Why Southwind Articles are Necessary

Per Lex Atenveldtus (section VIII. A.), an event announcement must be submitted to the Kingdom of Atenveldt newsletter, Southwind, for every Kingdom and local level event on the Kingdom Calendar. For the event to be an officially sanctioned SCA event (in other words, for insurance coverage and to make court business official), the event article must, at the very least, be published in the Southwind issue the month the event will take place. For example, the article for Estrella War (a February event), must be published in the February issue of Southwind to make Estrella War an official SCA event. Without an event article, the event is not official.

Many people plan out their calendars in advance. It is a good idea to try to get an article published in the issue prior to the month of the event, if not earlier. For example: if your event will be in April, it would be a good idea to get an article in the February and March Southwind issues. This will give the populace advance notification, which will help increase the chances of people planning to attend. An event announcement can be included in the Southwind, for every calendar event, whether it is a local or Kingdom event, free of charge.

Why it is Important for an Event to be "Official"

There are many reasons for this (for the complete list see Guidelines for SCA Events held in Atenveldt. Some of the most important reasons are that SCA insurance covers the event, site fees may be collected, and monies from an SCA group account can be used to cover the costs of the event. These things don't apply if an event isn't official.

When to Submit

Event articles must be submitted by the first day of the month one full month in advance of the event. For example, what is submitted by January 1st will be published in the February Southwind, so an article for an event in February must be submitted no later than January 1st. The Kingdom Chronicler will publish event announcements in the Southwind up to 2 months in advance of the event. You will not need to resubmit the announcement for the second month unless you wish to include updated or additional information. It is not required that you remind them to run it in April, but it doesn't hurt to send them an email letting them know that you don't have any changes.

What to Submit

The event article must be submitted with a properly filled out, and signed, Event Registration Application. These items can be emailed; it is the responsibility of the Event Steward to verify that the Kingdom Chronicler has received all the information they require, in a format that is usable to them. See Forms and Reports: Before the Event for additional information.

Where to Submit (Who Gets These Forms?)

Make sure the Event Registration Application and article get submitted to the Kingdom Seneschal, Kingdom Calendar Officer, and Kingdom Chronicler (as per Guidelines For SCA Events Within the Kingdom of Atenveldt).

Submit your Southwind article to the Chronicler of each of the neighboring groups so they can include it in their local newsletter. Determine the submission deadline and acceptable electronic formats for each newsletter by looking in a copy of the newsletter or checking with the Chronicler thatproduces that newsletter. Check the Baronial websites for contact information for each groups Chronicler.

Submitting the Event Form and Southwind Article

When submitting an article to the Southwind make sure it is in a format that the Kingdom Chronicler can use. Information about submission requirements, deadlines, etc. can be found in the "Southwind Information" section of the Southwind (usually on the inside back cover of each issue). Please double check there for the most current information.

How to Write a Southwind Article

The minimum elements of an event announcement should include:

  1. Name of the event
  2. Date of the event
  3. Which group is hosting the event
  4. A brief introduction or greeting
  5. Activities to be held during the event
  6. Pertinent "reservation" information
  7. Amenities in the area (less necessary for day events, more important for events lasting all weekend or longer)
  8. Site fees - make sure to include information on the non-member surcharge fee
  9. Feast fees and/or reservation information
  10. Information on ACCEPS if applicable (for more information on ACCEPS, please see the ACCEPS Payment System section on the Forms and Reports: Before an Event page.
  11. The name and address (including city) of the site and simple directions on how to get to the site
  12. Additional rules or restrictions (ex: are pets permitted, no glass containers, if water is available, certain beverage restrictions, minor curfew information, etc)
  13. Contact information for the Event Steward and the Feast Steward

Additional Items to include in Southwind Articles

Alcohol
Atenveldt policy prohibits the use of the word "alcohol" in an event article. According to tradition that predates this prohibition, event articles use the following terms to describe the mundane restrictions on alcohol at a particular site:
  • Dry - Sites in which no alcohol is permitted at all.
  • Damp - Sites in which alcohol is permitted, but the presence and consumption of alcohol needs to be restrained and discreet.
  • Wet - Sites in which alcohol is permitted, subject to normal mundane laws, and common sense.
Transgressions by Minors
Be sure to review the Atenveldt Policy for Addressing Transgressions by Minors to make sure your article includes the appropriate information about minors. This document also provides an outline on how to handle problem situations.
Minor Curfew for Camping Events
As of October 2004 minor curfews are mandatory for camping events. This information must be included in published event articles, site regulations, gate books (if applicable), and on the Event Registration Application form. To determine the proper policy to follow check the site agreement, check to see if there are any local laws defining curfews (the site owner should have this information), and check the Kingdom of Atenveldt curfew as listed on the application. Use whichever policy is the most restrictive.
Minor Paperwork
Frequently adults bring minors who are not their children. Make sure to include information about the forms they need to bring with them. For more detailed information on the forms needed, see Forms and Reports: During an Event
Pets
More and more frequently people want to bring pets to events. Make sure to discuss the pet policy with the site and include any information / restrictions they have. If it is in the event announcement then there should be less of a chance of pets being brought to an event that does not allow them. It's not pleasant to have to ask someone to take their pet home.
Non-member surcharge
As per the 7/20/2002 BOD (SCA Board of Directors) announcement the non-member surcharge applies to any events in which a fee is charged to the populace to attend. If there is a discounted or free charge to minors, the non-member surcharge will not apply to the minors. This information must be included in the event article. For example: "Fees: $5 for members, $8 for non-members" or "Fees: $5 for members, non-members add $3 non-member surcharge". This surcharge must be recorded by Troll, sent to the appropriate Kingdom Officer, and included in the financial reporting (see Forms and Reports: After the Event for further info).

Examples of Past Event Announcements

Submitting Additional Information

If you would like to submit some advice or additional information, please submit it here