Category: Relay For Life

The fourth annual Castle, Home and Garden contest will take place in Second Life from June 3rd through June 24th inclusive, in aid of Relay for Life of Second Life. Registrations are open for both contestants and merchants – but spaces are filling up!

Using the building tools provided within Second Life, RFL Teams and individuals are invited to build a one-of-a-kind original build castle or home, with or without an associated garden, or design a garden setting, in one of 14 themed regions. The completed builds are then opened to the public to explore, and are voted upon by a both a panel of judges and the public at large.

Winning entries as decided by the judging panel can with up to L$200,000 (castle) or $100,000 (Home or Garden design), and L$100,000 for the popular vote competition, with all prizes being paid into the winning RFL Team’s RFL kiosk (and thus to RFL of SL) or to a general RFL kiosk in the case of individual entries. In addition, all of the houses and castles included in the event are then offered up for auction to the highest bidder, with all proceeds from the auction also going to RFL of SL.

Note that is order to be auctioned, all home / castle builds must be transferable. Also note that entrants will be required to run at least one event at their build when the regions are open to the public.

The 14 themed regions for the contest are:  Atlantis, the Sunken City; Beauty and the Beast; Bedrock (Flintstones-style theme);  Bikini Bottom (Spongebob Squarepants inspired); Christmas Town; Game of Thrones: King’s Landing; Game of Thrones: Winterfell; Halloween Town; Harry Potter: Hogsmead; Lord of the Rings: Rivendell; Labyrinth; Springfield (Simpsons inspired); Star Wars: The Death Star; 1984.

Those wishing to sign up should refer to the Castle Home and Garden Contestants Sign-up Form for all requirements and rules of entry.

In addition, there is a region – It’s A Small World – dedicated to merchants and vendors, as well as merchant locations throughout the 14 theme regions. Shops are available for free, but merchants can also opt for one of a number of sponsorship packages, which offer both more space and additional benefits.

Full details on the Merchant requirements and sign-up information can be found on the Merchants Sign-up Form, and a full breakdown of the sponsorship packages can be found on the Sponsorship Levels Google document.

Finally, the Castle Home and Garden team are seeking help and volunteers. If you would like to assist in running the event, please check the description of roles available on the Volunteer Sign-up Form and – sign up!

You can keep up-to-date with the event, including information on events, entertainment, etc (as the latter are arranged in time),  through both the official website and the official blog.

The annual RFL Christmas Expo opened its gates on December 1st, and will run through until December 12th. I’m not sure if it is me, but RFL events PR seems to have been a little low-key in 2016, to the point that this event almost entirely slipped my mind!

However, if it had by chance escaped your attention as well, there’s still the weekend to make the most of it, and to hop over, explore the four regions, buy goodies, join in the fun and donate to RFL of SL.

You can find details of participating creators through the Expo shopping guide, together with a schedule of entertainment, which include live performers and DJs, and there are fun activities such as photos with Santa, Expo sleigh tours, raffles, auctions and Gotyas still to be enjoyed, and much more besides, with all the details on the Christmas Expo website.

A highlight of the Expo is the Holidays of Hope Ball, now in its 7th year, which will take place on Sunday, December 11th, from 15:00 through 18:00 SLT.   There will be special raffle baskets for which tickets can be purchased, together with random door prizes, which in 2015 totalled almost L$50,000 in value, while the 2015 raffle baskets were each worth more than L$35,000 each and included items such as homes, designer outfits and L$5000 gift certificates among their goodies.

Holiday formal attire is requested for the Ball, which will take place at the Polar Express Grand Station, high over the Expo regions.

SLurl Details

All regions rated Moderate.

• 2016 Christmas Expo (Festive)

Fifty years ago on September 8th, 1966, a new science-fiction show started airing on American television. Called simply Star Trek, it started as a humble weekly series which had already been through a difficult gestation period (1964-1966) and eventually lasted just three seasons – but went on to become a world-wide phenomenon, almost instantly recognisable in most countries and spawned a host of follow-on films and series, up to and including the re-imagining of the original under the guidance of J.J. Abrams and Justin Lin.

I’m an unbashed Star Trek fan. I wasn’t around when the Original Series first aired, but I did discover it in my teens, and was instantly attracted to the multi-cultural message aboard the Starship Enterprise and to Kirk’s buffness, Spock’s sexy-cool logic, and McCoy’s irascible nature and deeply human caring for others.

More than just science-fictiony drama (which at the time was pretty much summed up by The Monster Of The Week), Trek dared to challenged people to think. It offered commentary on events of the time – discrimination on the basis of race and / or colour, the dangers of military intervention, and so on. At the same time it offered a vision of the future where humanity really is a multi-cultural society driven by the ideals of tolerance, discovery and hope. Messages and ideals which are still very much relevant today as we see a world around us increasingly fragmented and divided.

Such is the show’s influence over the decades, that it is fitting to mark its anniversary – and for those of us who enjoy Trek and science fiction in-world – that the Second Life Sci-Fi Alliance is hosting a special Star Trek centric event for Relay for Life of Second Life. Trek For a Cure is taking place across three regions, each named for a famous planet from Trek lore: Vulcan, Qonos, and Risa, with the latter reflecting its role as a shore leave environment in The Next Generation by being the hub of Trek For a Cure’s entertainment.

Running through until Sunday, September 11th, the event is home to over 80 booths set up by residents to promote their Trek and sci-fi groups, content made in world  and services, with the added bonus of visitors being able to support RFL of Second Life.

The event schedule can be found at the SL Sci-Fi Alliance website, and the main teleport hub can be found at the centre of Risa – most of the facilities are on the ground, but the ballroom and the starships battle area are up in the sky.

So – if you’re a Trek fan, a sci-fi fan or simply want to support RFL of SL, why not head over the Trek For a Cure and celebrate Star Trek’s 50th anniversary?

SLurl Details

All regions rated moderate.

• Vulcan
• Risa
• Qonos

The RFL of Second Life Relay Weekend for 2016 is upon us, and will feature everything one would expect from the event – walks, celebrations, remembrances, the luminaria ceremony, interviews, music, dance, and more, all in aid of the American Cancer Society in its efforts to eradicate cancer.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a couple of sneak peeks around the regions that make up this year’s walk, together with the activities regions, and they really are quite extraordinary this year, featuring some stunning builds and themes which are truly eye-catching.

Activities will kick off at 10:00 SLT on Saturday, July 16th and will feature 24 hours of themed laps, activities and entertainment. The weekend will wrap up with a party at 13:00 SLT Sunday, July 17th.

Event Highlights

Listed below are some of the main events scheduled for the weekend – but remember that there are relay laps, entertainment and more going on across the entire weekend, so please refer to the event schedule for full details. Information can also be found at the 2016 RFL Welcome Centre space station. All times are, as usual, SLT.

Saturday, July 16th 2016

• 10:00 SLT Opening Ceremony:  The fun-filled weekend begins! Note you can access the ceremonies stage via two landing points: RFL Activities 1 and RFL Activities 3 
• 11:00 SLT Celebrate: The first lap of Relay weekend begins with the celebrate ceremony.  A Survivor/Caregiver honour walk
• 21:00 SLT Remember – The Luminaria Ceremony:  a solemn reflection with readings and inspirational music as the regions are darkened in remembrance of those and their loved ones who have lost their battles to cancer or are still battling it; all are invited to participate.  Please walk the track in silence

Sunday, July 17th 2016:

• 06:00 SLT Fight Back: Collect your Fight Back Kits and Fight Back Flags available at the Relay Information Stations along the track, and pledge to save a life: your own, a friends, a family member, or someone you don’t even know yet
• 10:00 SLT Closing Ceremony:  a closing tribute to al that RFL of SL has accomplished.

Useful Landmarks

The following landmarks will also carry you directly to locations of particular interest in the RFL regions:

• Welcome Area
• Information Centre
• RFL Museum
• Raffle For Relay
• Silent Auction
• Live Music
• DJs Music and Dancing
• Dance Performances
• Snail Races
• Teams Vendor Markets
• Gacha Machines

Mega Events

The RFL mega events are also represented along the RFL track:

• Fashion For Life – RFL Hope
• Fantasy Faire – RFL Embrace
• The Xmas Expo  – RFL Knowledge
• The Home & Garden Expo – RFL Strides
• Sci Fi Convention – RFL Prevention

Be sure to stop by there and find out more about them as well.

Where To Start

If you’re new to RFL of SL weekends, probably the best place to start is the space station Welcome Area, mentioned above, or the American Cancer Society region or the RFL Information Centre. All three provide a range of information to help you get started.

So, are you ready to Relay?

Related Links

• RFL of SL website
• RFL of SL on Twitter
• RFL of SL on Facebook

 

The 2nd annual Unmasking a Cure Medieval Faire  opened its gates on Friday, June 17th, and will run through until Sunday, June 26th.  Whether you are into medieval role-play or not, the Faire is offering a host of events and activities right throughout the week, with something for just about everyone to try or enjoy – all with the aim of raising funds for RFL of SL.

The event, organised by a dedicated team of Unmasking A Cure RFL Team volunteers, features a wide range of events and activities and a programme of entertainments. There is, for example, the 4th annual UAC Grand Joust and the Round Robin En Garde! tournament, which is open to anyone for a L$150 donation to RFL of SL. There are also melees, mounted archery, horse races, live entertainment, DJs … for the complete programme, it’s probably best to refer to the Faire’s Events pages.

Activities are focused around the Village square with its merchant stalls providing a host of Medieval goodies, including special items available through RFL vendors.  Around this sit the main event areas for the Faire – the jousting tilts, the start of the relay horse racing track, the melee battleground and the En Garde! tournament area, together with meadows and gardens in which to enjoy quieter moments.

You can find out more about the DJs and the live entertainers through the Unmasking a Cure website, as well is obtaining more information on participating in activities.  So, in a week when entertainment, celebrations and fun are liable to be foremost in people’s mind, why not take time to go all Medieval, and help Unmask a Cure?

Related Links

• Medieval Faire SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• Medieval Faire Website