Rokeclif and Shatterd Oak present: Buffalo Snit

Two bison, cave painting from Lascaux, France, 15,000-13,000 BCE
(slightly before SCA period)

Welcome!	We hope you will join us for a festive Buffalo Snit, presented by the Shires of Shattered Oak and Rokeclif. When Rokeclif asked Shattered Oak to cede to them a parcel of land (mostly swamp) known as "Buffalo County", the people of Shattered Oak agreed, but wanted to ensure that the land would remain well protected. To this end, we are inviting all to a testing of skill, courage, and determination. If you've ever been to either Shire, you know that this event will feature a bit of silliness. All right, a whole lot of silliness.
Activities	Contests will include a Buffalo chip toss, pin-the-tail, Puntathalon, Trivium Pursuit, and Messenger. Cave painting and other arts will be invited, with a snit point awarded for the finest art. There will be a bog dive to help Wyndreth retrieve things deposited in the marsh for safekeeping. Bards are invited to regale us with songs and stories of the mysterious buffalo (and other ungulates) or of the bog and its dangers. Fighters and fencers can practice small-space battles.
Event schedule	Saturday 9:00 - site opens to guests; be sure to sign in at Troll 10:00 - first round of fighting/fencing (great hall). Schmoozing, A&S, table games, wall art, etc. 10:00 - class (library) Searching for history - Kudrun 11:00 - lunch begins 12:00 - another round of fighting/fencing (great hall) 12:00 - class (library) -- Wyndreth 2:00 - games begin in great hall (buffalo chip toss, pin the tail, Trivium Pursuit, Messenger, Puntathalon, bog dive, Bardic Jeopardy) 3:00 - class (library) - Drop-spindle spinning - Finn MacArt 6:00 - Bardic challenges, announcements of winners 7:00 - more bardic (just for fun), table games, replays of any contested games Court will be held if TSH desire it. Sunday 9:00 - breakfast 10:00 - cleanup 12:00 - site closes
Classes	INTERNET RESEARCH FOR BEGINNERS We have three internet-connected computers. Kudrun will lead you through some of the basics of research. DROP-SPINDLE SPINNING Finn will show you the basics. He has some spindles available. GIVING YOUR PERSONA A VOICE Wyndreth will have tips for bardic performance in persona.
Games	For all the scorable games, contestants may declare themselves for a) Shattered Oak, b) Rokeclif, c) any other group, d) the Buffalo Liberation Front. Most games are as suitable for children as for adults, but there will be activities specifically for children at designated times. BUFFALO CHIP TOSS Though buffalo chips used to be tossed for distance, the walls at our indoor event preclude that. Therefore, the chips will be tossed for accuracy. "Let the chips fall where they may." PIN THE TAIL ON THE BUFFALO Several pieces of buffalo will be applied by blindfolded contestants, guided only by the verbal advice of their friends. No live buffalo will be harmed during this game! MESSENGER A variant of the modern game "Telephone". In this case, the beginning and ending points are a drawing of an animal (not a buffalo). One person views the picture and describes it verbally to another. That person carries the verbal description to another, who passes it to another, until it is given to the artist, who renders a drawing based on the verbal description. THE BOG DIVE Your assignment is to retrieve items Wyndreth has placed in the bog for safekeeping. Points will be scored on the value of the items. MAD LIBS Write your contributions on the wall. BARDIC JEOPARDY What is Wyndreth thinking??? TRIVIUM PURSUIT Answer questions in seven liberally interpreted liberal arts categories. PUNTATHALON Who can out-pun Vlad and D.T.? Who can survive the non-stop punning? Bring your own barf bags. WALL PAINTING OK, it's a little pre-period. But buffalo and other things were painted on European caves in the past. What will we leave for archaeologists of the future? TABLE GAMES Morris, Chess, Draughts, Fox and geese, Alquerque... FIGHTING Armored fighters and fencers will have the opportunity to knock each other into the bog in the morning, depending on marshals.
Bardic challenges	*Once upon a time...* Draw ten words from a basket, then use them to write a short fable or fairy tale style story. Limited to 8 participants. Sponsor: (to be announced) *On a log, in a bog* Write a short story, Dr. Seuss style. Choose between these themes: land transfer, border dispute, or buffaloes. Limited to 5 participants. Sponsor: (to be announced) *Schtick it to us* Write a comedic poem or song including the word/words: buffalo, border dispute, Rokeclif, Shattered Oak, bog, or bog monster. Limited to 5 participants. Sponsor: (to be announced) *A night at the improv* A "Whose Line is it Anyway" style challenge. Topics will be drawn from a hat by the sponsor and competitors will respond with one-liners about that subject. Limited to 5 participants. Sponsor: Lady Brilliana Barrington.
Site times	Site opens Saturday at 9 am, and site closes Sunday noonish.
Groaning board	The groaning board, presented by the talented cooks of both Shires, will be open all day Saturday and for Sunday breakfast, featuring a variety of delicacies. (Buffalo chips?!) Please bring your feast gear. Donations will be accepted to cover the costs. For dietary concerns, contact a steward. Ingredients will be posted at the serving table. There will also be breakfast served Sunday morning.
Costs	All fees, including for the Saturday groaning board and Sunday breakfast, are by donation only. There will be donation receptacles at the sign-in table and at the groaning board serving table. Should you wish to write a check, please make checks payable to SCA-Shire of Rokeclif.
Site rules and notes	Sleepovers are welcome--indeed, encouraged. There will be a quiet room set aside for those who do not wish to stay up too late. No tents, but bring your cots/inflatable beds and blankets. Major bardic circle action expected. (This is Rokeclif, after all.) Please, no pets. The site is discreetly damp. The site is handicapped accessible. Sorry, no showers.
Lodging options nearby	For those wishing more private accomodations, try these local inns. We have not arranged any blocks of rooms. In Hixton (10 miles from site): Motel 95 & campground (715) 963-4311 In Black River Falls (17 miles from site): Days Inn (715) 284-4333 Best Western (with the Orange Moose that belongs to Wyndreth) 1-800-284-9471 Majestic Pines (with a big casino) (715) 284-8056 1-888-625-8668 Super 8 www.super8.com 1-800-800-8000 (715) 284-3320
Contacts	Co-steward: Kudrun the Pilegrim Karyn Schmidt (608) 525-8400 karyn AT triwest.net Co-steward: Alicia Melville Jennifer Hebert (715) 723-6378 j.hebert AT eudoramail.com Royalty liaison: Eliane Halevy Jennifer Friedman (608) 788-8781 jfriedmn AT pressenter.com
Directions	Taylor Community Center (same as Pie Snit site): From I-94 take the exit for Highway 95 west to Hixton. From US 53 pick up Hiway 95 east at Blair. Take 95 to County P. There are signs saying "Taylor" facing both directions. Take County P south across the river, and across the tracks, and turn left at the first opportunity (Second Street). This is just after crossing the tracks. You will arrive in splendid downtown Taylor. Go straight through until you see a large red brick building which used to be a school on your right. It has a sign saying "Taylor Community Center". It's 420 Second Street. There is a school gym at the very end of Second Street -- that's the wrong building.

This webpage last updated 11/04/03 and is considered finished. Any urgent changes or updates will be announced on the Northshield Hall.

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Buffalo Snit

A celebration and friendly competition between neighbors