Camp Fenby
June 25-27, 2004

About the Event

Camp Fenby is a gathering of people who want to teach or learn various crafts or skills, most of which have some relation to the Middle Ages. Teaching (and overnight camping) conditions are primitive — there's whatever shade tents people bring, a couple of old tobacco barns, and a forge. Arrangements for electricity must be made in advance. Water is out of a hose from the farmhouse.

This is a really laid back weekend. Participants do as much or as little as they want, and class times are somewhat flexible. Some people just come to talk & trade stories & songs. Camping is strictly mundane and as simple or difficult as you choose. Camp on site near the tobacco barns or stay at one of several reasonably priced motels in St. Mary's County.

Camp Fenby is a Markland event sponsored by the Longship Company, Ltd.

Activities

A Saturday night crab feast has been an option in past years. Again this year we will order enough crabs so that we can have a traditional crab feast at the barns. Prices and options will be discussed.

Sing-a-long Saturday evening and possibly Friday as well.

 

What to Bring…

In General:
Food, fluids (lots of!), mosquito repellent, sun screen, notebook, camera, skills, sense of humor, something to sit on.

Camping:
Tents with screens or screen houses are a good idea.

Children:
This is a working farm in a rural tidewater setting. We have lots of briars, ticks, poison ivy, mud, and deep water.

The safety of your children is your first responsibility.

Clothing:
Comfortable civilian clothing is just fine. Dress for field conditions. Medieval clothing is strictly optional.

Craft Classes:
 

Class	Prerequisites/Supplies to Bring/Supplies Fee
Blacksmithing	Safety glasses or goggles * Leather or heavy canvas shop apron Heavy trousers * Handkerchief or dust mask *  Personal water jug or canteen (large).	Welders or leather work gloves *  Long sleeve work shirt (not too loose) *  Leather boots  Hat, bandana or hair band * Required safety equipment.
Basic Cheesemaking (Panir)	Feel free to bring herbs to flavor the panir (cheese). Supplies fee: $0.50
Basic Inkle Weaving	Preregistration is required. Jan will bring pre-warped looms for registrants. Bring a warped inkle loom if you have one. Tell Jan if you want basic or advanced (i.e., patterned)
Interpreting the Gyrfalcon for Living History Demos	none
Making Small Copper Pennanular Brooches, etc.	Bring hammers and small anvils, if you have them. Some tools will be available.
Silversmithing	none
Brass Casting	Pre-made molds: Bring pre-made, seasoned molds. Small items only. Some brass keys available for melting down.  Bring brass or bronze scrap, if you have it.
Basic Medieval Woodworking	none
Snartemo	For those experienced which simple tablet weaving. Bring your own loom and cards. To speed things along, have your loom pre-warped with any number of cards, 4 colors of thread, one in each hole for each card, all in the same order.
Wood-Turning	Lathe available. Looking for an instructor.
Making a Shaving Horse	Hands-on class. No tools are required, but people may bring hand tools of their own if they wish to try using them. A draw knife will be an essential tool to have if you intend to actually use the shaving horse afterwards.
"Knitting" a Viking Chain	If you have them, bring wire snips (aka diagonals), flat-nose jewelry pliers, awl. Small fee for copper and brass wire. Will try to have a small number of mandrels available for shaping, available at cost.
Assemble a Renaissance Junkyard Hammer	Work clothes, eye protection, and maybe work gloves
Longship Tapestry	none

 

Registration & Fees

$10 site fee per person or $30 per family required to cover the cost of the portable toilets. Some workshops will require small fees to cover the cost of materials. The (optional) Saturday night crab feast will also require some additional funding.

To register for camp in advance:

The Blackistone family values their privacy. The portable toilets and outside hose are available for Camp Fenby participants' needs. Please do not wander into any of the dwellings unescorted by a family member.

Also, the Trappe house is in a state of deterioration, so large parties of folks stomping about in it will only hasten its demise. Oakley Farm consists of over a hide of land encompassing cultivated fields, marsh, forests and swamp. We will be glad to show you the delineations. If you do go adventuring, please let us know where you are, and when you expect to be back.

Lyme disease. Ticks usually have a great year. Which puts us in danger of finding unwelcome critters on our persons. Please check yourself (or a buddy!) at least once a day, preferably several times.

Advice from a Fenby veteran (for 2000): "I spoke to a tick expert at the USDA two weeks ago. He says that 80% of the deer ticks in Southern Maryland are carrying Lyme disease. So my advice to anyone who can document a Deer Tick bite (not just a crawling one) is to go directly to antibiotic treatment. Don't waste time in testing."

Directions to Camp Fenby (Adobe Acrobat PDF -- includes maps) Now Available

Directions to Camp Fenby (Plain Text)

Don't want to camp?

MOTELS: (All rates double occupancy per night -- not verified in 2004.)

Charlotte Hall Motel, Rt. 5 at Charlotte Hall 301-884-3172
(mid $40's + ‘phone & key deposit) 1-800-786-3172

Super 8 Motel 9290 Three Notch Road (Rt. 235) 301-862-9822
(mid $50's?) 1-800-800-8000

Official St. Marys County Tourism Lodging Web Site

Camp Fenby, c/o Oakley Farm, 21924 Oakley Road, Avenue, MD 20609
Sponsored by the Longship Company, Ltd., a confederated organization of Markland.