Tag: Misc Events

Innfest: celebrating Innsmouth and Lovecraft in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
InnsFest 2019 official banner

I almost missed this – largely because no PR material seems to have been sent out (or at least in my direction), but currently in progress through until the end of August 27th, 2019, is InnFest, a special celebration.

2019 marks the 129th anniversary of the “Grandfather of Cosmic Horror and Weird Fiction”, H.P. Lovecraft, and the 10th anniversary of the founding of Innsmouth, the region dedicated to celebrating the genre Lovecraft created. Thus, InnFest is a double celebration of both Lovercraft’s birth and Innsmouth’s 10th anniversary.

Innsmouth

The festival takes place on and over the Innsmouth region, which itself in modelled Lovercraft’s famous setting as it appeared in his 1931 novel The Shadows over Innsmouth, written in 1931, and which opened on August 20th, 2009, the 119th anniversary of Lovecraft’s birth.

Originally founded and operated by Darmin Darkes and her team, Innsmouth ran successfully for a number of years before hitting some financial difficulties that threatened it with closure (see: A new shadow looms over Innsmouth, September 2014). This prompted AriktheRed – who in 2012 had started organising the annual LoveFest in celebration of Lovecraft’s birth – to launch the Save Innsmouth campaign, which was both successful and saw Arik take over running the Innsmouth region.

This year’s very special celebration take place both on the ground at Innsmouth, and at various locations in the sky over it, and has featured / will feature both SL DJs and live entertainers, including: Archangelo Hellmann, AngelKitty Skizm, Bloodwain Arun, Rosedrop Rust, Larree Quixote, Wald Schridde and Vampink Cuddihy. Films are being shown at the region’s Arkham Theatre, and others evens featuring the likes of Seanchai Library and DRUM, at the Innsmouth Opera House and Miskatonic University (which forms the main lading point for the event). The festival will close with a Masquerade Ball on August 27th at 9:00 pm SLT.

Innsmouth

For details of all events at the festival, please refer to the InnFest event calendar and also to the new festival website.

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Second Life Hair Fair 2019

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Hair Fair

The 2019 Second Life Hair Fair is currently open, and runs through until Sunday, September 1st, 2019. As with previous years, is being run to raise money for Wigs for Kids, with every purchase seeing a percentage donated to the cause, with the Bandana booths and Donation kiosks donating 100% of all proceeds received.

The event this year comprises six regions, three of which – Noirette, Redhead and Blonde – contain participating vendor stores. The remaining three, Foils, Perms and Streaks, are designed for those who prefer to shop by camera rather than walking (and are thus referred to as the “cam sims”).

The shopping regions are (wisely) lightly decorated in order to minimise viewer-side lag that might otherwise be created by having a significant amount of extra object and texture rendering.  Stores are easily identified by the large signs located on the paths leading around the regions.

The list of participating merchants can be found on the Hair Fair website. This year as well as hairstylists, the event features a selection of accessory creators that have also made items to adorn hair purchases. Further, there is a demo group so people can try the styles at home before venturing to the event. Simply paste the link below into local chat in your viewer and click the link to open the group’s information panel (you’ll also be invited to join the demo group on arrival at any of the event’s landing points):

  • secondlife:///app/group/2e30d166-f3e5-e2de-ff72-b3da2d06ded2/about.
via Hair Fair

About Wigs for Kids

For more than thirty years Wigs for Kids has been providing hair replacement systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families. The effects of hair loss go deeper than just a change in a child’s outward appearance. Hair loss can erode a child’s self-confidence and limit them from experiencing life the way children should. With an injured self-image, a child’s attitude toward treatment and their physical response to it can be negatively affected also.

Wigs for Kids helps children suffering with hair loss look themselves and live their lives. Families are never charged for the hair replacements provided for their children; Wigs for Kids rely completely on both the donation of hair and / or money to help meet their goals.

Read more about Wigs for Kids mission, and discover how hair can be donated.

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Mysterious Paradise: Supporting World Animal Protection

Posted on by Inara Pey
Mysterious Paradise: July 20th – August 3rd, 2019

Mysterious Paradise, opened its doors on July 20th and will run through until Saturday, August 3rd in Second Life.

Featuring shopping opportunities and an entire region to explore, with days of entertainment and events as per the event website, Mysterious Paradise will see 100% of donations, including stall & performing profits go towards World Animal Protection (WAP), an organisation, that works year-round to protect animals in our communities, farmlands, the wild, and to stop animal cruelty around the globe.

Mysterious Paradise: July 20th – August 3rd, 2019

The event region has been divided into four areas, with the main shopping and entertainment venue contained in one quarter. The rest of the region offers a number of different environments for visitors to explore, photograph and enjoy – including the opportunity take a dive under the sea (just mind the great white shark!).

Within these areas you can visit Africa and Asia and a wintry world that brings together the Arctic and Antarctic and where both polar bears and penguins can be found. A further area is suggestive of Atlantis / a fantasy world, beneath which the undersea realm can be found.

