Alex Di Paolo is a fourth year Near Eastern and Classical Archaeology major at Wilfrid Laurier University. She excavated at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat, Madaba, Jordan last summer, and is hoping to return this summer. She is hoping to eventually get her masters in museum studies, and continue going on archaeological excavations. She used to volunteer at her mother's elementary school, and is good with children.
Classes:
Children: Pottery Smash Children: Hieroglyphs Children: Cave Paintings Children: Movie Children: Games Children: Charades
Alexis Cooke is an artist/teacher with over 20 years experience teaching in Montessori schools, various art camps and municipal leisure courses. She has a Fine Arts degree from York and an Education degree from UOIT. Alexis brings a passion for art and people together wherever she teaches. She joined forces with Colleen to spread the joy of
Gryphon Medieval Brass Rubbing (www.brassrubbings.ca).
Classes:
Gryphon Medieval Brass Rubbings (I) Gryphon Medieval Brass Rubbings (II)
Alicia McKenzie teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University in the History Department and the Medieval Studies Program. Her own research focuses on the social history of Merovingian Gaul.
Class:
Through a broken mirror: Game of Thrones and medieval history
Ashley Dafoe is a 4th year Near Eastern and Classical archaeology student at Wilfrid Laurier University. She participated in an archaeological excavation on a site in Crete Greece. She has also taught archaeology for the JUMP program and has taught for waterloo school board on a volunteer basis. Ashley loves working with children and plans to become a teacher in the future.
Classes:
Children: Pottery Smash Children: Hieroglyphs Children: Cave Paintings Children: Movie Children: Games Children: Charades
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Class:
Law and Order: Ancient Peoples' Unit - Cancelled
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Class:
Setup(Henna cancelled)
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Class:
Setup(Costuming-Cancel)
Colleen Moynham is an entrepreneur who owns a personal/small business income tax business, owned/operated an appliance repair business, and has now joined with Alexis to present
Gryphon Medieval Brass Rubbings (www.brassrubbings.ca) to students and adults alike. She also has an educational background as a graduate of Peterborough Teacher's College.
Classes:
Gryphon Medieval Brass Rubbings (I) Gryphon Medieval Brass Rubbings (II)
Damien Coles graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University's History and Medieval Studies program in 2014. His main focus is on Germanic weapons and warfare, and the history of the barbarian migrations of late antiquity. He has been reenacting since 2011.
Class:
Getting started re-enacting
Darrell Markewitz is a professional
artisan blacksmith with over 30 years experience, who specializes in objects from the Viking Age. He designed, created and implemented both the 'Norse Encampment' interpretive program for Parks Canada and the 'World of the Norse' exhibit for the Cranbrook Institute of Science. He consulted on the Smithsonian's 'Vikings - North Atlantic Saga', and the Newfoundland Museum's 'Full Circle - First Contact' exhibits, as well as assisting a number of the institutions hosting both exhibits. His interest in iron smelting goes back to 2001. To date he has participated in over 45 experimental firings, in Canada, the USA and in Denmark. He has documented this work in formal academic papers, a CD-ROM, and extensively on the internet.
Classes:
Archaeology and Experiment: Moving beyond the Artifacts Forging the Viking Age
Dave Cox is the Programme Co-ordinator at the Clarington Museums and Archives and teaches Education and Interpretive Programming in Fleming College's Museum Management course. He has been involved in living history and craft demonstration at museums with the
DARC. His experience includes reproducing pieces for museums ranging from a "Wigwasgamig" (wigwam) for Scugog shores museum to bone skates for the Canadian museum of Civilization.
Class:
Breathing new life into History; Museums and Re-enactors
David Learmonth is a chemical engineer who somehow found his way into dancing in the SCA. Thus, Darius the Dancer was born. I have continued to study and to teach dance in the SCA for approximately 13 years, and consider myself at an intermediate level in my research. My main goal has always been to bring dance knowledge to the masses, and to introduce it in such a way as to be fun and easy to follow for all who are willing to give it a try.
