Event Information

Grit War 2024: A House Divided - Savory vs. Sweet
(2024-11-08 - 2024-11-10 - Site opens at 5:00 PM & Closes at 12:00 PM)
Ursus Bay

Event Info

Name:
Grit War 2024: A House Divided - Savory vs. Sweet

Website:

Date(s):
2024-11-08 @5:00 PM to 2024-11-10 @ 12:00 PM
Group:
Ursus Bay

Virtual?:
No

Site Info

Site Name:
Optimist Farms

Address:
2908 Optimist Farm Road, Apex, NC, 27539

Directions:
From the North via I-95S: In Nashville, NC, take exit 138 to merge onto I-87/US-64W.  Travel 45 miles.  Use the left two lanes to take the I-87 S/I-440E exit toward I-40/US-64 W/Durham/Benson.  Travel .8 miles and merge onto I-440E/I-87/US-64 W and travel 2.6 miles.  US-64W turns slightly right and becomes I-40/US-64W.  Travel 3.5 miles and take the exist towards Lake Wheeler Road.  Travel 9 miles on Lake Wheeler Road, then turn right on Optimist Farm Road.  Site will be on your right.

From the South via I-95N:  In Benson, NC, take exit 81 to merge onto I40W toward Raleigh.  Use the left two lanes to take the ramp onto I-40. Take exit 312 toward NC-42W.  Use the right lane to take the exist toward NC -42W.  Keep left at the fork to continue to NC-42W.  Continue straight on NC-42W for .5 miles, then turn right onto Cleveland Road.  Turn right on NC-50N after 3.5 miles.  Travel 7.1 miles and turn left on Ten-Ten Road.  After 1 miles, turn left onto Johnson Pond Road. Travel .4 miles and turn right onto Optimist Farm Road.  Site will be on your right.

From the East via US-70W:  In Smithfield, NC, take exit 337 towards US-70 Business.  travel 5.4 miles and turn left onto NC-210W.  Travel 13.7 miles on Cleveland School Road. Travel 7.1 miles and turn left on Ten-Ten Road.  After 1 miles, turn left onto Johnson Pond Road. Travel .4 miles and turn right onto Optimist Farm Road.  Site will be on your right.

From the West via I-40E: In Raleigh, NC, take exit 295 for Gorman Street.  After .3 miles, use the right lane to take the ramp to Tryon Road.  After 8.9 miles, merge onto Gorman Street.  Travel 1.2 miles and use the left two lanes to merge onto Tryon Road.  Travel 5.5 miles and turn right onto Lake Wheeler Road. Continue straight 1.1 miles to stay on Lake Wheeler Road.  Turn right onto Optimist Farms Road. Site will be on your right.

Restrictions:
This is a wet site, modern laws concerning alcohol apply. Pets are allowed, but must be controlled at all times and policed. This is a Primitive Camping Site, folks with significant mobility challenges or who need access to electricity should contact the Event Steward/Event Steward to determine if the site will be appropriate for them. Ground fires are not allowed; there is an existing fire pit that we encourage everyone to gather around for fellowship. No sumps allowed. Any violation is cause for being removed from the site.

Accessibility:
This is a primitive site with grass and gravel.  Handicap parking will be available.  Handicap restroom will be available.  Please contact the event steward with specific questions.  Additional information is available on our website.

Event Steward

SCA Name:

Email:

Description:
The Grits Divide: A Tale of Corn and Conviction

Once upon a time, in the heart of medieval Europe, an age-old culinary tradition was about to be upended. The New World had offered up its bounty, and among the treasures was a golden grain: corn. This new staple, brought across the treacherous ocean, was transformed into a humble yet hearty dish known as grits.

Sir Alistair, a valiant knight, had returned from his travels, his armor dulled by battle, his heart yearning for the comforts of home. As he crossed the threshold of his ancestral halls, the familiar scents of his family's kitchen filled his senses. Yet, within the steaming pots and sizzling pans lay a surprise that would ignite a feud as fierce as any he had faced in war.

Grits, the dish he had savored as a child with a sprinkle of sugar, now lay mingled with savory herbs, cheeses, and meats. A culinary blasphemy to his taste! How could his kin commit such a deed? His palate revolted at the thought, his culinary creed betrayed.

The knight's family defended their innovation, touting the versatility of grits, how it embraced savory flavors with as much gusto as the sweet. But Sir Alistair's indignation could not be swayed. A house divided, the battle lines were drawn: savory versus sweet.

