The Sacramento Freifechter will be taking part at the Fight Day hosted by the Tosetti Institute of MMA and Fitness. Two hours of free play and sparing is always fun!

A New Year is upon us and like so many you might have decided it is time to be more active. However the truth is that working out is hard and sometimes boring. Why not start a new activity that is exciting, thoroughly enjoyable, and will have you sweating in no time flat?  The study of Historical Fencing is a great way to get in shape. Learn to use a Longsword like they did in Europe during the Renaissance. Our 6 week introductory course will take you through the fundamental aspects of Historical Fencing. You will learn how to lay waste to your enemies and impress your friends. Or at the very least you will be given the opportunity to begin learning to do so.  You will learn: The history of fencing How to properly attack with a Longsword How to defend yourself from attack Movement and footwork Strategy and tactics Come out and try your hand at an ancient art that is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States and the World. Don't believe me? Maybe this movie will change your mind.  Details $50 for 1 person, $75 for 2 family members.  Includes: Introductory course in the German Longsword Course length: 6 weeks Class length: 2 hours per week. Equipment provided, simply wear clothes you are comfortable sweating in.

18th Annual Christkindlmark​t. Benefiting multiple charities in the Sacramento area including, New 10’s “Coats for Kids” Christmas Music, Arts, Crafts, Ornaments,Cooki​es and Cakes for sale, Nurnberg sausage dinner, Gluhwein, Authentic Saint Nick. In the tradition of the German outdoor Christmas Markets, the Sacramento Turn Verein offers the community an annual Christkindlmark​t for holiday shopping and entertainment. Highlights of this festive weekend-long event include: 28 booths featuring local vendors Lebkuchen and Magenbrot, traditional German baked Christmas treats Glühwein, also known as mulled wine Daily appearances of Santa Claus and the German Christkind Note: All vendor stations for the 2014 Christkindlmark​t are sold out. History In many towns in Germany and Austria, Advent is usually ushered in with the opening of the town’s Christmas Market, also called a Christkindlmark​t (which literally means Christ child market). Generally held in the town square and pedestrian zones, the market combines food and drink in the open air, shopping and pageantry, as well as tradition. On opening night and, in some towns, every night, onlookers welcome the Christkind, or Christ child, in the form of a golden-haired angel, played by a local youth. Some of the most popular items at the market are: Crèche, nativity scenes Zwetschgamännla (figures made of decorated dried plums) Nussknacker (carved Nutcrackers) Gebrannte Mandeln (candied, toasted almonds) Christstollen or Stollen (a sort of egg bread with candied fruit) The most famous Christmas markets are held in the cities of Nürnberg, Dresden, and Stuttgart, making them very popular tourist stops. Each year, the Nürnberg and Dresden markets draw about two million visitors, and the Stuttgart market attracts more than three million visitors. Other well-known markets are held in Köln, Bonn, Lübeck, Wien, Salzburg, and Villach.

18th Annual Christkindlmark​t. Benefiting multiple charities in the Sacramento area including, New 10’s “Coats for Kids” Christmas Music, Arts, Crafts, Ornaments,Cooki​es and Cakes for sale, Nurnberg sausage dinner, Gluhwein, Authentic Saint Nick. In the tradition of the German outdoor Christmas Markets, the Sacramento Turn Verein offers the community an annual Christkindlmark​t for holiday shopping and entertainment. Highlights of this festive weekend-long event include: 28 booths featuring local vendors Lebkuchen and Magenbrot, traditional German baked Christmas treats Glühwein, also known as mulled wine Daily appearances of Santa Claus and the German Christkind Note: All vendor stations for the 2014 Christkindlmark​t are sold out. History In many towns in Germany and Austria, Advent is usually ushered in with the opening of the town’s Christmas Market, also called a Christkindlmark​t (which literally means Christ child market). Generally held in the town square and pedestrian zones, the market combines food and drink in the open air, shopping and pageantry, as well as tradition. On opening night and, in some towns, every night, onlookers welcome the Christkind, or Christ child, in the form of a golden-haired angel, played by a local youth. Some of the most popular items at the market are: Crèche, nativity scenes Zwetschgamännla (figures made of decorated dried plums) Nussknacker (carved Nutcrackers) Gebrannte Mandeln (candied, toasted almonds) Christstollen or Stollen (a sort of egg bread with candied fruit) The most famous Christmas markets are held in the cities of Nürnberg, Dresden, and Stuttgart, making them very popular tourist stops. Each year, the Nürnberg and Dresden markets draw about two million visitors, and the Stuttgart market attracts more than three million visitors. Other well-known markets are held in Köln, Bonn, Lübeck, Wien, Salzburg, and Villach.