Classes:
European Dance - English Country Dances European Dance - 15th Century Italian Dances
Dr. David Porreca was born in Montréal and attended the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf through the end of CÉGEP in pure & applied sciences. Discovering in the process that his talents lay in languages and philosophy instead of physics and mathematics, he gave up on the idea of planetary astronomy and instead came to the University of Waterloo for an Honours BA in Medieval Studies. He did his MA at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto before moving on to the Warburg Institute (University of London) for a PhD under the supervision of Prof. Charles Burnett and Dr. Jill Kraye, completed in 2001. After holding a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Religion & Culture Department at Wilfrid Laurier University, he came to be the medievalist in the Classical Studies Department at the University of Waterloo. He is currently Co-Director of the Undergraduate program in Medieval Studies, as well as the Graduate Officer for the MA in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures which is run jointly with our colleagues at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Class:
A mixed bag
Debbie Kerkhof and just completed her Master's in Medieval Studies at Utrecht University in May. She is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier in the Medieval Studies program. She currently works at Broadview Press as a sales representative.
Class:
The Gender of Dragons
Dr. Darrin Cox is an Associate Professor of History at
West Liberty University. Besides publishing
Aristocratic Masculinity in France (1450-1550): From Knight to Courtier, Dr. Cox conducts research in Viking Age expansion and gender, drawing in part from his near 20 years of Viking re-enacting experience. His latest endeavor is the Viking Living History Project, which utilizes college student volunteers to study the reception and effectiveness of living history in the K-12 school system. Having successfully acquired grant money from multiple sources, Dr. Cox uses this funding to finance the cost of materials and tools for volunteers, who get to keep the things they manufacture for future educational use, thereby training and equipping the next generation of Viking re-enactors in the process. Dr Cox earned his PhD in Late Medieval/Early Modern History (with a particular focus in gender and nobility) from Purdue University and his MA and BS degrees from West Virginia University, specializing in Viking History and Journalism respectively.
Class:
Chivalry and Masculinity
Dr. Neal Ferris has worked in Ontario archaeology for over 30 years. Currently he holds the Lawson Research Chair of Canadian Archaeology at the University of Western Ontario, and is cross-appointed between the Department of Anthropology and the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. His research focuses on the ancient and recent Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal archaeology of Northeastern North America, on contemporary archaeological practice, and on the transformation of archaeological data into digital information making it accessible to all interested communities. These various research strands come together at Sustainable Archaeology Western, a Federal/Provincial funded research facility Dr. Ferris has been directing since 2009.
Class:
Sustainable Archaeologies from Sustainable Archaeology
Dylan McCorquodale is a third year student pursuing a double-major in History and Medieval studies at Laurier in penance for his sins. He focuses on both medieval warfare and the Knights Hospitaller. In his spare time he is alternatively a novelist and theatre director. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree, he hopes to move to Scotland to complete postgraduate studies.
Class:
A mixed bag
Ellen Mervin is the proud owner of
Ruach Crafts which has the largest selection of Celtic and Judaic needlework in Canada. She has been a stitcher for more years than she cares to admit to because it is so relaxing. She often comments that the only reason her four children are alive today is that she stitched when they were young. Ellen lives in Toronto where she is a primary school teacher but spends the summers and early fall at Highland Games, Irish Feis' and Medieval Faires.
Class:
Counted Cross Stitch - Learn to Make Your Own Heirlooms
Heather Bogart has been a hands on textile enthusiast since a childhood road trip in the era before ipods was saved by little
embroidery kits. She works in IT at the University of Guelph, and is
willing to try any craft that involves string. (And many that don't.)
Class:
Evolution of lace
Heather Dale is a professional recording artist who tours full-time across North America and Europe. Her music is inspired by history, fantasy and folklore -- visit
www.HeatherDale.com for mp3 downloads, free podcasts, and a photo blog of her various adventures. Heather has been a medieval re-enactor for nearly 20 years (
SCA: Marian of Heatherdale), and her interests include bardic performance, heraldry, and the King Arthur legends.
Class:
Development of the King Arthur Legends
Ian Walsh is the founding Artistic Director and Earl of Blackthorn Productions. Blackthorn specializes in medieval education and entertainment which has taken it's members to many grade 4 classes and festivals across Ontario. As well as a long history with the Society for Creative Anachronism, Ian holds a theatre degree from the University of Windsor and works professionally as an actor, stage manager and fight director.
www.blackthornproductions.ca
Class:
Castles and Siege Engines
Jackie Shute has been a recognized Falconer for more than 25 years and a member of the
Ontario Hawking Club. Jackie and her husband were Wild Life Rehabilitation for over 10 years and are currently breeding more than 12 different species of birds of prey. A fun speaker who loves audience interaction, who when not working with birds, teaches and shows carriage horses.
