Bay City 13th Anniversary – Sunday, May 16th, 2021
Bay City, the first major project undertaken by the Moles of the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW), will be marking its thirteenth anniversary on Sunday, May 16th, 2021. Citizens of Bay City and residents of Second Life are invited to join in with the celebrations, which will include the traditional parade down “Route 66,” followed by a live music event in the Bay City fairgrounds.
First opened for initial viewing in May of 2008 and with parcels throughout the city being auctioned soon after, Bay City has shown itself to be one of the highlights of Second Life: a blending of Linden infrastructure and a strong, friendly community of involved residents who give the area its unique charm.
Celebratory activities will kick-off at noon SLT with a parade line-up at the band shell in Bay City – Harwich. At 12:30 SLT, the parade will make its way down Route 66, and proceed to the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel region. DJ GoSpeed Racer will be providing the music throughout the parade, which will be followed by at live concert from 13:30 SLT onwards at the fairgrounds.
The line-up for the concert this year comprises (all times SLT):
13:30-14:30: Mimi Carpenter – active in Second life since 2006, and active throughout all her in-world time as a live singer, Mimi hails from France although she now resides in Canada. She performs a broad rang of songs and is noted for her multi-lingual abilities, singing in English, French and German and accompanying herself on the guitar and occasionally on the piano.
14:30- 15:30: Parker Static – Parker started singing at a very early age; being in a musical family her passion for singing was inevitable. Her repertoire ranges from pop through ballads, jazz, R and B to soft rock and more. She has received numerous awards including Showtime Magazine’s TOP 10 performers in SL and the Soul Train’s Best Female entertainer of the year.
15:30-16:30: Noma Falta – a noted blues rock / soul singer and guitarist, Noma has been performing in Second Life for 12 years and has also dipped her toes into other virtual domains. When not singing, she spends some of her time producing mixed media art pieces focusing on portraiture.
As usual, celebration goods, including parade float bases and ideas, are available at the Bay City Community Centre, in the Daley Bay region for those who wish to be a part of the parade. Ample viewing areas are provided. The music event is also open to all who desire to attend — not only Residents of Bay City
About Bay City and the Bay City Alliance
Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest Bay city group, and home to most Residents of Bay City.
Each year, in honour of Bay City’s founding, Bay City residents come together with this special celebration.
It’s a weekend of Peace Love and Hope and great music as the 8th annual RelayStock takes place between Friday, May 14th and Sunday, May 16th inclusive, once again raising funds for Relay For Life of Second Life and the world-wide work of the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Paying homage to Woodstock, and hosted by the Relay Rockers, RelayStock brings together Relay teams from diverse communities across Second Life for a celebration of the Relay season. Teams raise their banners above makeshift tents and old VW campers as they gather for three days of Peace Love Music and Hope.
A long-time staple of the annual Relay for Life season in Second Life, Relay Stock is also the venue to two special events – Bid a Linden Bald and the Celebrate Remember Fight-Back Top DJ Fund-raising Competition.
Bid A Linden Bald and Obtain a Limited Edition Linden Bear
2021 marks the 5th year that the Lindens have joined in the fun at RelayStock through Bid a Linden Bald – and this year the event has a couple of extra for folk to appreciate: the Moles of the LDPW are joining the fun, and those making donations via the special Bid a Linden Bald kiosks can receive a Limited Edition Linden Bear!
As the name suggests, Bid A linden Bald sees a number of teams from Linden Lab challenge one another to see who can raise the most in Linden Dollar donations for RFL of SL. At the end of the event, the team raising the least amount of money see their avatars get their hair shorn by the team raising the most. Or as the event advertising puts it:
Top team gets the scissors – lowest team gets the haircut!
