@members.eastkingdom.org

Deputy Autocrat:  Thomas Noecker
Aiden Underhill

Send Reservations to:

Reservations can be paid via PayPal above, or you can pay at the gate as space allows.  Checks or money orders can be sent to:

Lord Martyn de Halliwell
c/o T.J.  DeLuca
420 E Woodland Ave Apt 8D
Springfield, PA 19064

Payable to “SCA PA, Inc.  - Barony of Bhakail”

Other Contact Information:

The kitchen will be run by Liam McShea.  Please reach out if you have any questions or allergies we need to be aware of.

Anyone wishing to help in the kitchen is welcome to do so :)