Class:
The History of Falconry
Jean Ross is a RN currently away from her work. She was a graphic artist in a previous career. She is interested in many things Medieval especially those of the Norse. She does so many things within the SCA that it is hard to pin down, but lately she is most interested in Beads and Spinning. But mostly beads. She is known in the SCA as THL Aislinne of Alainmor and has played since 1977. She lives with her very tolerant husband, Martin and their very beautiful Lab-mixed dog named Bella.
Classes:
Viking Wire Weaving (session I) Viking Wire Weaving (session II)
Jerry Penner is The Chain Mail Guy; he has been selling finished chain mail, knitting rings, and offering chain mail workshops since 1996. He published Chain Mail Basics in 1996 when he realized there was no formal lanuguage to describe knitting patterns to other people, similar to crochet or yarn knitting. His work can be found at various fairs in Southwestern Ontario including the Fergus Highland Games and the Royal Medieval Faire in Waterloo, and on his website at
www.chainmailguy.com.
Classes:
Chainmail - Beyond the Basics Chainmail for Beginners
Jo Duke started medieval recreation about 20 years ago, and unleashed a passion for creating historical garments, dyeing using natural and traditional dyes and all kinds of weaving. Known variously as Jorunn, Jhone of Wodecott, or Joan Woodcote, a weaver or tailleur, tradeswoman, goodwife and mother, she loves to relax with a beer and a game of chance and strategy.
Class:
Weaving with a Rigid Heddle - hands-on introduction
Kate Burnham has been an active member of the Dark Ages Recreation Company and Society for Creative Anachronism for over a dozen years since she did her first demonstration at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. In that time she has enjoyed learning divers textile arts and medieval games. Kate lives in Sudbury with her cat Callie and long-suffering parents.
Class:
Some bits are old, some bits are very old and some are not so old
Marc Collins, BA. Specialized in Mediaeval Philosophy and studied Renaissance Dance as part of a Drama minor at the University of Toronto. He works in IT for an international insurance company.
http://guillaume.ealdormere.tel. Marc is a long time member of the SCA where he is knwon as Fra. Guillaume di San Marino a Franciscan of the 3rd Order who holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Florance and earns a living doing diplomatic work for various city states.
Classes:
English 16th & 17th Century dances from the Inns of Courts Candida Luna, an 16th Century Italian Renaissance dance
Marcus Burnham is an analytical chemist for the Ontario provincial government, specializing in the analysis of trace elements in geological samples. Prior to moving to Canada 15 years ago, he participated in 14th, 15th, and 16th century recreations in the UK, but over the last 10 years has developed a second interest in the culture and artefacts of the Viking Era. He has been tinkering with leather for a few years after discovering its versatility and ability to survive the rigours of life.
Class:
Some bits are old, some bits are very old and some are not so old
Mark Edward Patchettis a software developer and father. He has been involved in medieval recreation with the Society for Creative Anachronism for over 20 years, and the living history group Regia Anglorum for about 10 years. Sir Edward the Red is a Norman Knight who fought at the battle of Hastings, and later settled down in northern England where he married a Saxon lady. (How their son ended up as a Viking is still a mystery.)
Classes:
Naalbinding 101 Naalbinding 102
Neil Peterson is a technical director and project manager in the software industry and a student of Archaeology at
Wilfrid Laurier University. In his spare time he works with museums, libraries, schools, and various groups to promote an appreciation of Viking Era Scandinavia, and the application of project management to museums and historical projects such as this conference. His primary research interest over the last 20 years has been applications of experimental archaeology to the anthropological and technological processes of the Viking Era, specifically including iron smelting and bead making. He is a charter member of the local
PMI chapter, a member of
ExArc and the
Ontario Museum Association, and a member of multiple re-enactment groups including the
Dark Ages Recreation Company.
Classes:
Hávamál: Viking Words of Wisdom History TV's Vikings and History's Vikings Experiment and Experience
Nicholas (Cole) Cioran In time left after being a father, husband, IT manager, writer, student, and amateur chef Cole has been a re-enactor for over twenty years. His experience includes the SCA and reenacting the Revolutionary War Re-enacting, Ancient Greece, and the Renaissance in Italy.
