[MR] Uses for Old TI Magazines

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

When I became Isenfir's Castellan, I started thinking about ways to use old
issues of TOURNAMENTS ILLUMINATED and THE COMPLEAT ANACHRONIST  in our
recruiting efforts. Here follow some of my suggestions:

First I had to get some magazines, as I only had a few issues of my own. I
put out a call to Isenfir's members, asking for contributions. Two members
each brought me a box with a small supply of the magazines. At 2013's
year's Holiday Faire, a vendor had a pile of about 50 issues for $1 each. I
offered $15 for the pile, and he immediately agreed, saying "I really
didn't want to take them home with me."  At this year's Holiday Faire I was
on the lookout for more, and brought tote bags to carry them away. I hit
the jackpot at Stierbach's sale table. They had a 40-year accumulation from
at least two members. When I told the gentle running the table how I hoped
to use them for recruiting, he said I could have as many as I wanted for
free if I came back at the end of the day. I was there on the dot, and took
them all (apparently he hadn't sold any all day long).

Out of respect for the original subscribers, the first thing I did with my
treasures was to blatz out their names and addresses with a Sharpie pen.

Then I sorted out all the issues for articles that might be of future use
either to myself or others in Isenfir. Those articles were mostly about
historical subjects, craft projects, foodways, or helps for my own office
as castellan such as recruiting or dealing with the media. These were
scanned and saved on my computer, but I left all the magazines intact.

My main idea was to offer the magazines as thank-you gifts to anyone who
left us their name and email address at our demos. Call them "bribes" if
you will, but I am shameless about promoting the Isenfir and the SCA. For
this project I selected only issues in top condition (no creases, water
stains or missing pages). I limited the magazines selected to those from
about 2008 on, when TI upped their game and began using real photographs.

Each magazine had a business card-sized, computer-generated label (in red
ink) pasted on the inner cover with the following information so the guest
would remember where it came from:

shire of isenfir, sca

RENAISSANCE AND MIDDLE AGES LIVING HISTORY

FENCING • PERIOD DANCING

COSTUMING • COOKERY • CRAFTS

isenfir.atlantia.sca.org/index.php

www.facebook.com/groups/isenfir


NEWCOMER OFFICER: IsenfirWelcome at gmail.com

Now what to do about the older magazines? I didn't feel that they were as
useful for give-aways, being less professional looking, and possibly being
out of date for current combat rules and other policies. Still, they have
valuable content. As a follow-up to our demos, Isenfir has hosted several
"newcomers' nights", where we put our toys and treasures on show,
demonstrate fencing, and generally answer questions from those people whose
names we had collected. At each of these activities I arranged a "free
literature" table that included a stack of the older magazines for guests
to take as many as they wanted. I also offered separate copies of articles
I had scanned on making basic garb and accessories like T-tunics and
belt pouches.

So instead of these old magazines mouldering in an attic or basement, the
issues potentially have a second life as give-aways, and as aids to
newcomers.

I look forward to hearing your ideas.

By the way, Isenfir has enough issues to last several years, so please
don't send me any of yours.  😀

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Castellan, Shire of Isenfir