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is giving a GRANDE FESTE
to celebrate the visit of the Baron
et Baronne de Carolingie
to his estates in the PERIGORD region
of France
on February 9, 1600 (2002).
The Cream of the NOBILITY, both
local and foreign,
will be invited to dine in the
upper hall
where they will be FEASTED with
traditional dishes of the region and of the season:
viz:
Confit du CANARD (duck) from his poultry yard,
VENISON from his parc, Partridges from
his fields,
Pigeons from his dovecot, CONIES from his warren,
Fish from his pond,
and if the hunters are lucky, a BOAR.
There will be Strawberries preserved from the spring,
Chestnut dishes and all the bounty of the harvest,
plus a banqueting course
of fine delicacies.
Meanwhile, a COLLATION will be spread in the grand lower hall
so that the Villagers might make Merry on this GRAND OCCASION.
Since it is Shrovetide, the cooks will certainly find an excuse
to make Waffles,
(although of course M. du Lac pays no attention to such things.)
They may not have roast boar, but they may have Sausages, Pies, and
the like.
To start off the wondrous festivities, Artemis and Apollo will come and lead their followers in dance to the Lower Hall, where there will be a a Wonderful BALLET DE COUR performed on the subject of Perseus and Andromeda, complete with terrifying Sea Monster, being an allegory in dance and Musick in Honor of the visiting Dignitaries. This device will present verse, dancing, singing, and music together in the latest courtly Fashion.
After dining, the nobility and villagers alike may disport themselves in dancing French Dances and such Courtly Dances as they know until they can dance no more! The primary source for these dances will be M. Arbeau.
Jehan may well bankrupt himself for a year, but he is determined to put on a FESTIVITY in proper style to honor his guests. He will be hiring servants, fine Linens, SILVER PLATE, and musical Consorts to play the entire day.
Note: Guests in the upper hall will have the table setting fully provided to them by their host, but as is the usual custom, they may wish their servants to pack their own eating knife for them. There will be no place for your feast gear, unless you want to send it off with your servants to eat with the villagers.
For information on table manners, table service, the menu (as it evolves) and other useful background see http://www.latourdulac.com/feast.
Practical Details:
Site: First Unitarian Society in
Newton, 1326 Washington St, West Newton, MA 02165
Fees: $45 for dinner in the upper
hall, which is limited to 36 guests, $10 for the "villagers" eating the
collation, $5 for all others.
Autocrat: Jehan du Lac, cti@world.std.com,
617-522-0965.
Reservations: Luke Knowlton, 87
Paul Gore St. #3, Boston, MA 02130, lukelep@mindspring.com, 617-522-0965.
Head Cook: Jeanne-Marie Souris
(Jeanne Dolan), jprisby@ix.necomt.net, 978-897-1724.
Music Director: Gwendolyn of Middlemarch
(Jennifer Kobayashi), jhkob@yahoo.com. Please contact her if you are interested
in performing period French music during the feste.
Schedule:
3:00 site opens
4:30 Ballet de Cour
6:00 dinner for the nobles upstairs
6:00 buffet for peasants downstairs, with constant musical entertainment.
8:00 buffet ends, first dance set begins
9:00 second dance set
10:00 third dance set
11:00 site closes
Directions:
From Boston: Follow the Mass Pike
West to exit 16, (W. Newton/Wellesley). Follow Rt. 16 East. You will travel
through a rather confusing intersection. Stay in the left lane and follow
Rt. 16 East. The church is on the right.*
From points West of Boston: Take Mass Pike (I-90) to I-95/128. Follow directions below for I-95/128. Note: there is NO exit for Rt. 16 from the East Bound side of the Mass Pike.
From I-95/128: Take exit 21A which is Rt. 16 (Waban/W. Newton) Follow Rt. 16 Eat into Newton. In Newton, Rt. 16 will cross over the Mass Pike in a rather confusing interchange. You need to avoid the Mass Pike onramp and stay on Rt. 16 East. After crossing over the Mass Pike, the church is on the right.
* The church is a large, ornate building with a square tower topped with four spires.
There is a fair amount of metered parking, both on Washington St. and in lots near the church; also, several streets around the church have on-street parking. Strictly after 2pm, the bank across the side street from the church allows us to use its parking lot. Early arrival and carpooling are recommended for optimum parking. There is no parking lot at the church.
MBTA: There is a commuter rail stop in West Newton on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line. See the MBTA web site for more info.
WAITING LIST: The reservations for the upstairs hall are sold out. We are accepting requests for the waiting list. You should send a "villager" reservation fee ($10) to Mr. Knowlton with the request to be on the waiting list. We will notify you if an opening becomes available & you can pay the extra fee at that time. We recommend reserving in any case, as food for the villagers will be limited to 100 persons.
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