Mysterious Paradise: July 20th – August 3rd, 2019

As well as making donations in-world at Mysterious Paradise, those wishing to support WAP’s work can do so by clicking the Please Donate button on the WAP website or by visiting the event’s Facebook Fundraiser.

About WAP

World Animal Protection seeks to improve the welfare of animals around the globe – wild or domesticated – through public awareness, education, animal protection, animal rescue, animal welfare, and more. Based in Australia as a registered charity, WAP operates a number of region hubs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America.

From these they are able to mount a range of campaigns to support and protect animals according to regional needs / situations. Their work includes better education in matters of animal welfare and husbandry, vaccination programmes, support for government programmes for more humane means of animal care and the treatment of disease, and ensuring animals are provided and cared for as a result of / in the event of, a natural or other disaster.

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Bellisseria JulyFest in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Having been inaugurated on July 4th, 2019, the Bellisseria Fairgrounds will play host to its second major event on Saturday, July 6th, when JulyFest is held.

Running from 12:00 noon through until 18:00 SLT, JulyFest carries on something of a July 4th celebratory feel, while inviting residents of Bellisseria and their friends to come together for events and entertainment  – and Second Life residents are also invited to join in with the fun and meet those on us living on the continent.

The fairgrounds are located on an island within the eastern “bay” of Bellisseria, and can be reached via boat, using the moorings on the north side of the island, or by air using the adjoining airstrip (note that boats and planes will be auto-returned after arrival). For those who prefer, there’s the direct teleport, as given above, that will drop people at the entrance to the fairgrounds.

For the event, the Fairgrounds offers booths promoting groups active within Bellisseria, together with games and challenges (including a pole dancing challenge!), located either side of the main stage and sandy dance area. There’s also a fun fair with a Ferris wheel and other rides.

JulyFest: music, entertainment, games., information and a fun fair

As well as events on the Fairgrounds island, there will also be a parade of boats that will sail around some of Bellisseria’s waterways before arriving at the fairgrounds island.

Departing from the vicinity of the Calm Waters Lighthouse, the parade – or “floatilla”, as it is being called – will depart at 12:00 noon and proceed westwards, passing along one of Bellisseria’s main rivers before looping back to the east to anchor off the fairgrounds island. Those wishing to see the boats, the map below marks the route, and the parade will include motorboats and sailing craft.

The route of the parade of boats

Entertainment for the event will also start at 12:00 noon, and will comprise (all times SLT):

  • 12:00 noon – 13:30: DJ North Crannock.
  • 13:30 – 15:00: DJ Scottish Sarah.
  • 15:00 – 16:00: Live music with Ry Anne.
  • 16:00 – 17:00: Live music with Wolfie Starfire.
  • 17:00-18:00: DJ NoisyApp.
JulyFest offers Bellisseria residents and those hoping to move to the community the opportunity to discover the many active groups within Bellisseria, which cover a wide range of activities, including horse riding, sailing, boating, and more

The Fairgrounds aren’t the only place where events talk place in Bellisseria. There are several locations across the continent that feature music, horse riding and more. Keep up-to-date with activities via the Bellisseria Happenings events page.

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Caravanserai: a Silk Road celebration in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Saturday, May 18th, 2019 will see the latest iteration of Caravanserai, a celebration of music, poetry and the spoken word from around the world, which this year is again aimed at raising money for Feed A Smile.

From Singapore to Second Life: come to the Caravanserai for a one-night stop over to witness a grand live concert, streamed on-line as Singapore wordsmiths and improv musicians team up with accomplished artists, writers, musicians, comics, film-makers and poets from Germany, UK, Holland, Portugal, Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Canada and the USA.

– From the Caravanserai Press Release

I first wrote about Caravanserai, which has been developed and coordinated by Dr Chris Moonie-Singh (Singh Albatros in SL) of The Writers Centre, Singapore and Scott Grant (Kaylee West/ Xilin Yifu in SL) of Monash University in Melbourne Australia ahead of the first event in 2017 (see here for more).

With that event, Caravanserai sought to celebrate the sharing of different cultures by transporting guests to an earlier time when the Silk Road contributed hugely to artistic and cultural understanding and world culture. Travellers going both directions would seek shelter in oasis’ or a caravanserai: an inn with a central courtyard for wayfarers in the desert regions of Asia or North Africa.

And so it is with 2019 as well, with events taking place within the walls of a desert caravanserai, featuring the main stage and various attractions to entertain, with more attractions beyond the caravanserai’s immediate walls – including the opportunity to race on a magic flying carpet.

