Andriu and Nuzha

Some History:

Melinda grew up in the 19^th Ward, in the city of Rochester – around the block from the Patton (Andy’s) Household. The two have known each other since childhood and their families have been close for many years. It is not surprising that they both would come to enjoy working on events together as well. What was surprising is that while Nez was born into the SCA (c1980), Andriu was not introduced to it until he moved 4 hours away, to Potsdam, for college, becoming a member of the college group associated with the Shire of Northern Outpost in the fall of 1996. In the winter of 1997, Andriu came home for break to work in Nez’s first SCA kitchen, at UWEKAT (now C3R), where he met his now wife and helped a lot more than he believes to this day. 😊

In the Fall of 1998, Melinda joined Andy at Potsdam and enjoyed the camaraderie of the members of the Shire of Northern Outpost. It wasn’t long before she longed for home, however, and moved back to her beloved Rochester.

For the next 10 yrs, Nuzha continued to cook feasts, sew garb, work with the ADEPT demo group to bring educational demos to the schools, set up and tear down events, teach dance, build armor (not for her!), form a household, and eventually retire from that household. As you can imagine, this brought on a bit of SCA participation fatigue. Nez was sincerely thinking of taking a long hiatus/finding a new hobby, when Andriu came back to the SCA, full of excitement and joy over having found Thrown Weapons and Cooking, if I recall correctly. Andrew had spent much of the previous ten years as a professional cook and found that SCA kitchens allowed him to enjoy the fun of the craft again. And he brought us over a decade of food safety knowledge and subsequently taught us all how to do better for our feast goers. But it was standing in her kitchen at C3R, at the end of a long night, that Andriu reminded Nez of why people are drawn to the society. The Dream. In his joy and wonder at the newness of it all, Nez could see the spark that had been long missing in her. Andrew encouraged Nez to seek out something new; to reinvent herself in her longtime hobby and learn to enjoy the “game” again. Thus, they became a “unit”, venturing to events all over the Kingdom together, to cook in kitchens, marshal youth fighting, teach, set up, tear down, and generally just create the dream for as many people as possible.

In Mundania:

Andrew is an advisor, working in inventory management and logistics, for an international technology company. He is also a Master certified automotive technician. Previously, he has been a corporate trainer of sauté and prep cooks for a national restaurant group.

Andrew is married to his beautiful wife, Kristen. Kristen is not a Scadian, but has attended events in the past. Together, they have two energetic and helpful children, Ragnar (MKA Carter) and Arinbjorn (MKA Dylan), who have been attending events since they were infants.

He currently serves as Thescorre Youth Marshal and Voice Herald.

Melinda is a Business and Marketing Manager for a small tech company in Rochester. She owned a tailor shop for approx. 8yrs, then moved on to construction, electric, and plumbing (her true passions). After 20 years of working as a contract worker, Melinda chose to take on the consistency of a desk job, and quickly went from worker to manager. She took a hiatus from her desk job to go back to construction while her family houses had some major issues, and she is now back to IT, helping the new owner of her old company to learn the ropes and create a new brand.

She is married to her love Kevin, who remains bemused that she drives a truck just to load and unload it every weekend. Kevin is not a Scadian, though he has been known to ferry items for events and set up/tear down when needed. Though the SCA is not his “thing”, he continues to support Melinda’s involvement and help in any way possible (as long as he doesn’t have to wear those funny clothes 😉)

Melinda currently serves as the Thescorre Webminister, Social Media Officer, Historian, and Deputy Seneschal. Obviously, she would need to step down from the Deputy Seneschal position, should she and Andrew win the election.

Our Vision:

Between the two of us, we have well over 40yrs in the SCA. We have seen traditions come and go. We have watched as the brightness and newness has faded for many and we have watched it glow anew for others. It is our sincerest hope to bring that spark – that Dream – to everyone who wishes to participate. Over the last couple years, the SCA has opened new doors to accessible options for many of our members. It has also closed doors to others. We know that neither side of this equation has had an easy road and we would like to honor that. Traditions are beautiful and they matter. Accessibility is necessary and beautiful in its own right. We believe that the way forward is to combine the two. We must incorporate accessible options into our beloved traditions. We must work with those affected (meaning everyone) to create an inclusive, accessible, tradition-filled and joyous Thescorre. Because at the end of it all, this should be fun. It should be meaningful. And we want people to participate for the love of the experience.

Populace Questions:

Given that the population of the Barony had been steadily decreasing over the past 10+ years, before the pandemic hit, and given the limited number of active Barony members we have who’ve been (or still are) willing to fill offices, steward events or even compete in championships, why should we, the populace, vote to continue as a Barony with the accompanying requirements and expectations in order to maintain figureheads of the Crown, rather than downgrade our status to Shire thereby making some of our offices optional, and remove the pressure to maintain the higher participation standards expected among much larger groups?
How will you show your support for Thescorre both in town and at Pennsic?
Why did you decide to run for B&B, and why at this time?
What goals do you have for the barony, during and after the pandemic ends?
What do you think is going well in the barony, and what do you think needs work?
What are your thoughts on recruitment and retainment?
What are your thoughts on increasing diversity and ?

Our Statement of Reply:

For us, the basis for all of our answers is Family. The SCA as a whole always talks about how this Society is “their chosen family” and we believe that to be a very true and real relationship. The most important thing you can do for your family is to be present; to interact with those in the group with love and understanding and joy. Thescorre has had a rough couple of years, and yet we are one of the only places still holding events; still giving our members some way to connect.

In adding virtual options, we have found that people who were unable to attend Barony functions in the past, are able to be a part of things now. But we also see that many people who used to participate are no longer doing so. We see that a lot of beloved traditions have been lost – some forever and some only seem as though they will be gone forever. And we know now that the only way forward is through a combination of our experiences. We must be inclusive of ALL, we must speak to people, communicate fully, listen to concerns, and work to create an SCA that welcomes everyone back home.

So why now? Why run at all? Why remain a Barony? For us, it is simple. Because we know that this family is hurting and we have hope that we can heal some of those wounds. We stand at a crossroads that we have been approaching for many years – since well before the pandemic – and we see the possibility of better things. But only if we work together to create them. We cannot leave behind our history or those who created it. Nor can we look only to the future and the hope of new members. We are a strong Barony, but we are also human. We hope that we can help our members to find ways to contribute, that fit within their lives, but do not become their lives. And we hope that we can help each other find ways to rest and remember that while this Dream is beautiful and hopeful, it is just that – a Dream – and we value everyone’s real life as well.