RelayStock 2021: Bid a Linden Bald
The six teams from the Lab participating this year comprise:
Team 1: Alexa, Dottie, Izzy, Mint, Rhea, TJ, Wendi
Team 2: Cammy, Ellie, Kit, Oberwolf, Rocko, Tommy, Whitney
Team 3: Dakota, Evie, Kreide, Obi, Simon, Vanessa
Team 4: Darcy, Grumpity, Kristin, Patch, Spots, Vix
Team 5: Derrick, Hobbes, Maggie, Patsy, Theresa, Volo
For those who have been asking about the Lab’s new Board members and their interest in Second Life, it’s worth pointing out that Team 2’s Oberwolf Linden is in fact Board member and Executive Chairman Brad Oberwager, who is getting fully into the swing of the event and showing further support for activities in Second Life, along with the Lab’s new Chief of Staff, Cammy Bergren (Cammy Linden), who is also a member of Team 2!
Linden Lab’s Chief of Staff, Cammy Bergren (centre left) and Board member / Executive Chairman, Brad Oberwager (centre right) are Participating in Team 2 for Bid A Linden Bald through their respective avatars, Cammy Linden and Oberwolf Linden, seen flanking them
Since its inauguration in 2017 (at the Second Life Birthday event) Bid A Linden Bald has helped to raise L$3,000,000 (approx. US $12,000) for Relay For Life and the ACS.
Every year, I look forward to the Rockers’ Bid Me Bald fundraiser. This is one of the longest running team fundraisers in our Relay’s history and it has become a touchstone moment for so many of us. I have enjoyed watching the event grow and evolve over the years and am grateful to the Lindens for getting into the spirit of this time-tested fundraising challenge.
– Stingray Raymaker, ACS representative in Second Life
Biding is now open at the RelayStock event space, and will remain so through until Wednesday May 19th, when, at 12:00 SLT, the team to lose their hair will be announced and the Official Haircutting will take place (and all are invited!).
Bid A Linden Bald Linden Bears
The Limited Edition Bid a Linden Bald Bear
This year, people can bid by making a donation directly to each team’s kiosk, or by making a L$250 donation to the accompanying Limited Edition Bid A Linden Bald Linden Bear kiosk and receive a pair of Limited Edition Linden Bears.
Designed by Chronos Mole, these comprise a wearable Animesh Bear and a seated static bear for home décor. It would have perhaps been nice if the wearable bear was a little smaller and rigged to sit, say, on your shoulder rather than just a simple “carry” pose that is easily overridden by any walking animation, but they are nevertheless a cute pair, and already proving to be very popular.
Bid a Linden Bald can be found at the large barn immediately adjacent to the RelayStock landing point.
Celebrate Remember Fight-Back Top DJ Fund-raising Competition Grand Final
The CRFB event features Club and Radio DJs from all over Second Life as they try to see who among them can raise the most Linden Dollars in support of the Relay For Life, with RelayStock hosting the Grand Final between the two top fund-raisers.
In 2020, DJ Baggie and DJ Kayla went head-to-head in their sets at RelayStock, raising more than L$330,000 in the process, with DJ Kayla taking home top honours. This year will see finalists DJ Tanis and DJ Stormy compete in back-to-back sets on Sunday, May 17th.
RelayStock 2021: Relay Team camp sites
Stage Schedule
The event’s activities line up as follows (all times SLT – check the official event page for any late updates):
Friday May 14th
Saturday May 15th
Sunday May 16th
13:00: DJ Zen Greywolf
14:30: DJ Melinia Firehawk
16:00: Keeba & Maniacs – LIVE
17:00 : Quartz – LIVE
18:00: DJ Sasha Fairywren
19:30: DJ Kewl
09:00: Shay Dezno-Gary Jonstone-LIVE
10:30 Noon: DJ Kayla
Noon: DJ Corruptor
13:30: DJ Selene Jashan
15:00-16:00: Todd Rumsford – LIVE
16:00-17:30: DJ Jennylynn Capalini
17:30-19:00: DJCynthia Farshore
19:00-20:30: DJ Toocool
20:30-22:00: DJ Stephanie
09:00-10:30: DJ Caesey Sawson
10:30-12:00 Noon: DJ Rora
Noon-13:30: Brisas Ar – LIVE
1:30PM – Max Kleene – LIVE
2:00PM – CRFB FINALIST – DJ Tanis
3:30PM – CRFB FINALIST-DJ Stormy
5:00PM – Trader Whiplash – Time Machine
7:30PM – DJ Mattie Carlson
So, let the spirit of the Age of Aquarius enter your life this weekend, don your kaftan (and galoshes!), put flowers in your hair and head on over to RelayStock for great music, great dancing, great fun – all in a good cause!