Classes:
Games Through Time And Place Leadership, Volunteerism, and Living History
Peter Monahan is a retired history teacher, a museum employee and a re-enactor of twenty years. He currently works for
Museum on the Boyne, and the
Museums of Mississauga and does school demonstrations of War of 1812 and Great War living history. He serves a staff officer of the
Crown Forces North America, the War of 1812 reenactment organization.
Class:
"The Infantryman as Beast of Burden": Examining the Load Carried by Roman Legions, Wellington's 'Ros-Bifs' and the 'Tommies' of WWI
Richard Schweitzer is a private school teacher from Orangeville, ON. A graduate from the University of Waterloo in history, art and music, he has been involved in living history and museum work since working in the 1980s at the 1914 living museum Doon Heritage Crossroads in Kitchener. Through DARC, Richard has presented Norse culture at several museums including Woodstock Museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Cranbrook Museum (MI), Haffenreffer Museum (RI), Peterborough Centennial Museum and most recently L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Currently, Richard is busy reconstructing dances and music from the Gresley manuscript, and recreating tools and other artifacts from the norse period.
Classes:
Dancing with Children Norse Ethnomusicology Dances from Tudor England (Gresley Dances) Norse Sagas - the Bloody, Bawdy and Bizarre
Robert Schweitzer is a high school chemistry teacher with fifteen years of weaving experience. He was a guest instructor at WASOON 2008, a weavers and spinners conference, and has taught numerous classes across the province including many previous FITP sessions. In the fall of 2008, several of his pieces were part of the 'Grave Goods' exhibition at the Woodstock museum. He is currently working on recreating a 16th century Ethiopian tablet-woven curtain that was discovered by Prof. Michael Gervers of the University of Toronto in a cave church in Abba Yohanni.
Classes:
Introduction to Tablet Weaving Brocaded Tablet Weaving
Roy Underhill, the instructor for the Cotswold Morris segment, has been dancing Morris since 1982. Instructor (Foreman) of Cold Barn Morris since 1996, he has danced morris in many places -- in pubs, on mountain tops, and in the high Arctic and loves it when the group goes to traditional Morris gatherings, called Ales, where we dance, feast, sing and make merry.
Class:
Morris Dancing
Sarah Scroggie is the head of properties and scenic paint at the University of Toronto's Missisauga campus.
She has a degree in computer science and drama from the University of Guelph. She has been interested in Living History since
she was a child and has visited sites across North America and Europe. She has worked at Upper Canada Village and Woodstock Museum,
and traveled with
DARC to Newfoundland in 2000 to work at Norstead. Sarah has been doing
Renaissance dance since 1992, and for the last 10 years has been working on reconstructing the dances from the Gresley manuscript.
Classes:
Dancing with Children Dances from Tudor England (Gresley Dances)
Scott Caple is a
professional graphic artist
who works mostly in the commercial animation industry. His blog can be found
here.
He has worked for many major studios and has credits on such projects as Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan and Atlantis: the
Lost Continent, Pixar's The Incredibles and many other titles. His other artistic interests include the medieval and renaissance
graphic arts, especially the production of calligraphy and illumination. In the SCA, he goes by Robert of Two Cliffs and over several
years has produced much scrollwork for the
Middle Kingdom, Ealdormere and the
Kingdom of the West.
Class:
Three fingers hold the pen...
Steven Strang has an MA in Cultural Anthropology. He has been researching Old Norse culture for over 30 years. His carvings in bone and antler have been acquired by private collections in Canada and the USA, and also by Parks Canada and The Smithsonian.
Class:
Bone and Antler Carving
Todd H. C. Fischer is a writer and armchair
medievalist. His interests in the medieval period include literature, cartography, folklore and games. He has written several publications on medieval subjects.
Class:
Three Medieval Games
Torvik is a Toronto-based living history group dedicated to recreating the history of the Viking Age (793-1066) through craft, and combat. Our events vary from small, to medium, to large scale, and may include a full encampment set up, with authentic meals cooking over the fire, traditional games in which we may challenge the public, and the crowd's all-time favourite: BATTLE DEMOS.
Class:
Arms, Combat, and Tactics of the Viking Period
V.M. Roberts is an artist, re-enactor, and parent living in Toronto. Specialties include visual communication and viking age fashion. Unnr Hringsdottir is a traveller/trader from Iceland, who has settled in Eoforwic where she raises two sons, and some trouble, and doesn't have to convert.
Classes:
Archaeology and Experiment: Moving beyond the Artifacts Steam Traction 101Contact us if you have any questions or suggestions
