Surprisingly, spring has once again come to Malagentia. And, as it was last spring, the Northern Lights will once again grace us with their presence. Our sincere apologies for not having this information in the February Pikestaff. Severe weather (the kind that indicated that spring would never come) delayed the delivery of this announcement.

The Seventh Annual Festival of the Northern Lights will take place on Saturday, April 18th, 1998 at the Riverton Community Center, 1600 Forest Avenue, in Portland, Maine.

The day will, of course, have as its centerpiece the renowned Northern Lights Pentathlon, about which there is more information listed below. For your entertainment, we will also have a Rattan Tournament, Rapier Combat, and Feasting! We are also eagerly seeking volunteers to teach classes, and to lead dances in the Great Hall during the day!

Diverse sorts of Merchants are very welcome, but should contact the Autocrat in advance to reserve space. You may bring your own tables, or rent them from us for $7 each.

The day will conclude with an informal court and award ceremony, followed by a tremendous feast, planned and prepared by Lady Aelfwyn Marie von Augsburg and her talented crew of merry ladies. Those with hearty appetites should fear not, as the autocrat will guarantee that the food will be plentiful, delectable, and fighter-friendly.

The site will open at 10:00 am and will close at 9:00 pm. Pent entries must be registered by 12 noon.

Gentles are reminded that, per Maine State law, no smoking and no alcoholic beverages of any sort are allowed on the site, which contains a school. The judging for the brewing, vintning, and cordial categories will be held off-site; those persons bringing entries for these categories should leave them in their cars until the entries can be collected and moved to the judging location. Smokers are asked to smoke in or near their cars.

Portland, Maine is a lovely small city, full of restaurants, inexpensive hotels, and things to do. If you need more information on places to stay or places to eat or things to do in Portland, or information on reaching Portland by bus, train, or airplane, please send a business-sized SASE to the autocrat.

Greetings noble cousins from Mistress Brid nic Shearlais,

Rules for this years Northern Lights Pentathlon are similar to years past. There are a few new rule clarifications I wish to address. Also, I regret such a short notice, we goofed. We will do better next year.

• Please submit research papers, written poetry, prose, and musical compositions to me (Mistress Brid) by March 21st. Include three copies and a cover sheet (with your mailing address, SCA name, and the category you wish to enter). Entries will not be accepted in these categories on site.
• This year we will be using the Brewers Guild scale to judge brews, vintning, and cordials.
• Group entries are once again encouraged. An individual may use a group entry score as one category score in the overall pentathlon.
• Preregistration forms and a print-out of the final score will be available this year to those who send a SASE to me (Mistress Brid) with request written on the back of the envelope. Want both? Send two!
• As always, items that have been entered in previous competitions are welcome. However items that have won, or that were made from kits, are not.
• Want to help crunch numbers? Bring your own calculator, please!
• Judging is an art form. Like any other it requires practice. If encouraging others is important to you, if you want to see lots of neat stuff, or if you enjoyed judging Northern Lights Pentathlons before, contact me (Mistress Brid) ASAP.
• Those new to the arts, works in progress or those wishing to exhibit but not compete are always welcome at Northern Lights.

If you have any questions, e-mail or snail mail them to me. I will get back to you as soon as possible. And remember have fun!

PS: Bribes of shortbread and chocolates are cheerfully accepted by my staff. I can guarantee their gratitude if not your score.

Pentathlon Coordinator: Mistress Brid nic Shearlais (Lindy Giffin) 48 Upper Weldon St. Apt 2, Saint Albans, VT 05479. Telephone: 802-524-7792. Email: <lindy@sover.net>. http://www.lindy@sover.net.

Autocrat: Baronossa Anastasia Gutane of House Veassllurd (Anne Washburne) 42 Clifton St. Portland, ME 04101-1606. Please address mail to my legal name only. Telephone: 207-780-9712 or (if that's busy) 207-874-6421, 10am to 10pm. Be sure to leave a message when the machine picks up. Email: <anastasia@ime.net>. Please note that written communications will generally receive the fastest response (I work a varied schedule and am sometimes tough to get in touch with by phone).

Site Fee: $6.00

On-board (includes Site Fee and feast): $10.00 if reserved by April 10th $12.00 at the door

On-board seating will be limited to 125 gentles. Limited off-board seating will be available as well; if you plan to bring a large off-board group, please notify the autocrat in advance to secure a table. Fees for children ages 12-6 are half price; children ages 5 and under are free.

Family rates are available; please contact the autocrat for details. Please make all checks payable to SCA-Malagentia

Please read these directions fully and carefully before you begin your trip, and consult a map if necessary.

Take your best route to Exit 6B (Forest Ave/Routes 1, 302, and 100) off I-295 (this is different from Exit 6B off the Maine Turnpike) in Portland, ME.

The ramp for Exit 6B will deliver you onto Forest Avenue, near Raffs Restaurant. You will travel through a total of 10 lights on Forest Ave. between the exit and the site. Through lights 1 through 4 please stay in the right hand lane.

The 5th light is at a 5-way intersection known as Woodfords Corner. At this light you will take the gentle right hand turn (not the hard right), following the signs for Routes 302 & 100, passing between the florist on your right and the empty building with the BIG digital clock on the top on your left. As you make this turn, you should move as quickly in possible into the left-hand lane.

Almost immediately, you will be at the 6th light. This is also a 5-way intersection. Go as nearly straight as possible through the intersection, passing over the railroad tracks, staying on Routes 302 & 100. After you pass under the light, you will drive past Appetites Family-Style Restaurant on your left and, shortly thereafter, a used-car dealership on your right. For the rest of your trip, please stay in the left-hand lane whenever you have a choice of lanes.

Pass straight through lights 7 and 8. Light 9 is at a (kind of bent) Y intersection. Follow the left-hand fork of the Y (really not a turn at all, you'll be driving nearly straight) through the light, staying on Route 302 West (not Route 100). After the light, you will pass between a Citgo station on your right and a McDonalds on your left. From the McDonalds you are about 9/10ths of a mile from the site.

Proceed straight on Route 302 West, passing under the 10th light. Ahead you will see a School Speed Limit sign hanging over the road. Slow down as soon as you see this sign. Look for a Mobil station on your right, then Morans Market (with a big Pepsi sign) on the left. The driveway for the Riverton Community Center is on the left, just after (and sort of hidden behind) Morans Market, but just before the Fire Station. Don't pass under the 11th light.

Turn left off Forest Avenue into the long driveway for the Community Center. You may unload in the curved driveway by the front doors, but please park for the day in the large lot beyond the school.

Last modified -- minor reformatting -- by Eowyn, 8 October, AS XXXXIIII (2009 C.E.).