"...what! back before the Great Flood? Who can say?
There are no written records, and no survivors."
---Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Lion in Winter
Lords, Gods and minor deities....where HAS the time gone??
Contact the KUMRC Executive Board
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| IN THE BEGINNING "...what! back before the Great Flood? Who can say? There are no written records, and no survivors." ---Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Lion in Winter |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Kutztown University Medieval and Renaissance Club was created in the fall semester of 1988, when some medieval-minded students joined forces with professor Charles Scanzello. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable founding fathers were Eric Munsen (now Lord Matsuyama Mokurai, an officer of Eisental, the local SCA chapter) Arthur Cancro, Erin Astolfi, Greg Brissom, and Thiep Pham. These students came from every college in the University, from Business and Telecommunications,to Theater, Art and Music. But in the end, they all shared the really IMPORTANT common interests: funny accents, funny clothes, Monty Python, Rocky Horror, sharp pointy things, et al. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scanzello was a natural choice for advisor. He was already director of the KU Recorder Ensemble; there, he educated students about this lovely family of medieval woodwinds, and taught them to play the haunting, gentle chamber music written for them. For many years, he had also coordinated both the Renaissance Faire, and the Renaissance Christmas Dinner. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (***Let us stress this---ALL BY HIMSELF. Call him a benign megalomaniac, or a mere raving loon....but singlehandedly, the guy managed a workload currently shouldered by an entire board of KUMRC officers!!!) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| An amicably foggy professor from the Music department, Scanzello bore a frightening resemblance to veteran crooner Burl Ives. (I mean it. Watch "Rudolph" the next time it's televised. Get a good, solid look at that singing snowman, and tell me I'm wrong.) And no matter where you were on campus, you could always tell when Scanzello was approaching or where he'd been, by the musk from his trademark pipe. If you were extraordinarily lucky, he might even remember your name. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| So anyway. On October 8, 1988, the Kutztown University Medieval Renaissance Club was born. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Cue the fanfare. Something like "Also Sprach Zarathustra" or the Darth Vader death-march, played on 50 off-key kazoos; that would be appropriate.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The campus took one look, squeaked "there goes the neighborhood!" scampered behind the nearest door and locked itself in tight. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Bless their hearts. :::evil gryn::: In this aspect of our relations, very little has changed.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| According to its original Constitution, the KUMRC had the goal in mind of becoming an on-campus branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA. They even chose a name for their fledgeling Shire: Faulconmere. The "falcon" part referred to nearby Hawk Mountain where local wildlife enthusiasts gather to observe birds of prey. "Mere," referred to a pair of local lakes, Ontelaunee and Blue Marsh. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| But over the years that goal has taken a back seat to others. Being a college organization, nipped the KUMRC's SCAdian aspirations in the bud pretty early on. (The way the KU student groups are set up, you can't receive University funding if you belong to a non-profit organization---of which the SCA is one.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nowadays, the group is best described as a crossover between the Rennies (those who frequent the Ren-Faire circuit,) and medieval re-creation groups, such as Markland and the SCA. Participating freely with both camps, it belongs to no one but itself. It's an unusually excellent hybrid; akin to one of those in-between twilight places of Celtic legend, where mayem and magic are at their strongest. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We still sponsor the KU Renaissance Dinner in December, and the KU Renaissance Faire in May. In between, are educational University weekends, workshops, outings to the Ren Faires and SCA events. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This May, the KUMRC celebrates its 18th anniversary. Eighteen...hmm. We have been around for quite a while hopefully we will be here for many years to come Lords, Gods and minor deities....where HAS the time gone?? |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back to the Courtyard Contact the KUMRC Executive Board |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||