DUES, DUES, DUES!!
        Dues are due!  That’s why they’re called that, right?  MEMBERS should pay the usual painful $5, but now that we have a Legion bank account you can actually make your checks payable to THE TWENTIETH LEGION.  Send them to your trustworthy Commander, Matthew Amt.  (Cash is all right, too, and if you make your check out to me it will still get credited.)
       Now, only Active Members have to worry about dues, and you know if you are an Active Member.  The rest of you Associate Members/Mailing List/Fringe Lunatics/etc. only have to be concerned if you get your Adlocvtio on paper, and therefore might owe some postage.  I WILL INDICATE THE STATUS OF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OR STAMP SUPPLY.

AFTER-ACTION REPORT: BETHLEHEM MARKET PLACE
       Six  members of the Twentieth made the arduous journey east to the troublesome client kingdom of Judea for this biannual event.  Nearly a thousand people came to donate food to the needy and be entertained and drawn into the spirit of Christmas.  Naturally we did our best to squelch this good cheer:  When one of the locals asked a visitor, "Have you seen the star?" I’d butt in with, "Yeah, it’s Jupiter!"  (At the moment, it really IS Jupiter--with good binoculars you can even see some of its moons!  Back then it was some planetary or zodiacal alignment, nothing visible to a layman.)  Mike, George, and Bill had never done this gig before, and had a lot of fun even though some of the kids were pests.  Oh, and Mike slipped on his hobnails and took a dive, but survived.  Our thanks go to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church for inviting us again, and we look forward to returning in two years.

TOOL TALK
       One of the tools that made lorica construction and other jobs much easier for me was a hand-held hole punch, commonly called a Whitney punch.  It comes with a selection of dies for different size holes, and will punch neat holes through steel as thick as 16-guage (i.e., slightly thicker than what we use for armor).  It is an absolute godsend for little brass fittings that tend to snag on a drill bit and spin around severing fingers.  Mine came from Harbor Freight Tools, which calls it a "Hand Punch Kit", Item 37405 (followed by a 4-character code which changes with each new catalog), and it costs $19.99 plus shipping.  Harbor Freight doesn’t always have the highest-quality merchandise--their cheap garden gloves are cheap for a reason--but my punch has held up for years.  And if you buy one thing from them, you’ll get a new catalog every few weeks forever, with a huge assortment of tools and other miscellaneous items (cookware, garden benches, laser pointers, brass spyglasses, etc.).  Their address:  www.harborfreight.com .
       Someone gave me the name of a place that sells replacement dies:  McMaster Carr, Philadelphia, PA.  That’s all the info I have, since I don’t need a new die yet.   As I recall, a new die may cost $12 or more, more than half of what the whole punch kit costs, but it’s possible that it would be of better quality than the dies that come with the punch and therefore last longer.  Happy punching!

EPISTULA from Darren Nunez, Legio III Gallica
       Our Cub Scout event two weeks ago went very well.  We fielded ten.  Three of our veterans were unable to attend because of work schedules.  The kids really enjoyed us.  It's a three day event for the kids though we only attended Saturday.  If we can scrounge up a tent we may try to campout with them in the Spring.  It's a pretty nice area of low hills and forested areas, even an amphitheater built into the side of one of the hills!
       We did two formal presentations and practiced drilling during the day.  I even introduced a few Latin commands to the troop.  One of our guys had to leave at lunch so we dressed up one of the Dad's to drill with us for the afternoon presentation.  The scouts in his troop went bananas!
       I would encourage the XXth to track down scouting events in their area.  The kids and parents are very appreciative.  They're also fairly low key, low pressure events and help keep up everyone's interest.

STUFF
       Bill Bennett turned out for the Bethlehem Market Place in his new tinwear from Joe Piela, an Imperial Gallic type G helmet, and a Corbridge type A lorica, both of which are very well-shaped and nicely done.  The lorica is $300, a very reasonable price, but the helmet will cost $600 from now on--ouch.  Joe still offers the Gallic type A for $200, but all those tedious little details on the fancier types really jack up the price.  His backlog is now 8 months, but he is still meeting his delivery dates consistently!
       Actually, when Bill first got his lorica, the girdle plates were a little too short, so Joe very graciously whipped up a replacement set in a WEEK.  Mike Cope now has the first set of girdle plates because they fit him, and Joe is making a shoulder section to match.
       There are about 13 million things I want to get done before MTA, though I will probably only accomplish one or two of them.  Should I ever succeed in finding goatskin I will at least get a couple scuta done for those of you who are waiting for them.  (Found a couple possible sources on the Net, and will email them shortly.)

SWORD FOR SALE by Titus
       I have a sword I am interested in selling, a brand new gladius produced by Marto, a Spanish company.  It is shaped historically, but is really more "artistic" .  It is entitled the Roman-Bronze model.  It has a Mainz shaped blade made out of stainless steel with "etching" along both sides of the blade.  The handle is bronze and wood while the pommel and guard are cast in high relief.  Many arms and armor places on the Internet have these swords ( such as www.swords-n-stuff.com) if you are interested in seeing a picture of the piece.  It is brand new, my mom brought it back for me from France.  While it is not overly practical for me, it is a pretty piece, but I am looking to turn it into some cash to "re-invest" into new equipment.  New they sell between $250 and $290, I am asking $150.  What a deal!!!
       If interested please contact me:  Tom Kolb   (410) --

CALENDAR 1999
 February 13? --Lupercalia.  Anyone wanna host a party?
 March 20-21 --Military Through the Ages, Jamestown Settlement, VA.  Multi-period encampment with over 30 groups from the first century through the twentieth.  Generally cold and wet, so if this is your first time attending this event be sure you have me check your cold-weather clothing.
 April 10-11 --Marching Through Time, Marietta Mansion, Glenn Dale, MD.  Also a multi-period event, not quite as big as MTA but closer to home and warmer.
 May 29-31 --SCA Quest for Wit or Wisdom, New Jersey.  We have been invited by the 3 Celtic cooks who attended Roman Days.  More details as they become available.
 June 12-13 --ROMAN DAYS, Marietta Mansion, Glenn Dale, MD.  If you only get to one Roman event all year, this is the one!  Several other groups will be joining Legio XX, and it will be bigger and better than last time.  Massed tacticals, Olympics, merchants, and more.  You do not have to be dressed as a Roman to participate and have a great time!
 --As always, contact Quintus if you hope to attend any event, especially if you need to borrow equipment.
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The entire staff of Adlocvtio (that's me!) would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Saturnalia, etc., etc.  Adlocvtio is the official monthly newsletter of the Twentieth Legion, a not-for-profit educational organization.  The Editor is Matthew Amt, Commander of said Legion, and his praetorium is at ....  The Legion's webpage can be found at www.geocities.com/Yosemite/3761/index.htm    Valete!