It is once again time for the Verbal Joust (speech contest)! This year, District 100 will be conducting the International Speech Contest and an Evaluation a Table Topics contest. We need to have chosen our competitors by February 22 which doesn’t leave us a lot of time to conduct our contest.

Even if you don’t intend to compete, we will need a number of functionaries in order to conduct our contest, so please consider helping out!

To better understand what our members want, I’ve created a short 6-question survey (link available when logged in or on within the #members-only channel of Discord).

Because of the tight schedule, please try to respond by Wednesday. Thank you, all, and I look forward to seeing you on (or adjacent to) the tournament grounds!

This holiday season, as we gather with our friends and loved ones — in person or virtually — it’s a great time to express feelings of appreciation and affection for those who help make our lives that much brighter. As President of Dungeons & Toast, those people include all my guild mates, and especially those who have volunteered to serve in a leadership role these past six months, be it in a formal officer position or as a much-needed committee chair. So to Quest Master (VPE) Michael A, Recruitment Master (VPM) Lucas R, Master Bard (VPPR) Kait R, Master of Coin (Treasurer) Kelly S, Master Scribe (Secretary) Angel L, Sergeant at Arms Cameron P, Immediate Past Guild Master (IPP) Andrew B, Campaign Master Greg S, and Tavern Master Patrick V, thank you for your friendship, dedication, and care. I look forward to working together to make the second half of our Toastmasters/Dungeons & Toast campaign year even better!

After a long, arduous month of resisting the itch to shave, three beards reigned victorious.

• For the first category of “Established Beard” (those who had a beard in progress prior to 11/1), our
  winner was Patrick Verebely!
• For the second category of “Fresh Faced” (those who started growing a beard on 11/1), the winner was Cameron Pedersen!
• For the final category of “Artificial” (those who used enchantments to create the illusion of a beard), the winner was Loni Huff!

A special thank you to David Easlea, who shared in his speech last night, his journey battling Myasthenia Gravis, reminding us all why this fundraiser is important to us. Also, thank you to all who participated in our fundraiser. We had seven participating beards in this contest, and (so far) ten donors. Those who pledged a donation should have received a carrier pigeon from me, your humble Master of Coin, to let you know your total donation.

November is a month of many things: cornucopias, crunchy leaves, Thanksgiving, the color orange (that is, if your synesthesia syncs with mine). This year, once again, Dungeons & Toast declares that this month shall also be about facial hair. Give your razor a rest – give it the whole month off! Join us in our annual No Shave November contest and fundraiser. This year, we will once again be donating all proceeds to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, to support research into a disease that affects one of our beloved charter members.

This year, we open the contest to all guild members, regardless of gender. We will be voting for the following categories:

• Established Beard (grown prior to 11/1)
• Fresh-Faced (started growing on 11/1)
• Artificial (painted, wig…)

All persons are able to donate a pledge, which will be multiplied by the number of participants, to indicate the total donation. For reference, we had 12 participants last year, and we are hoping for more this year. If you were to pledge $3 and we have 15 participants, your final donation would be $45.

The voting will take place at the first meeting of December (12/1) and the total amount donated will be announced at the second meeting of December.

Please sign up to participate and, if you’re able, make a pledge.