Commencing at 05:00  through until 08:00SLT on Saturday, May 18th, the event features live streaming from the Writers Centre, Singapore, as well as in-world performances. The latter include:

  • Some Teardrop (singer-songwriter); USA.
  • Yadleen (Clara Mayef) Germany – ambient synth composer/performer.
  • Karima Hoisan and Natascha Randt, poet and film-makers (Costa Rica/Germany).
  • Dansy Insight (Traditional Chinese songs).
  • Rosedrop Rust (Oregon)
  • Poets: Persephone (NYC), Shyla (MiD-West), Klannex Northmead (London), Adele Ward (London), Key Key Underwood (Cleveland), Frederique McMIllan (Quebec, Canada).
  • Storyteller: Caledonia Skytower: Seattle area, USA
  • Esteban Voljeti – comedy.
  • Singh Albatros – original spoken word and music.

For those unable to make it in-world to the event, but who can watch it on-line, it will be streamed via Twitch.

As the Singaporeans share South-East Asian culture, world artists likewise share their poems, songs and stories this unique programme will be streamed live from Second Life from their on-line locations in the spirit of bygone days along the digital Silk Road.

So much of world history is built on the dialogue and cultural exchange represented by the land and sea Silk Roads.

We are very happy to start the Silk Road Series and share the heritage of East-West arts.

– Kaylee West and Singh Albatros

Caravanserai the crossroads of the arts

About Feed A Smile

Feed A Smile is a programme run by Live and Learn Kenya (LLK) to provide nutritious warm lunches for over 400 children every day, paid for entirely from donations to the project. It is part of a broader programme managed by LLK, which includes finding sponsors to finance the education of children in Kenya and helping to provide them with everything they need: uniforms, shoes, text books, school supplies, etc., and the building of the Nakuru school, Kenya.

In addition, the organisation also provides medical and dental care for children, including check-ups and vaccinations. 100% of the donations received by LLK are transferred directly to Kenya to care for children, provide education, medicine, food, shelter and foster care. Nothing is lost to salaries, fees or administrative costs at LLK.

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Supporting Parkinson’s Awareness Month in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Oasis – via Creations for Parkinson’s

April 11th, 2019 is World Parkinson’s Day, intended to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease, promoting a greater understanding of this condition and how it can affect a person. To mark it, many countries are marking April as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. In Canada and the United States, this is being supported by the Parkinson Society Canada and American Parkinson Disease Association. Other countries around the world are holding more focus events. In the UK, for example, there will be a Parkinson’s Awareness Week (April 10-16th), supported by Parkinson’s UK.

Within Second Life, Creations For Parkinson’s/Events For Parkinson’s have partnered with Miss Globe Universal Charity Foundation to also mark Parkinson’s Awareness Month, with The Oasis, which opened its doors on April 1st, 2019, and which will run through until Sunday, April 21st.

Over twenty merchants and creators have signed-up for the event, which is being held at a special Egyptian-themed setting. In addition, there will be two fashion shows to accompany the event:

  • Sunday, April 7th, 2019 at 10:00am SLT.
  • Saturday, April 20th,  2019, at 10:00am SLT.

There are also two fun hunts. In the first, look for miniature pyramids in the stores. Purchase them for L$15 each (all donations to the charity). In the second, visit one of the two Great Pyramids. The camel guide you through the dark entrance into the stunning treasure house of the ancient Pharaohs. Find hidden treasures among the gems. Don’t be fooled though, some of the jewels are a trap.

In addition, the second Great Pyramid contains a mysterious maze – can you find the hidden entrance and make your way around the interior and discover artefacts and locate magnificent Golden room at the heart of the tomb?

The Oasis

About Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition. In Europe, approximately 1.2 million people have their lives impacted by the disease, and in the United States it is the second most common neuorlogical disorder after Alzheimer’s.

“Neurodegnerative” is a term referring to a progressive loss of nerve cells (neurons) and/or their function. Neurodegeneration from Parkinson’s disease can give rise to a wide spectrum of symptoms which vary among sufferers depending on the severity of the disease’s impact, what’s more symptoms can be unpredictable and can vary on a time scale as short as one minute. As the disease progresses, symptoms can worsen; for example, over time a person may not be able to move, speak or swallow. This can often arise 4-8 years after the initial onset of Parkinson’s disease.

The cause of the disease is unknown, and there are no known successful treatments which can delay or stop its progression. To further complicate matters, because of the broad range of symptoms, Parkinson’s may be initially misdiagnosed. In addition, while it is most often seen as a disease affecting people of 50 or older, a form of Parkinson’s disease can strike people at a much younger age, and one in twenty of the 8 million Parkinson’s sufferers worldwide is below the age of 40. Known as Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD), this differers from older onset Parkinson’s, both because genetics appears to play a stronger role in it, and the symptoms may differ, as does response to medication.

Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month is intended to raise public awareness of the disease, its impact, and to encourage people to help support those affected by Parkinson’s by encouraging them to donate to organisations carrying out research into finding a cure or adequate treatment for the disease. As noted above, these organisations include the likes of the Parkinson Society Canada, the American Parkinson Disease Association, and Parkinson’s UK.

The Oasis event in April, also as noted above, aims to raised funds to help with the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has to date raised some US $800 million for research initiatives.

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