M&M 12 Recap

Ugh, what a month.

Well, as far as the outside observer is concerned, M&M went off without a hitch, yet again for another year. I think we are beginning to get the hang of this.

Even behind the curtain, things went pretty well. We did have a couple of hiccups that were unexpected, but we took care of it. About two weeks before M&M, our Autocrat, Mistress Maerwynn became Her Highness Maerwynn. So, to prevent any problems with the Society and it's army of lawyers, she had to pass the torch onto Mistress Katriana as the event steward. But thanks to Maerwynn, and all the hard work, she did getting things arranged and ready prior to her becoming Princess. So Katriana had no problems once she stepped in as event steward.

The other hiccup was feast. Wilhelm was planning on making a Italian feast for 30, but with his mundane job keeping him on his toes and unsure where he'll be at any given moment, feast was up in the air. It was about a couple of weeks before when Wilhelm knew it would be unlikely he would be here for M&M so we had to cancel feast this year. We were able to cancel it in advance enough that I think most people could make other arrangements. I didn't hear any complaints.

The rest of the event went off perfectly. I can mostly speak of fighting since I was on the field for majority of the day. But I heard the A&S competitions were fun and entertaining, and the archery was unique and challenging.

As for the fighting, we have two new Baby Seals in the Shire. Both Kjarten and Heinrich were able to pass their authorizations at M&M. Kjarten went first and was the "Baby" Seal for about 15 minutes until Heinrich authorized. So officially, Heinrich is now the official "Baby" Seal of Crescent Moon. Congratulations to both of them! Vivat!

We also added a new Noble to the Shire. Isolda of Skye is now LADY Isolda of Skye when she received her AoA at court on Saturday. Congratulations to Lady Isolda.

We had a record number of people at M&M this year. I think the final total was 187 people, but I haven't seen the official paperwork yet. I think our last record attendance was in the 150's, last year if I remember correctly. We had a large amount of people coming in on Friday and camping than we have before. We had to open up space behind the battlefield and archery line for campers this year. First time we've ever had to do that. Each year, our numbers have been growing and growing. Soon, we might have to either find a new site, or rearrange the site to accommodate all the people. Maybe as soon as next year. That will have to be something we need to think about.

I can't help but feel a little bit proud and honored that M&M has been doing so well. When I started in the SCA, we were at M&M 5, and it was a small, casual event. And although it is still a small, casual event, it is getting bigger. Much bigger than what it was when I started. I think it has to do with the people here in the Shire that make sure to keep this thing we have special, and fun for everyone who comes. For the last four years, I have had someone come up to me and tell me that they have never come to a M&M before, but they have had a great time and will be back every year. That is what I love to hear.

M&M is special, and unique. It is growing, and people are taking notice. We just did year twelve, and we must be doing something right if we've done it for twelve straight years. Not many other groups can say they have had the same event for that long, and still is getting bigger and better.

Not sure what we're going to do next year. It is the dreaded thirteen. We have to do something with that. It would be fun to work in superstitions or bad luck into the theme. I think it could be better than this year.