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Beads - Open Torch Time (2 hours)
For anyone who has already taken a class in lampwork. This is a chance to spend more time on the torch with a teacher nearby who can offer advice as required. This session is restricted to those aged 16 or older.
Class is limited to 6 people.   There is a materials fee of $5 for this class.
Speaker: Jean Ross

Bone and Antler Carving (2 hours)
Learn how to carve bone or antler. Each particpant will be given a piece of bone or antler suitable for making a ring or a pin. Appropriate knives will be available for use, and can also be purchased at a cost of $15 each. Bone is a hard material, this course is not suited to children.
Class is limited to 6 people.   There is a materials fee of $5 for this class.
Speaker: Steven Strang

Chainmail - Beyond the Basics (2 hours)
Beyond the basics: mail is the most versatile, flexible armour ever developed. Able to be shaped to every part of the human form mail can also be the basis for wonderful jewelry. In this class you will learn how to make the King Chain, French Rope, and Foxtail patterns. A basic understanding of chain mail is required. Bring two pairs of pliers. In addition to more complex patterns with standard rings this session will explore the use of smaller rings and precious metal rings in decorative patterns and jewelry. Bring two pairs of pliers.
Class is limited to 10 people.   
Speaker: Jerry Penner

Chainmail for Beginners
Imagine a shirt made of thousands of tiny metal rings, all linked together to form a cloth impenetrable by sword. Why was chainmail the ultimate armour for warriors for over a thousand years? Chain mail is so versatile it is still in use today. You can see it on divers in shark-infested waters and on the hands of your local butcher. While you learn to knit your own bracelet that you get to take home we'll discuss the historical background of this wonderful armour. Please bring two pairs of pliers.
Class is limited to 10 people.   
Speaker: Jerry Penner

Development of the King Arthur Legends
Who was King Arthur? How did a snippet of historical record become the rich tapestry of legend we know today? This class will take a lively romp through 1500 years of literary history; come learn things you never would have guessed about Britain's favourite hero!
Speaker: Heather Dale

Digging in the dirt - attending an archaeological fieldschool
Many fieldschools allow members of the public to work as volunteer diggers at an archaeological excavation while learning the steps involved in a proper dig. This experience is both rewarding, and can be difficult. Join Karen and Neil for a discussion of their experience at a fieldschool on Gotland in 2011 as well as information on how you can get involved yourself.
Speakers: Neil Peterson, Karen Peterson

Experimental Vikings: Glass and Iron
An Iron Smelt in Vinland - an experimental investigation
Investigations of the archaeological site at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, indicate local bog iron ore was smelted into workable metal, at least once, by the Norse some time about 1000 AD. Just why the first iron smelt in North America was carried out remains open to interpretation. Starting in 2009, a team from Ontario, Canada, conducted a series of five experiments, culminating on a full re-creation of the original Norse iron smelt at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC in August of 2010. This paper will detail how the archaeological evidence was combined with years of experience with Norse styled furnaces to produce a successful working system. What was learned about the physical process can now shed greater light on not only early iron smelting methods, but what happened in Vinland near the end of the Viking Age.
Glass on Fire: temperatures in reconstructed Norse bead furnaces
At least seven distinct sites in the Viking World show traces consistent with the construction of the glass beads the Norse loved. At only one of these sites do we find any trace of the furnaces used. During 2011 members of the Dark Ages Recreation Company's Bead Research group conducted temperature measurements on a range of models to determine the temperature patterns and ranges. This paper will review the results of those experiments.

Speakers: Neil Peterson, Darrell Markewitz

I wrote some
Social historian Royden Loewen writing in his book on Mennonite diarists, "From the Inside Out", suggested that "diaries often turned the hidden contours of household and community inside out" allowing us to see beyond closed doors into a person’s private life. When the micro-history behind a diary was reconnected to the wider historiography of the period the complexity of social networks and kinship ties could be reconstructed in a way that would be unimaginable through a more general history. Using diaries to reconstruct life on the farm and around the kitchen table as it really was will be the focus of this paper as we listen to the voices of a young man working the family farm in 1891 and a twenty-five year old woman living in a small village from 1868.
Speaker: Catherine Ollerhead DeSantis

