What activities occur at events?

Part of the fun at our events is our traditional activities such as the opening ceremonies & toast, fundraising efforts and official membership ceremonies such as raisings and bondings. The anniversary party also traditionally includes the Amyrlin's Court and Tournament. Each event also usually has activities that are specific to that location.

Opening Ceremonies

Our opening ceremonies occur at every official event and consist of a brief history of our community, a Goldschlagger toast, and real life ceremonies. The highest ranking Officer, Director, or administrator officiates the opening ceremonies. These occur at every official function. There are three real life ceremonies that occur:

1. Raising Ceremonies – Community Members may, if attending a real-life event close to their raising date, be called to be raised in person rather than take the online test. They must meet all requirements for raising to the next level and must already be approved by the Hall. A Community Member may not apply to be raised in person; this ceremony happens by invitation only. Telling the administration that you want to be raised in person will almost certainly guarantee that you are not invited to participate in a raising ceremony.
2. Bonding Ceremony – Two persons who have decided to become bonded partners may apply to have a real-life ceremony to celebrate their new friendship. Interested parties need to contact the Director of Membership within one month of the event where they wish to have this ceremony performed. Only limited spaces are available.
3. Marriage Ceremony – If two Community Members are already married or will be married within three months of the event they will be attending, they may choose to have an additional marriage ceremony performed at a real-life event. These are not legally binding ceremonies and are meant to be symbolic only. Interested parties need to contact the Keeper within one month of the event where they wish to have this ceremony performed. Only limited spaces are available.

The Amyrlin's Court and Tournament

The Amyrlin's Court and Tournament usually occurs during our Anniversary party. We all dress up in costume (ie, clothing that looks like it could exist in The Wheel of Time world). The ladies sit together with the Amyrlin as her Court and oversee the Tournament, which consists of a variety of athletic pursuits such as archery and wrestling. Both men and women are welcome to participate, provided that they are over 18 years old and have signed the appropriate waivers. After the events have occurred, awards are given.

Fundraising

Because we are a volunteer organization with no regular means of making enough money to cover our operating costs, we have fundraising at many of our official functions.

Examples of our past fundraising activities include:

• Auctions of services--volunteers auction off specific services (serenades, meals, personal time, etc). This used to be our da'covale auction, but after the 2011 administrative meeting, our auctions are now held primarily for specific services.
• Raffles--the administration procures various items of interest and raffle them off.
• Silent Auctions--the administration gathers items and holds a silent auction.

All proceeds from fundraisers go to the Tower.