When: Friday, October 31st through Sunday, November 2nd 2025
Where: Lions Camp Merrick, 3650 Rick Hamilton Place, Nanjemoy, MD 20662
Event Schedule
Friday
4:30 PM: Site/Gate Opens (Main Hall)
10:00 PM: Gate Closes (Main Hall)
Saturday
8:00 AM: Gate Opens (Main Hall)
9:00 AM: Minister of Lists Opens (List Field)
2:00 PM: Gate Closes (Main Hall)
4:30 PM: Activities End (Sitewide), Fashion Show and Court Snacks Start (Main Hall)
5:00 PM: Evening Court (Main Hall)
6:30 PM: Feast Starts (Main Hall)
8:00 PM: Evening Activities Begin (Various)
10:00 PM: Activities Outside of the Main Hall Must End (Various)
Sunday
11:00 AM: Guests Must Be Off Site
Activities
Arts & Sciences
Friday Night
Calling all fiber artists! Beat back the darkness by gathering in the main hall to enjoy song and fellowship into the late hours! We’ll keep the festivities going on Saturday by continuing the gathering in the Arts & Sciences building!
Saturday
Their Excellencies would like to sponsor a contest for the best confectionery delight in the theme of “Memento Mori.” Documentation is encouraged (or at least let us know what inspired you), and all entries must include a full list of ingredients.
We will also be sponsoring an A&S competition: “Best Use of Bones in Any Medium”. As this is a competition, documentation is required. (A basic documentation template can be found here: http://www.larsdatter.com/ezdoc/basic.pdf)
In keeping with the spirit of the season, entertainment will feature a final competition: “Runway of the Macabre”. This fashion show will entertain the masses while we wait for Feast to begin. Entrants are asked to dress to impress.
Here are some ideas to help you stay on theme:
- Memento Mori
- Your Personal Fear
- Medieval Goth
- Light versus Darkness
This fashion show will feature several categories:
- Canine: No documentation required. Goodies for all!
- Youth (up to 12): No documentation required. Goodies for all!
- Youth (13-17): Documentation is encouraged for those wishing to vie for the prize!
- Adult (18+): Documentation is required if you want to outshine everyone else on the runway and waltz away with the prize!
We ask all entrants to include a 3×5 card with their name and description of their ensemble for our Master/Mistress of Ceremonies – we’ll have cards on hand if you forget yours!
Minister of Arts & Sciences: Countess Mary Isabel of Heatherstone (moas@duncarraig.atlantia.sca.org)
Armored Combat
10:00 AM: List opens for authorizations and inspections
11:00 AM: Round robin tournament, bring your best weapons form. Number of pools determined by number of entrants.
1:00 PM: Broken field melees. Exact format to be determined.
The list field will remain open for pick-ups until 30 minutes prior to Court.
Armored Marshal in Charge: Master Galfrid atte Grene (galfridattegrene@gmail.com)
Bardic
Friday Night
Open bardic inside the Main Hall.
Saturday
The Rules:
A roll of the bones will determine the first two bardic combatants and their theme. Each bard will perform a short piece, and judges will determine a victor (they may be swayed by the applause of those in attendance).
After the first combat, the victor remains in the “bear pit” and a new challenger selects a theme for the next performance. Again, judges determine the victor and the winner remains.
Combatants are limited to three victories in a row. Challengers may not select a theme they have already performed, or one their opponent has already performed.
The Themes:
To allow competitors to prepare, the following themes will be used. You don’t need to have a piece for each theme, and interpretation of the theme is up to you. If you are challenged with a theme you had not prepared, you can choose whether to yield or to provide a creative interpretation of how the piece you actually prepared fits the theme you were given.
- The Grim Reaper
- Crows or Ravens
- Flowers
- Remembrance or Goodbyes
- Autumn or Harvest
- Love and Death
- Bard’s Choice (can be repeated)
An Example:
The bones are rolled, and Lord John of Doe and Noble Flynn are selected, and their theme is “flowers.” Lord John sings a very sad song about laying roses on the grave of a beloved, and Noble Flynn tells a romantic story about two lovers picking flowers in a field. Noble Flynn is declared the winner and stays in. They are challenged by Lady Jane on the theme of “love and death.” Noble Flynn and Lady Jane each perform, and Noble Flynn wins again. Duchess Ermintrude is the next challenger, and she picks the theme “the grim reaper.” Again, Noble Flynn is victorious, but must withdraw after their third victory (and drink some water!).
Eventually, Lord John challenges Duchess Ermintrude. He has already used the theme “flowers,” and she has already used “the grim reaper” so both are off-limits. He may select any of the remaining themes or Bard’s Choice. (Adriana is keeping a list of who has performed what, and will remind participants if needed.)
At the end of the allotted time, the bard with the most victories will be declared the winner and will receive a prize. Their Excellencies will choose their champion based on observation of this tournament, but that champion may or may not be the tourney winner.
Saturday Evening
Fireside bardic.
Bardic Coordinator: Lady Adriana Michaels (kellylynne@gmail.com)
Coursing
Coursing Marshal in Charge: Lady Martine de Burges (seadogsrun@gmail.com)
Dance
Dance Coordinator: Magistra Sonya Flicker (Patches) (patches023@verizon.net)
Rapier Combat
Random Draw Double Elimination Rapier Tournament
Series of Tavern Brawls
Points Based Cut & Thrust (C&T) Tournament
The list field will remain open for pick-ups until 30 minutes prior to Court.
Rapier Marshal in Charge: Master Caitilin inghean Fheichin (solarandraste@yahoo.com)
Target Archery
Target Archery Marshal in Charge: TBD
Thrown Weapons
Thrown Weapons Marshal in Charge: Dame Dealla Cohen (deallac@juno.com)
Youth Activities
Period “Trick-or-Treating”:
Hearken, gentle folk, to the ancient custom of “Thee Visiteth the Threshold”: children clad in guise most quaint shall wander ‘twixt booths bedecked in skeletal garlands. At each portal they shall entreat lords and ladies with whispered rhyme or solemn vow—“Spare a boon, or pray reveal a secret grave”—and receive in turn sugared confections or token bone, to remind them of life’s fragile flame and Death’s patient knell.
The Carving of the Turnip:
Gather ‘round the communal bench to hew the humble turnip into grim countenance. With blade and gouge, hollow its flesh so that its empty maw and cavernous eyes stand as silent sentinels of the Grave. No flame shall pierce its hollows; let the pale root itself signify Death’s austere beauty and the stark truth of our passing.
The Making of the Bone Bracelet:
At the House of Remembrance, skilled hands present genuine bone—cleaned and blessed—alongside lengths of sinew. Thread each polished fragment upon the cord, invoking ancestral memory with every knot. When complete, the bracelet’s clack shall whisper of mortality’s certainty and bind the wearer to the cycle of life and death.
Nine Men’s Morris:
Test thy wit and mettle at the ancient board of Nine Men’s Morris, where tokens march ’cross a grid of black and white. With each placement, ponder Life’s fleeting moves; each capture, the soul’s departure. Seek to form thy threefold line, yet know that victory is but a breath, and defeat but the passage to the next earthly coil.
Spooky Coloring Sheets:
For those whose hearts delight in shadowed art, claim from the Scriptorium sheets adorned with bats in flight, skeletal trees, and moonlit tombstones. Quills of pastel hue shall bring to life these spectral scenes. Let thy pigments flow, and in each brushstroke recall that even in color’s bloom, all must fade to dusk.
Page Academy Classes:
Throughout the day, instructors of the Page Academy stand ready to impart skills both grave and gay: lessons in courtesy, penmanship with quill, and the lore of heraldry—each tinted with remembrance of our final dusk. Seek them forthwith, that thou mayst learn arts befitting both court and cemetery.
Youth Activities Coordinator: Lord Michael Russ (michaelruss.atlantia@gmail.com)
Feast and Kickshaws
Kickshaws (Court Snacks):
- Smoked Chicken Legs
- Tartes of Spinage
- Soul Cakes
First Course:
- Poached Chicken Thighs with Green Herb & Stone Fruit Sauce
- Headless Larks – Rolled Slices of Beef, Stuffed with Fruit, Herbs and Eggs, with Claret Wine Sauce
- Sir Walter Raleigh’s Potatoes
- Green Pea Soup with Ginger
- Egg Custard Served with Fruits
Secord Course:
- Dressed Shoulder of Mutton
- Herb Poached Salmon with Vinegar
- A Tart to Give Courage (Tart of Spiced Burdock Root and Quince) with a Dysshe of Snowe
- Artichokes with Marrow, Butter, and Spices
- Apple Fritters
Head Cook: Noble Scandal mac Rofir (scandalmacrofir@gmail.com)
Merchants
Merchant Coordinator: Lady Alexina (alexinamacsuibhne@gmail.com)
Cost
| Day Trip | Feast | Camping | |
| Adult (w/ SCA member discount) | $20 | $20 | $12 |
| Adult | $30 | $20 | $12 |
| Youth (6-17) | $5 | $20 | $12 |
| Child (0-5) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Cabins (Pre-registration ONLY, Cost is Per Bed) | $25 |
Site
Restrictions
None. Dog friendly, but please clean up after your pet.
Accessibility
Camp Merrick site is fully accessible and ADA compliant, including accessible cabins, bathrooms, and dining facilities. The terrain is mostly flat grassy fields, and paved sidewalks, with gravel roads following to the cabins. The only steep terrain leads to the pier and firepit. Cabins are rustic but modern with their own bathroom and handicap accessible facilities. Service animal friendly.
Staff
Event Steward: Lady Caitilín inghean Uí Ruaidhrí (emorbaker@gmail.com)
Head Gate/Reservationist: Mistress Ceridwen ferch Owain (theceridwen@gmail.com)
Marshal in Charge: Sir Harald Brandarm (marshal@duncarraig.atlantia.sca.org)
Minister of Lists in Charge: Baroness Lore von Bubeck (lorebubeck@gmail.com)
Newcomer Liaison: TBD
Field Steward: TBD
Hall Steward: TBD
Herald: TBD
Royal Liasion: TBD