It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Monday, May 10th: 19:00 Saturn Rukh
In an unspecified time in the future, a team of astronauts is sent to Saturn on what could be a one-way mission. Financed by a multi-national consortium, their mission is to establish a factory in to upper reaches of the planet’s atmosphere where it can “mine” Saturn’s abundant helium to produce “meta” (nitro-stabilised metastable helium), a powerful propellant.
If they are successful, each of the astronauts stands to earn a billion dollars on their return to Earth. The catch? They only have sufficient fuel to reach Saturn – they must use the factory to produce the fuel needed to make their return to Earth.
However, things go awry when the mission enters the Saturnian atmosphere – and crash-lands on the back of an enormous creature that “swims” through the atmosphere. Another of the creatures – which appear to be semi-intelligent and which the astronaut dub “Rukh” – swallows some of the mission’s equipment, leaving the team with no choice but to attempt to establish communications with the creatures and attempt to recover their equipment.
Join Gyro Muggins as he reads the last full-length novel by physicist and author Robert L. Forward.
When Lily and her family move in with her sick Halmoni (grandmother), a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers and now the tigers want it back. So the tiger visiting has arrvied with an offer for Lily: return what Halmoni stole in exchange for the return of her health Halmoni’s health.
It is a tempting offer; but deals with magical tigers are not always what they appear to be. So Lily must, with the help of her sister and her friend Ricky, find her voice and her courage, and face whatever trickery the tiger may conjure.
Caledonia Skytower reads the 2021 2021 Newbery Medal winning story by Tae Keller.
Thursday, May 13th 19:00: Antues, Part 2
Shandon Loring tells the story of the monster and anti-hero from Bernard Evslin’s compendium of lore. (Also in Kitely).
Special Announcement
Tea-Time at Seanchai returns on Sunday, May 16th at 13:30 SLT, featuring American Fairy Tales, a collection of twelve fantasy stories by L. Frank Baum, published in 1901 by the George M. Hill Company.
It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Monday, May 3rd: 19:00 Saturn Rukh
In an unspecified time in the future, a team of astronauts is sent to Saturn on what could be a one-way mission. Financed by a multi-national consortium, their mission is to establish a factory in to upper reaches of the planet’s atmosphere where it can “mine” Saturn’s abundant helium to produce “meta” (nitro-stabilised metastable helium), a powerful propellant.
If they are successful, each of the astronauts stands to earn a billion dollars on their return to Earth. The catch? They only have sufficient fuel to reach Saturn – they must use the factory to produce the fuel needed to make their return to Earth.
However, things go awry when the mission enters the Saturnian atmosphere – and crash-lands on the back of an enormous creature that “swims” through the atmosphere. Another of the creatures – which appear to be semi-intelligent and which the astronaut dub “Rukh” – swallows some of the mission’s equipment, leaving the team with no choice but to attempt to establish communications with the creatures and attempt to recover their equipment.
Join Gyro Muggins as he reads the last full-length novel by physicist and author Robert L. Forward.
19:00: Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No-One Gets Hurt
Caledonia Skytower shares selection from author Karen Scalf Linamen’s collection of essays, focusing on two topics that are rising to the top-of-minds these days: Gardens, and Vacations.
Wednesday, May 5th, 19:00: When You Trap a Tiger
When Lily and her family move in with her sick Halmoni (grandmother), a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers and now the tigers want it back. So the tiger visiting has arrvied with an offer for Lily: return what Halmoni stole in exchange for the return of her health Halmoni’s health.
It is a tempting offer; but deals with magical tigers are not always what they appear to be. So Lily must, with the help of her sister and her friend Ricky, find her voice and her courage, and face whatever trickery the tiger may conjure.
Caledonia Skytower reads the 2021 2021 Newbery Medal winning story by Tae Keller.
Thursday, May 6th
19:00: Antues, Part 1
Shandon Loring tells the story of the monster and anti-hero from Bernard Evslin’s compendium of lore. (Also in Kitely).
21:00 Seanchai Late Night
Late night contemporary sci-fi and fantasy with Finn Zeddmore.
Note that SLurl to the Fairelands are listed at the end of this article, rather than being embedded in the text.
The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire 2021, opened its gates to fairelanders at 12:00 SLT on Thursday, April 22nd, and will remain open through until Sunday May 9th, 2021 inclusive, once again raising money for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society’s efforts to bring about a World Without Cancer.
As with previous years, 2021 will see a wide range of activities and events taking place through until Sunday, May 2nd, including the LitFest, DJ and live performances, auctions, role-play opportunities, and more – all of which will culminate in the The Final Shindig a four-hour jamboree intended to give as many people as possible the chance to drop in and celebrate the Faire’s success. After this, the regions will remain open for people to visit and enjoy sans on-going activities, allowing them to enjoy the the shopping and the regions themselves – although some activities will also continue through the final week as well.
Fantasy Faire 2021: Peaville goes Nuts (Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont)
Fantasy Faire 2021 this year encompasses 16 shopping regions devoted to the best in fantasy creations and four event regions. As is usual, the best place to start a visit is Fairelands Junction. From here visitors can access all of the shopping regions via the portals, and also visit the memorial area and the worldlings – region designs that didn’t make it into this year’s event.
The regions designs for this year are another enticing mix of realms designed by familiar Faire names such as Kayle Matzerath, Sharni Azalee, Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont, Dumpling and Solas Enchantment, Alia Baroque, Kilik Lekvoda, returning designers such as Beq Janus and Elizabeth Jarvinen, and names new to the Faire, working either on their own or in partnership with others.
You can find a full list of the regions, their designers and principal sponsors here, while those wishing to shop can see what stores are where within the Fairelands realms via the Fantasy Faire Shopping Catalogue.
Fantasy Faire 2021: Líng xiāo lóng 灵霄龙 (Fiona Fei)
Events and Activities Highlights
Fantasy Faire 2021 will again be filled with events and activities, with music from DJs focused on the the deck of the Fairechylde as she lies moored in the Dark Awakening, while performances of theatre, dance and more will be on offer alongside the Faire’s art displays in Paer Thura. Dedicated schedules are available for both DJ parties and live performances are now available, so keep your eye on them as well.
LitFest 2021
The LitFest will this year be based at Líng xiāo lóng 灵霄龙. The Litfest is a special place where the magic of the spoken word will weave tales of wonder, relate stories of great adventure and daring; where talks by authors, discussions, creative writing sessions and performances will all take place. In addition, literary hawks and writers will be encouraged to join daily tours of the Fairelands and afterwards compose pieces related to their travels.
The full LitFest schedule provides a run-down of activities, but here are a some highlights.
The Region Tours: taking place at either 13:00 SLT or 17:00 SLT and running from Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, May 9th, the LitFest tours offer the chance to explore the Fairelands and seeking the stories they have to tell as well as their special secret places and details. Stories can also be submitted for publication on the Fantasy Faire website, provided they are submitted within two days of each tour.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
LitFest Special Guests: this year the LitFest special guests are writing partnership Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, perhaps best known for their Liaden Universe® works – and are also long-term Second Life Residents.
Over the course of their partnership, Lee and Miller have written thirty-two novels, twenty-three in their original space opera setting, the Liaden Universe®, where honour, wit, and true love are potent weapons against villainy. In addition, Sharon Lee has published three novels in the urban fantasy genre, the Crimson Trilogy (also known as the Archer Beach Trilogy).
The couple will be appearing at Fantasy Faire as follows:
Tuesday April 27th 15:00-16:00 – Interview with Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: Sharon and Steve will talk to Saffia Widdershins about their lives, their work and the challenging of world-building in a universe that stretches for millennium.
Friday April 30th 15:00-14:00 – Reading by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: the couple will read from their works set in the Liaden Universe® and, if there’s time, take audience questions.
For the full schedule of activities, please refer to the LitFest schedule.
Role-Play and Table-Top Gaming
2021 will once again have numerous opportunities for role-play within the Fairelands.This year the Children of Stories will return this year as the Junior Society of Extra-ordinary Explorers. The children (previously appearing as the Rickety Weasels, the Mouse Guardians, the Children of Echtra, the Lilypods, the Magpies, the Bubo Owls, and the Grizzly Cubs) will be investigating the mysterious Amethyst Rift where an ancient society of sorcerers vanished into the mists one day.
In addition:
There will also be regular Meet ’n’ Greets with the NeoVictoria Project. These are out-of-character events where players from the NeoVictoria community will be available to discuss the project, the story-world and how to get involved. For more information read more here.
Role-play classes will be available for those new to role-play in Second Life. Again, details can be found here.
Table-top games have been a part of Fantasy Faire 2018, and will again a part of activities – check the game page for details.
There are many ways of keeping up to speed with events and activities at the Fairelands:
Join the Fantasy Faire in-world group (just search for Fantasy Faire Fans under Groups)to get up-to-the minute notifications whilst logged-in to Second Life.
The Raglan Shire Artwalk is one of the staples of the SL art calendar, and for 2021 the 16th Artwalk will take place between Sunday, May 16th and Sunday, June 20th, inclusive.
A popular event among artists and residents, the Artwalk can see over 150 artists displaying their work – 2D and 3D – across the regions of Raglan Shire. All the displays are open-air, with 2D art is displayed on hedgerows in and around the regions, while sculptures and 3D art is displayed in a number of designated areas, all of which allows visitors to both appreciate the art and explore the Shire regions.
A Call For Artists for the 2021 event has been issued for those wishing to participate, and key points about the exhibition are as follows:
It is a non-juried show.
Artists can display more than one piece if they wish.
2D (“flat” art pieces will be awarded a maximum of 15 LI, and individual pictures should be 1 prim, including the frame.
3D art (sculptures, etc.), will be awarded a maximum of 500 LI for up to three pieces of work. Artists are requested to state the LI per piece in their application.
Sales of art are allowed.
Types of art supported by the show are: representations of RL photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and digital fine art that can be displayed on a prim; and SL photography, manipulated SL photography and SL sculpture.
Pictures of RL crafts, such as beadwork, leatherwork, etc., are not part of the show’s definition
All the above art forms are welcome, but should be rated PG / G – so no nudity, please!
Group membership will be required in order to display work.
Tip jars are not allowed.
Questions and enquiries should be forwarded via note card to Artwalk Director Karmagirl Avro, or Artwalk Assistants Kayak Kuu, Linn Darkwatch, or RaglanShireArtwalk Resident.
Tuesday, May 11th: Notification of exhibit space location issued to artists – note that hedgerow space for 2D artists is on a “first come, first serve” basis.
Friday, May 14th (after 09:00 SLT) and Saturday May 15th: Artist set-up days.
Sunday, May 16th: Artwalk Opens.
Sunday, June 20th: Artwalk closes.
Sunday, June 20th (after 21:00 SLT) through Tuesday, June 22nd: takedown of works.
The line-up for the concert this year comprises (all times SLT):
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 