With the banner of sugar clutched firmly in hand, Sir Alistair embarked upon a quest, a quest to find others who shared his saccharine affinity for grits. He traveled through villages and towns, across rivers and valleys, preaching the gospel of sweet grits, seeking to amass an army that would stand against the savory tide.

His journey was long and fraught with challenges. He encountered savory zealots, indifferent to the allure of sugar, and those who had never heard of grits at all. Yet, there were some—a confectioner in a distant hamlet, a baker whose buns were the sweetest in all the land—who heeded his call.

As the months passed, Sir Alistair found his ranks swelling, a mix of sweet-toothed peasants, dessert-loving squires, and knights tired of the savory scourge. They were ready to march, spoons in hand, to fight for the honor of sweet grits.

The day of reckoning arrived. The two sides met upon the fields of Alistair's home, the air thick with the scent of corn. But before the clash could commence, a voice rang out—a voice of reason. Lady Elanor, Alistair's wise sister, stepped between the factions with a proposition: a feast to celebrate both savory and sweet, to see which could win the hearts of the people.

The savory brought forth grits with bacon and cheddar, with onions and thyme. The sweet presented bowls adorned with honey, berries, and cream. The people ate, they deliberated, they debated. And as the sun dipped below the horizon, a realization dawned upon the crowd.

The true victor was not sweet nor savory, but choice—the culinary tapestry that corn had woven into their lives. It was a harmony of flavors, a marriage of traditions old and new.

Sir Alistair, humbled and heartened, saw the wisdom in his sister's words. He laid down his spoon, and the sweet crusade came to an end. The knight had sought to make right by the sword, only to discover that unity, not division, was the true path to culinary delight.

And so, the house once divided now stood together, the war of grits resolved not by might, but by the shared joy of a feast. For in the end, whether one's bowl is sweet or savory, it is the pleasure of the meal and the company we share it with that truly matters. And thus, the grits divide was mended, one spoonful at a time.

Cost Info


Day-Trip Feast Camping
Adult, Member Discount Event Registration 20 20 5
Adult, Event Registration 30 20 5
Youth (6 - 17) 10 10 5
Child (0-0) 0 0 0

Reservationist Name:

Reservationist Email:
Adairofmakyswell@gmail.com

Checks Payable To:
Shire of Ursus Bay

Cost Notes:
RESERVATIONS: 
Registrar: Mistress Adair of Makyswell. 
For any questions, please reach out to the Registrar: Adairofmakyswell@gmail.com
 
Send Reservations to: Catherine Y King, 1009 N. River Road, Sylva, NC 28779,
Make Checks Payable To:  Shire of Ursus Bay

Electronic Registration: SCORES
Online registration closes 11/4/24, 11:55pm
https://sca.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/sca/event.jsp?event=908

1. Go to SCA.org
2. Log into your account **
3. Select Event Registration (top bar of your account)
4. Select Grit War 2024 - A House Divided: Savory vs. Sweet
5. Put in the total number of tickets (i.e. yourself, spouse, guests)
6.  Select Camping if needed
7.  Select your payment method and receipt.
 **  If you are new to the SCA and do not have an account, you can request a User Name and set your password. Please keep this available for your use for future events.

Please make checks payable to: Shire of Ursus Bay

The Shire of Ursus Bay follows the Kingdom's Cancellation policy. 
Refund Policy: Refunds are based on Kingdom of Atlantia Financial Policy. If you pre-registered through SCORES – please cancel your reservation in SCORES and then send an email to: annabellaofthebay@gmail.com and confirm your request for a refund within five (5) days of the conclusion of the event. Those that request after the event has concluded will be reviewed by the Shire Exchequer on a case-by-case basis.  Event Refunds shall be provided as follows: i. Feast refund will be provided if the feast spot was resold to another attendee. ii. Other fees may be refunded based upon a decision by the Financial Committee. iii. The Shire Exchequer must receive refund requests in writing (email is acceptable) no later than five (5) business days after the event. iv. All refunds shall be paid by check from the Shire checking account. v. No refund shall be issued until the event books have been closed and all reservation checks have cleared. vi. vi. No refund shall be issued if the event has not made a profit. This policy may be waived by unanimous vote of the  Financial Committee in cases of event cancellation or other extreme circumstances, provided that such action does not put the Kingdom in financial jeopardy.

General Activities

Martial Activities:
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A&S:
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Feast:
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Merchants:
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Other: