- Text by Robert Garbisch
-- Images by Robert Garbisch, Jay King, and Marc Goldman

AVE MILITAE MUTATIO!
Good News and Bad News:

Welcome to a new season of Roman adventure and excitement. I have both good news and bad news to report.

Part of the good news for all members of LXF during last season is that all of your expenses can be legally declared as deductions for your Itemized Report with the IRS and the California State Tax Board. Our non-profit, educational status was officially recognized and assigned a Federal ID Number 94-3320225.

The following expenses can be legally deducted: equipment, uniform, weapons, dues, extra food expenses at events, travel mileage, phone calls, books for research, materials used for making your own outfit, etc. Please consult your tax advisor if you have any further questions regarding your deductions,

Bad News: If you have yet to pay your LXF dues, or subscriber fees, for this calendar year, then this will be your last issue of the LXF newsletter. Sorry.

Good News: LXF membership dues are only $30.00 for the year. This pays for your LXF newsletter and your food and drinks at all LXF events. What a deal! A Guest Subscription Fee for the LXF Newsletter only is just $ 10.00 for the year.

Please send your check payment to Centurio Marcus before March 15, 2000.

Mailing address is: Robert Garbisch, 224 Masonic Drive, Vallejo, CA 94591-4231

Note: If your funds are limited right now, please contact me to discuss a payment plan. Thank you.

UPCOMING LEGIO X FRETENSTS EVENTS:

JUNE 10 -11 at CHEESE FACTORY, NOVATO

Early this morning, just before I began stuffing the envelopes for mailing out this LXF newsletter, I received a phone call from Kandace, from the Cheese Factory in Novato. I regret to say this, but it was not good news for us. The owner is firm in his event site fee of asking for $300 from us. Unless the membership of LXF wishes to come up with the requested fee money, then it will be a "no-go" event. Sorry.

This event date shall remain as the search goes on for locating another site somewhere here in the Bay Area.

JULY 29 - 30 at JACK LONDON SQUARE

When I spoke with the event manager about hosting a LXF event here, he was all for it. But then a reality check came with the event application. They wanted a $500 event fee per day, plus a $1,000 insurance policy on the event. Sorry guys, I tried. Thus the same status applies to this unexpected turn of event. A search is now on to find a site for this scheduled date.

SEPTEMBER 23 - 24 at LAGOON VALLEY, VACAVILLE

At present, the event site fee has been forfeited due to our non-profit, educational status. Whew! The application form has successfully past through two supervisors. It is now before a special committee for approval. So far, all looks well.

DECEMBER 21, 22, and 23 at BETHLEHEM VILLAGE, REDWOOD CITY

This was another very successful living history event for LXF. The event managers, and the sponsoring church, definitely wants to invite us back. Unfortunately, I just recently received some disturbing news regarding this event for this year. It appears that the city council members are casting greedy eyes upon this vacant lot located so close to the town center. They want to construct an apartment unit there. So the church is now searching for an alternate site to host their beloved Christmas pageant, just in case the city council does secure the property for future development.

APRIL 13 -16 ROMAN MARCH at TITUS CANYON, DEATH VALLEY

This special event for experiencing a real Roman March adventure will require a $30 deposit fee to insure your reservation for this trip, I must have this fee paid for by April 1st. On that date, there will be pre-Roman March scheduled to take place at Pt. Pinole, in Richmond. We will meet at a Car Pool Lot off the Hilltop exit from 1-80, at 0900. Please bring your full Roman outfit, including a change of hiking boots, if you are not too comfortable with your caligae. This will be a test on how you will carry all of your equipment safely and comfortably. We will do two hikes of about 3 to 4 miles in distance. You should be physically preparing yourself now by doing walks of an hour duration at a 2 to 3 mile an hour pace, and carrying a pack load of at least 30 lbs. This should be done about two or three times per week between now and the scheduled day of our adventure.

Current plans are to depart from Centurio Marcus home at 0600, on April 13th. You are most welcome to arrive at Centurio Marcus' home on the evening of April 12 th . Please make your room reservation now. Space is limited to sleeping arrangements. It will be a long drive that day as we travel to Death Valley. Our final destination will be the campgrounds at Stovepipe Wells. Unfortunately, I found out that there is no advance reservation for a campsite. It is a first come, first served basis, The good news is, there are about 200 sites there. The Camp Ranger informed me that since our arrival is on a weekday, there should be no problem in getting two campsites for our tents.

On the 14th of April, (my 55th Birthday!) we will take a tour of the Death Valley Visitor Center. From there we will plan to visit other sites of interest in Death Valley. Perhaps we could take a tour of Scotty's castle? Return to camp for a good night's rest.

Up early on the morning of April 15"'. Drive out to the Titus Canyon trail. This is a 27 mile one-way route through gentle rolling desert terrain, ascend some challenging hills, transverse across a barren valley, then a descent into a hellish, rocky, winding gorge until finally you break free of its mountainous walls to emerge into the panoramic valley floor' of Death Valley. To successfully complete this journey will be an adventure of a lifetime. Don't miss it! You are expected to endure 20 miles of this challenging trail. Return to camp for a well deserved rest and an evening of adventure story telling. Hail Caesar!

