On Dec. 4, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., a group of four volunteer students spread out an assortment of chairs, tables, and refreshments. Five rooms in PPHAC were modified to allow for the movement of seats and layouts for ease of presentation. An assortment of olden crafts, brought in carts, were hauled through the sliding silver doors. 

Three stands were present that day. One displayed the art of medieval European calligraphy.

Books, quills, inks, and paper were set out for the public to inspect. Passersby could try their hand at the art of penning and receive their name scribed professionally for free by Pen to Press, LLC’s founder and former Moravian professor of graphic design, Anne Dutlinger Kahn. 

While calligraphy pleased the eyes of attendees, the thunks of blade on wood indulged the ears. Expert

woodcarvers and weavers, Jay and Leigh Ann Ouellette, showed their skills on a number of logs with a variety of tools. Primarily focused on northern European history, the two stood out of the crowd with their 7th-10th century Scandinavian garb. The wood chips and furs on the ground evoked a warm and homely atmosphere despite the hard, tiled floors. Their works may be found at Stone House History. 

Visitors could also purchase a variety of medieval-based decorum and garb from former Moravian professor Linda Carol Gray, whose company, Linda Carol Arts, is stationed out of Philadelphia.

At 9:00 a.m., scholars and undergraduates alike entered from the brisk chill of the autumn morning and gathered about the campus. At 10:00 a.m. in the Haupert Union Building, Moravian president Bryon Grigsby opened the conference with a welcoming statement. 

Following Grigsby’s remarks, the first session of presentations started. Attendees scoured the first and second floor of PPHAC. This continued until 11:15 a.m. The day was young and already a full round of research had been presented. 

Later, guests were ferried to Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus. In the illustrious Foy Hall, a choice of bagged lunches was provided, as were smaller demonstrations of the medieval arts. There were a variety of historical games provided by the Moravian University Tabletop Club. Guests were also treated to the Painted Pages Exhibit, located in Payne Art Gallery. 

When the clock struck 12:40 p.m., there was an open discussion of “Shrews, Scolds, and Sapphires: Women’s Anger as Comedy and Crime, from the Middle Ages to Today,” taught by Dr. Carissa Harris of Temple University, which made for a humbling experience. 

In the aftermath of the panel, the wrangling of the shuttles took place once more. The whole of the group returned to North campus once again around 2:00 p.m. Full with knowledge (and food), the company broke once again into presentation sessions at 2:30 p.m. 

Afterwards, during the second session of presentations, Dr. Sandra Bardsley’s “Women in Europe” students showed their iMovies for viewers to see and critique. 

From 3:30-4:00 p.m., the final speeches were given. Following that, attendees had the chance to listen to Concordian Dawn play its “Fortuna Antiqua et Ultra” suite in Trinity Episcopal Church.