ADLOCVTIO
NEWSLETTER OF THE TWENTIETH LEGION

Vol. XVII, no. iii, March 2007


MARCHING THROUGH TIME

    Richard Campbell is the Official Legio XX Contact for Marching Through Time this year, so let him know if you will be attending, richsc AT usa DOT net.  April 14-15 is the date, and Marietta Mansion is the place.   Anyone who is lacking equipment should sing out quickly, so that we can arrange for you to borrow what you need.

    Public hours are 11 AM to 5 PM both days, and admission is $8 for adults and $3 for ages 4-18.  The public parking area is at the Glenn Dale Community Center just up the road from Marietta, and shuttles will run continuously.  The participant parking area is at Holy Trinity School on Daisy Lane, off Rt. 193 just north of the fire house.  (From Bell Station Road at Marietta, turn left on 193, go past the firehouse and turn right on Daisy Lane.)   The local Civil Air Patrol will be providing security at the lot.  The shuttles will run mainly Friday evening, and Saturday and Sunday mornings and evenings.  If you need the shuttle during other times, tell one of the event coordinators or security guards.  Many participants park along the edge of 193, and this is legal but very much "at your own risk".  The intersection of 193 and Bell Station Road is dangerous, and there have been some spectacular collisions during the event!  PLEASE be careful!

    There will (probably) be school groups visiting on Friday during setup, so anyone who can get there is encouraged to come (though it is certainly not required!).  This will run from about 10 AM to 2 PM, and cars are not supposed to be in the camp area during that time.  Get there before 9:30, unload your vehicle, and move it out. 

    Same basic deal on Saturday morning: cars should be out of the camp area by 9:30 AM.  Cars will not be permitted back into the camp area until SUNDAY after 5 PM.

    There will again be a barbecue dinner on Saturday night for participants.  The cost is $6 per person, and the money is due in by April 7.  So you MUST get your money to Richard BEFORE then if you want to partake!   Guesswork and "maybe" won't do this year--pay him in advance or don't eat.

    Hopefully there will be a new legionary or two, otherwise I think we know the drill!  The Legion is usually the first to perform at 11 AM, so DO be there well before then to get ready to march.  Legio XXIV is planning to attend with their catapulta, for a nice addition to our marching drill.  And you already know that Quintus and Cnaeus are going back a millennium or two to play in the Bronze Age, this year!  There will also be a couple Celts between them and the Romans.  I'm sure everyone will behave!

    And have fun!



MTT FILMING, by Kris Duffy

I wanted to be sure you had received the message from Susan at the Marietta Mansion about our doing some filming at Marching Through Time this April. This is for a TV project we're producing for the US Navy and the Armed Forces Network.  The project is called "Voices From Home," and involves filming video messages and well-wishes for our troops serving overseas.  Those messages are then broadcast on the Armed Forces Network for a period of about one year and are seen by almost one million troops from all branches of the military.  Having been to Marching Through Time a few years ago, I had the idea to film some "warriors of the past" sending messages to "today's warriors."  The Navy Project Manager really loved the idea, so I'm looking to set that up with the various groups who will be there this year.

If you’re interested in participating, here’s a bit of guidance.
- You can offer them words of encouragement, support, good luck, and a safe return.
- You could offer them a salute that would be in keeping with salutes given to warriors in your time period.
- You can compare warriors of your time to today’s warriors, if it’s done briefly and in a positive way.
- The messages can be either serious or humorous.
- The messages should probably feature just one or two primary spokespersons, with the rest of the group seen in the background.
-We’d also like to get one or two group "shout outs" that would be appropriate for your time period. (One of these might be your "salute.")

What we DON’T want is:
- Lengthy history lessons about your time period
- Messages that give servicemembers "professional advice" on how to wage war or do their jobs.
- Any political statements or statements that denigrate any particular country or ethnic group.

Please don’t be negative toward any particular military branch, rank, or military job. Good natured, "inter-camp ribbing" is okay, so long as it doesn’t come across as harsh or spiteful.  That being said, I want to encourage you to be original, have fun with this, and be true to your characters and time period.  In terms of length, we’d like to keep each statement to no longer than about 15 seconds.

We can film multiple segments with your group, so feel free to prepare a few different things to say, if you’d like. We might combine these into one single 30-second spot, or use them in a few different spots. And keep in mind that we’ll have lots of videotape, so it’s no problem to film your messages a few times until everyone’s happy with the way it turns out.

In addition to filming your on-camera statements, we might also film some of the activities in your camp and any field demonstrations you’ll be giving. Once we see how many groups will be participating, I’ll develop a filming schedule that I’ll share with everyone before the event.

Please contact me to let me know if you are interested or if you have any further questions.  My e-mail is: kris AT venturemedia DOT tv  and my office phone number is: (954)474-7368.

On behalf of our company and the US Navy, I’d like to thank you again for your help with this exciting project.

Kris Duffy, Production Manager
Venture Media, Inc.
Fort Lauderdale, FL


BLACKSMITHING, by Henry Irving

    Today I went to the monthly meeting of the Blacksmith Guild of  Central Maryland (http://www.bgcmonline.org) and it was great.  The meeting  started at 9am this morning with a demonstration on how to make a  tomahawk.  The demonstration generally runs an hour.  Afterwards you  work on your personal projects until 12 when lunch happens (folks  bring stuff - today was a chili cookoff).  A general meeting occurs at 1pm and a board meeting at 2pm.  You can attend the meetings or  continue in the forge room on your projects.   They made me feel very  welcome and started me on a steel coat hook as a first project.   Afterwards, they had me dish out a brass bowl for a laddle which I  will put a handle on next month.  Let's review: I was made to feel welcome.  I was given instruction in working steel and brass.  And I  learned a lot that will apply to the Roman period.  The instructor is  going to help me do a pilum shaft next time.  I think you would  really enjoy this activity and I encourage you to try it out.  There is a Potomac blacksmithing guild around Alexandria (http://www.bgop.org), this one meeting in Westminster, MD, and one up toward Havre de Grace.  The latter one has an armourer who manufactures chain mail.  Also, Blacksmithing Days is coming up in May at the Howard County fairgrounds and they will have lots of tools to take care of your metal working needs.   I'm trying to find a source of wrought iron  through them for lorica  and other projects.  Finally, check out http://www.admiralsteel.com.  Doing it yourself beats waiting months and paying through the nose.  I  calculate the costs for 5160 steel for a 20" Pompei gladius at about  $4-5.

Henry


MITHRACON, by Jane Sibley

    Mithracon, an informal conference on cults and religion in the Roman Empire, will again be held in New Haven on Fri.-Sun. April 13-15; OK to come a day early so as to get two days in Yale's library system.  Unfortunately, the Dura Europos mithraeum is still in the part of the art gallery which is being renovated, and is not available again this coming year.  Please see our web site at http://www.mithracon.org for more information.


CALENDAR

   April 7-- Legio XX Workshop?  (Not confirmed)
   April 14-15 --Marching Through Time, Marietta Mansion, MD
   June 1-3 --ROMAN DAYS, Marietta Mansion

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ADLOCVTIO is the Official Newsletter of the Twentieth Legion, supposedly published on the Ides of each month.  I am Quintus, aka Matthew Amt, the Legion's Commander and Editor of the Newsletter, matthew_amt AT yahoo DOT com, http://www.larp.com/legioxx/ .