Return home on the 16th of April to Centurio Marcus home at 224 Masonic Drive, Vallejo, Ca.

Questions? Please contact Centurio Marcus at (707) 557-4188.

LEGIO X FRETENSIS IS EXPANDING!

LXF now has a southern cohort located in the Los Angeles area. Please welcome J. Dale Himebaugh into our ranks. He has volunteered himself to be our chief contact person in this populous metropolitan area. As a result, I am extending his general invitation to all members of LXF to please join him at the Ft. MacArthur History Timeline event to be held on July 8 - 9. Linda and I will be there. However, I will be splitting my time as a representative of both LXF and as a PFC of the 1st Infantry Division, 16th Regt., Co. B of the Great War (WW 1) and Linda will be serving as an Army Nurse for the AEF. Sorry guys! It is another part of my living history personalities. Ha! But I shall be bringing some LXF items for display. J. Dale Himebaugh, 26723 N. Isabella Pkwy No. 103, Canyon Country, Ca. 91351-4892 email: usdragoon@handscwinshirts.com

Ave!

On behalf of Legio X Fretensis Cohort IV, I would like to extend to you an invitation to attend the Old Fort MacArthur Days encampment in Los Angeles, CA on July 8th and 9th, 2000. The event traditionally includes military units of all eras. For the first time, ancient units are being included and the Legio X Fretensis is attending. We plan on having a modest encampment but the event organizers are quite excited about the appearance of regular Roman infantry at the event.

The cost of the event is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children which includes a meal on Saturday night. We are able to put on any type of demonstrations that we like and there will be ceremonies and lots of public visiting.

The event will be held at Fort MacArthur on Point Fermin, overlooking the Los Angeles Harbor and the Catalina Channel, a cool site in the summer with beautiful views.

Please let me know if any of your members would like to attend. It should be quite a lot of fun. They can contact me directly and as we get closer to the event, I can forward information to them.

Vale, Gaius Domitius Phillippus Principale, Legio X Fretensis Cohors IV (South)

Also, please welcome a new adversary of Rome, DARRATH LUGH, of the Charusker tribe. (Otherwise known as Mary Minshall.) She first introduced herself to LXF at the Bethlehem Village event. I offer you her personal story below.

My persona is named NRM MH (DARRATH LUGH in the Latin alphabet) and she is the cousin of Arminius who defeated the Romans in the battle of the Teutoberg Forest. She took part in that battle as a Shield Maiden and shortly afterwards, married Gomerik, a 6 foot 4 inch tall warrior who fought against Germanicus. He was later killed in a raid across the Rhine, but not before fathering four lusty sons, two of whom are seafarers. The other two live at home in the Sunrise Side Rhine with their families, providing Darrath with (to date) five tow-headed, blue eyed grandchildren.

Now a widow, Darrath travels extensively to keep an eye on the Romans and has appeared in such far away places as Bethlehem, Israel (Judaea) in support of the Hebrew Folk in their desire for freedom from foreign rule. She also shows up whenever LEG X FRET appears to be "the nettle in your side, Centurion, and the stone in your caliga."

CONTINUING SEARCH FOR SUITABLE EVENT SITES

There has been an increasing trend lately for owners of sites suitable for events and municipalities with public parks to charge quite steep "event fees". In spite of our disappointment at this, all is not lost. I claim the promised words of our Lord in Romans 8:28. 1 believe that our organization does serve a higher purpose than just presenting an interesting living history program for the public. We have an important message to deliver to the public. By each one of us dedicating ourselves to this purpose then I know that we shall be victorious in making our presentations. Good sites shall be found. Please read Romans 8:37-39.

A general search of the San Francisco-Bay Area shall go on, There are public parks, state parks, school grounds, church property, and other sites that offer us a potential event location. What about inquiring at your own church? Please ask.

Another option for LNF to consider is to either charge an admission fee to the public, like $1 per adult, children are free, or to request a free will donation from the public. Either way, it will not jeopardize our non-profit status so long as the funds received do not greatly exceed our expenses. Other clubs like the NCWA and the ACWA, two fine American Civil War organizations, generally will either charge an admission fee or ask for a donation from the public. Your comments are most welcomed on this subject.

Please remember this fact, the time period that LXF represents was a point in our world's historical timeline that marked a major change in our perceptions of mankind's purpose here on this world of ours. We represent the people who were probably actual witnesses to some of the events revolving around the ministry of Christ. Or perhaps you were there to hear first hand the various reports of His actions and words of wisdom that were spoken to the public. Either way, your life back then would have been truly impacted by this man's action and his message. To ignore that reality is to deny the real meaning of your life here and now. Together, LXF will make a difference in other people's lives.

We offer an interesting program that combines historical facts and personal stories of human interest. We help to educate the general public to the times we represent. We discuss our uniforms, our equipment, weapons, training, battle tactics, plus many other aspects of the Roman world at that time. That includes the so-called Barbarians, who represent a different aspect of living at that time. Real history with a real sense of purpose is what LXF is all about. Please join us in fulfilling that purpose.

Your membership dues provide the financial support base we need to continue. Your active participation gives us a real life in our educational presentations to the public. Expand your life experiences.

Centurio Marcus Antonius Lucius - Robert W. Garbisch

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