Bid to Host the
1997 Known World Heraldic Symposium

This letter is our proposal to hold the 1997 Known World Heraldic Symposium in the Barony of Thescorre, in the East Kingdom's Principality of Aethelmearc. The Known World Heraldic Symposium has not been held in the East Kingdom in recent memory. We hope that you will honor our Kingdom in 1997 by choosing this bid. Don Thomas de Castellon, Brigantia Principal Herald, is very enthusiastic about this proposal.

The Barony of Thescorre encompasses all of Rochester, NY, Monroe County, and a great portion of the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of Upstate NY. Rochester, as a community, is very experienced at handling events on a large scale. In 1995, Rochester hosted the Ryder Cup International Golf Tournament which brought more than 1.5 million people from around the world to our community. We also host a world renowned festival every year - The Lilac Festival - which brings an estimated 500,000 visitors into Rochester from around the world each spring.

Our Barony is also very familiar with hosting large events. We have held numerous Crown Tournaments, Coronations, Investitures, and Coronet Tourneys. We hold three "annual" events each year, and add on to that as the opportunity arises. We have a staff of eager and able Thescorrians to serve the College.

Rochester is very conveniently located for this event. We conservatively estimate that we will draw at least 150 gentles who will attend simply because they are within driving distance! We are no more than an 8 hour drive from a large portion of the upper Midwest, most of New England, lower Ontario and Quebec Provinces, all of New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the upper Mid-Atlantic region. This means that holding The Known World Heraldic Symposium in Thescorre will make it possible for SCAdians to drive to the event from THREE different Kingdoms! Many of these SCAdians would otherwise be unable to attend this type of an event because they could not afford the cost of airfare.

The hotel/site is located 10 minutes from the airport, and is in one of the major suburbs of Rochester. Fast food establishments, inexpensive eateries, and fine dining and ethnic food experiences are within walking distance of the site. The hotel also has its own in-house Brew Pub/Microbrewery, and serves some of the finest home-brewed beers, ales, and lagers this side of the Atlantic. Their restaurant fare is "Irish Pub Grub" along with a fine selection of sandwiches, salads and entrees. They are also famous for their Friday Night Fish Fry, a Rochester tradition!

The Marketplace Inn has all the amenities of a large hotel, while having the friendly personal service of an inn. It is very reasonably priced, and we have negotiated a deal where up to 4 people can rent a room at no additional cost. Outlined below are the main features of this lovely Inn and Conference Center:

5 spacious conference rooms at our disposal 144 guest rooms, with full room service. Large banquet hall. In-house restaurant and Microbrewery ("The Shannon Pub") featuring Irish foods. Complete catering facilities. Swimming pool. Free shuttle service to and from the airport. Affordable rooms ($62.00 per night for up to 4 people). Non-smoking rooms available. A toll-free 800 number for reservations. Free hospitality suite. Use of breakfast area for merchants after 10 a.m. Friendly, competent staff who are interested in meeting our special requirements.

One of the challenges we set ourselves for this bid was to try to make this event more affordable than we have seen in previous years. The premise being that more people will attend the Symposium if it is reasonably priced, and easily accessible. We hope that we have succeeded. Here are the proposed costs for the attendees:

Site Fee: $12.00 per person
Feast Fee: $19.75
Hotel Room Rental: $62.00 per night for up to 4 people in a room

Beginning at 7:00 p.m. Friday, we will hold an informal reception that will include the service of hot hors d'oeuvres. A cash bar for liquid refreshments, and all the free fresh popcorn you could want are also available. Guests may order dinner in the restaurant and eat it in the reception area, or they may stay in the restaurant and enjoy the live Celtic performances (both Friday and Saturday nights).

We will hold five tracks of six classes. If there are gentles who wish to teach classes that are related to heraldry, we will include those as space permits, i.e. "Reading Carolingian Manuscript" or "How to Teach Heraldry to Newcomers", or "Interfacing with the Royalty from the Royals' Perspective". We will strive for a diversity of classes that will appeal to the very Senior Heralds, the newly rostered Pursuivants, and the general SCAdian interested in heraldry.

Classes will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. There will be three classes in the morning, with the lunch break beginning at 12:30. Classes will resume at 2:00 p.m. and go until 5:00 p.m. Coffee, tea and decaf will be available in each classroom in the morning and in the afternoon. Water pitchers will be replenished all day long in each classroom. Pads, chalk boards, white boards and markers, easels, overhead projectors, and video equipment are available to the instructors with advance notification.

The Feast Saturday evening will be specially designed to feel like an SCA feast, and not a hotel dinner. Banners will decorate the hall, period music will be playing in the background, and the beer, ale and cider will be available at the cash bar. We will also provide other SCA related entertainments, like bards, story tellers, and dancing after the feast.

The feast itself will consist of the following:

Chicken Tortellini soup (vegetarian alternative available upon request)
Salat of Greens with choice of Dressing
Fresh Baked Beer Bread (their specialty - yummy!)
Choice of one of the following:
Irish Lamb Stew
Chicken and Mushroom Pie
Marinated Beef Tips with onions, carrots and mushrooms, served over Rice
Broiled Fillet of Haddock served over Rice
(vegetarian alternative available upon request)
A Sotelty of Carrot Cake or Chocolate Cake
Coffee, tea or decaf

We have made arrangements for the large banquet hall to be available to us Sunday morning for the traditional "Laurel Roadshow". Coffee, tea, and decaf will be available, along with ice water. The banquet room is very close to the restaurant, so people will be able to bring their breakfast into the meeting if they so desire.

Our community has much to offer the individual who wishes to go sightseeing or partake of cultural activities outside of the Symposium. We have several museums that are 10-15 minutes from the site, including the George Eastman House/International Museum of Photography. There is the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, which has a fine collection of ancient, medieval, impressionist and modern art. There is the Rochester Museum and Science Center/Planetarium, and The Strong Museum which specializes in early 19th century through the modern era exhibits; they also have an incredible collection of dolls and toys from that era that is not to be missed!

We have the largest indoor shopping mall east of the Mississippi and four other malls all within an easy drive of the site. There is a famous two-story fabric outlet store here in Rochester - Fabrics and Findings - and they even give discounts to SCAdians with proof of membership ! There is a huge Outlet Center shopping mall east of Rochester, plus lots of galleries, boutiques, and specialty shops in our Monroe/Park Avenue district. There's even a used bookstore called Guttenberg Books that sells original illuminated manuscript pages from the 12th Century on. And yes, she will let you look at them even if you're not going to buy.

In addition to all of these fine attractions, there are the Wineries of the Finger Lakes

Region for you to enjoy. Did you know that commercial viticulture in the United States began in Upstate New York? Dozens and dozens of wineries are within a short drive of Rochester and are open for tours and tastings. It's an experience that you would not want to miss.

Don Eric Brehattin, Silver Buccle Herald
Doña Teresa Gabriella de Montoya y Sevilla, Carnelian Pursuivant, Principality Chatelaine
Lady Mathilda Bosvyle de Befiaqua, Seneschal of the Barony of Thescorre