Introduction to Glass Bead Making (2 hours)
This class will cover the style of bead making known as Lampwork. A history of bead making, their uses, and trade. The modern process of lampworking to make a bead will also be demonstrated. This session is restricted to those aged 16 or older.
Class is limited to 6 people.   There is a materials fee of $5 for this class.
Speaker: Jean Ross

Large Menu Planning
A practical guide to planning a large menu. Whether it is for a Wedding, Banquet or Medieval Feast using numbers as small as 12 to as large as 200. Budgeting, food choices, seating arrangements and the like for your situations will be discussed. Bring a thumb drive or accessible email for worksheets to be given to participants.
Speakers: Jean Ross, Martin Ross

Meaningful Scratches
A hands-on course in Runic and Ogham writing. The Runic alphabets were the local forms of writing in the Viking, Anglo Saxon and other Germanic cultures. Ogham was an alphabet peculiar to the Celtic inhabitants of the British Isles. Both were developed to be written with a knife rather than a pen. Participants should bring a small, sharp, single-edged knife, wood will be provided and some loaner knives will be available. No woodworking experience necessary, but children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Class is limited to 10 people.   
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Polite Society
"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there",(Leslie Poles Hartley) This certainly true when applied to late Victorian etiquette. To successfully navigate this often paralysing array of do's and don't's marked you out as a member of polite society. To fail could mean social isolation and ruination of your good name. The rules of etiquette were more than knowing which fork to use, clothing, speech and even how you were introduced mattered. This is an introduction to the rules of etiquette as they applied to upper class English society. Etiquette was considered to be what separated our betters from us whom they regarded as "the great unwashed".
Speaker: Catherine Ollerhead DeSantis

Presenting the Past - developing Living History programming
Effectively mounting a living history presentation in front of the general public is significantly different than gathering with other re-enactors at a closed event. Experience has long proved establishing an overall design to a presentation will significantly improve its value to (and reception by) both institutions and the viewing public. Do individual personas actually reflect historical realities? Is there a general theme or specific topics which should (or should not!) be illustrated? What presentation methods have proved most effective? Illustrations will be drawn from a number of differing time periods / living history presentations.
Speaker: Darrell Markewitz

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Silk-Painting a Medieval Banner (2 hours)
Learn about the basic design concepts of Medieval heraldry, and then put them to practice by making a silk pennant. The instructor will bring supplies for some small individual projects (on a first-come basis), and any additional participants can help work on a larger communal piece during this 2-hour practicum. A list of silk-painting suppliers/resources will be available free of charge to all participants. Everyone is welcome, including calm children & youths.
Speaker: Heather Dale

Student Papers - Session 1
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Student Papers - Session 2
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Student Papers - Session 3
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Student Papers - Session 4
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Student Papers - Session 5
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Student Papers - Session 6
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Student Papers - Session 7
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To Singe the King of Spain's Beard Part 1: Events Leading up to the Armada Fight of 1588
This class will examine the historical background of the war between Spain and England in the late 16th c. It will provide an overview of the conflict and explore some of the more important events that lead to The Great Enterprise of England, the Spanish Armada. This class is intended to provide context for a second class on 16th c. Naval Warfare.
Speaker: David Stamper

To Singe the King of Spain's Beard Part 2: Naval Warfare and Technology during the Age of Elizabeth I
This class will examine the tactics and technology of late 16th c. naval warfare. It will explore the ships of the time and the weapons they were equipped with as well as the material culture of the crews that served in them. It will also look at how these ships were fought, contrasting the tactics of the English and Spanish.
Speaker: David Stamper

Vocal Technique for Speakers/Singers
Throughout our lives we learn bad habits which restrict our breathing, which can lead to the sensation of stage-fright, tight throat and lack of vocal projection. These responses are learned -- and they can be unlearned. An experienced performer and public speaker will guide you through easy physical and mental exercises to improve your vocal technique. This workshop will include simple stretches and breathing techniques; please wear comfortable clothing.
Speaker: Heather Dale

Working Up the Past - A History of Knitting (2 hours)
A hands-on course in knitting. A brief outline of the history of knitting from its earliest examples to modern patterns and techniques, followed by learning the basics of knitting. Learn to cast-on, knit, pearl and cast-off to make beautiful medieval-themed items. This session is limited to those over 10 years of age.
Class is limited to 6 people.   There is a materials fee of $5 for this class.
Speaker: Samantha James