The Sacramento Freifechter are going to the SoCal Swordfight! The SoCal Swordfight is the largest HEMA gathering on the West Coast of the United States and possibly the world. We will be traveling down to the event to represent Northern California and the Meyer Freifechter Guild Region VI. Due to the timing of this event there will be no classes held this weekend. If you would like to go details and tickets can be purchased at the SoCal Swordfight website.  

The Sacramento Freifechter will have a small group participating at the Folsom Renaissance Faire. We will be performing demonostrations and giving lessons on Meyer's Art of Combat. Come out to enjoy the Renaissance Faire and enjoy an introductory lesson in: Longsword Dussack Rappier Dagger and Ringen While our classes are free the Faire itself does charge an entry fee for admission. Visit the Folsom Renaissance Faire website for details or their EventBrite page to purchase tickets.  

http://sacramentoturnverein.com/event/oktoberfest/?instance_id=301 Sacramento’s first, best, and biggest annual Oktoberfest celebration, this famous festival occurs every October and includes: Beer, wine, and German food Outdoor biergarten Live music Kid-friendly activities German music and dancers Every year, revelers come to the Turn Verein to eat, drink, and dance like a tried-and-true German. It’s like a piece of Munich, right in Sacramento! History Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) of Bavaria (the grandfather of “Mad” King Ludwig II) started this historic tradition when he married Princess Theresia of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. Ludwig gave an open wedding invitation to the people of Munich—and about 40,000 of them came. The Prince set up tents in a field on the outskirts of Munich, later called ‘Theresienwiese’ (Theresa’s Meadow), in honor of his lady. To entertain the crowd, he organized a horse race and supplied copious amounts of beer. Everyone had such a good time that they decided to hold the horse race (and beer drinking) again the next year, but this time in conjunction with the state agricultural show. The local brewers realized that they could sell a lot of beer in a very short time, which is the reason why it has become a 16-day extravaganza ending the first Sunday in October. The rest, as they say, is history.

http://sacramentoturnverein.com/event/oktoberfest/?instance_id=301 Sacramento’s first, best, and biggest annual Oktoberfest celebration, this famous festival occurs every October and includes: Beer, wine, and German food Outdoor biergarten Live music Kid-friendly activities German music and dancers Every year, revelers come to the Turn Verein to eat, drink, and dance like a tried-and-true German. It’s like a piece of Munich, right in Sacramento! History Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) of Bavaria (the grandfather of “Mad” King Ludwig II) started this historic tradition when he married Princess Theresia of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. Ludwig gave an open wedding invitation to the people of Munich—and about 40,000 of them came. The Prince set up tents in a field on the outskirts of Munich, later called ‘Theresienwiese’ (Theresa’s Meadow), in honor of his lady. To entertain the crowd, he organized a horse race and supplied copious amounts of beer. Everyone had such a good time that they decided to hold the horse race (and beer drinking) again the next year, but this time in conjunction with the state agricultural show. The local brewers realized that they could sell a lot of beer in a very short time, which is the reason why it has become a 16-day extravaganza ending the first Sunday in October. The rest, as they say, is history.

Our annual End of Summer Symposium. An opportunity to get together with other members of the MFFG Region VI and discuss all things Meyer with sword in hand. This event is free for all members of the MFFG. Non-members are asked to make a $10 donation if staying the full day. Introduction to Joachim Meyer: Beginnger's Class. This class will focus on an overview of Meyer's material and is intended for people new to HEMA and Meyer. In the event there are no completely new people this session will instead be a general warm up and then examination of how the same actions are found with multiple weapons in Meyer's system. Both sessions may be run simultaneously depending on attendance. Provoker, Taker, Hitter: The Tactics of Meyer. This class will examine the tactical advice given by Meyer. It will review the three categories of actions that he defines and his four types of fencers and how to defeat them using his tactical model. Lunch Break Dussack Workshop Thomas Carrillo of the Fresno Freifechter will be running a workshop on the use of the Dussack according to Meyer. This is a 2 hour class. The Ringen of Meyer; An introduction to grappling. Jude Lesema will be teaching an introductory class on grappling and ringen. All classes will be completed by 3:30 after which there is time for additional freeplay, coached sparring and MFFG Fechter examinations. Please note that this schedule while generally accurate may be subject to change.