Airship Show at Tradewinds Yacht Club

By Grey Lupindo

Tradewinds Yacht Club is hosting a colorful and festive airship show at its location on Dex (182,28,25).  The show began April 30 and runs through May 15.  When I stopped by earlier this week there were over 30 airships on display.   The airships belong to both members and non-members of Tradewinds Yacht Club.   

The display has been curated by Ahab Quandry, the club’s Harbour Master.  He told me TYC hosts shows on different themes.  He believes this is the third time that airships have been featured.   

The show includes a wide variety of airships, balloons, and dirigibles.  Some are cute and funny while others are serious, lethal flying machines.  “There are one or two of the same type,” Quandry said, “but I decided that their exterior patterns were so good that it made a difference.  For most shows we try to ensure that there is only one copy of each type.  But when someone has gone to such trouble to make a huge difference to the look, then it is difficult to turn them away.”

 Quandry diplomatically declined to tell me if he had a favorite.   When I asked if he had one on display, he explained that he had “a little comical one” but it isn’t on display now.  “When I left the sim,” he said  laughing, ”it disappeared.  It seems it does not like its owner leaving it alone.”

The show is interesting and festive.  Additional space may be available, and residents interested in displaying their airship should contact Ahab Quandry.  

Grey Lupindo

Final Trip to the 2016 Fantasy Faire

By Grey Lupindo

I couldn’t resist one more stop at the Relay for Life’s Fantasy Faire.  Before it ended, I wanted to quickly check out a few more places. I started at Echtra, which was sponsored by the Lost Unicorn Gallery, and located at Echtra (197, 60, 75).  It was a dark, mysterious village.  A convenient kiosk offered a way to experience Echtra by relinquishing control and enjoying the freebies through a tour.  If I would have had more time, this would have been the best way to view the site. Instead, I snooped around on my own.  I scared a small flock of sheep but otherwise I avoided trouble. 

       In addition to the village, a Second Life mermaid site was located at Echtra (176,31,76).  My neighbor Celtic Infinity is a Mer and had given me a landmark to the spot at the beginning of the Faire.  When I popped in on Friday, she and Kmac Yardley were there to greet visitors and support the Relay for Life.   Information about tours and about the Safe Waters Foundation lined the walls.  There were mer tails, sea plants, and other items available. Lots of residents stopped by to say hello, pick up a few items, and help the Relay for Life while I was there. 

     “We've had a lot of very nice people stopping in and checking out what underwater in SL has to offer,” Celtic said.  As we chatted, Booster Terl Spice (terl.luckstone) came in to ask about a unique Second Life avatar.  When they began discussing sea horses, I asked about sea wolves.  To my surprise I was informed there was a whole merfur community.  Another item for my list of things to check out in SL. 

    I made a brief stop at Sapphire Mirror Lake (66, 203, 50) where I heard the end of a musical performance. This location was the Arts and Entertainment spot for the Faire.  Judging from the reaction of the crowd, I had missed a great show.

     My final stop was at Twilight Illusion, which was sponsored by Merchants of Dreams, and located at Twilight Illusion (81, 124, 88).  This site was a beautifully eerie place filled with mist and fog.  One of the stone buildings, Silent Sanctuary, was lit by candlelight and filled with tapestries.  Along the walls were beautiful items available for sale for your own castle, with the proceeds supporting the RFL. 

      Bam Pu Legacies were located in another building. These items were created by Bambi Chicque (bambichicque) and included statues, art, builds and more.  

      I left the Faire knowing there was so much more that I was going to miss.  This year’s Faire had magical fairylands, great entertainment events, extraordinary shopping, and a role-play quest.  Best of all, it raised millions of Lindens to help in the quest to find a cure for cancer. 

Grey Lupindo

Fantasy Faire 2016: Bright Haven

By Grey Lupindo

      The Fairylands are ablaze with shops, art, music and even a Quest, all in support of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.  With 13 Fairylands and a wide variety of activities available, there’s a way for everyone to support and participate in this event. I had a difficult choice to make in deciding where to begin.  Finally I chose to start in Bright Haven (194/127/49).   

      Bright Haven is sponsored by Callie Cline’s KittyCatS!  I’ve been a longtime fan of these little cuties, and I love to shop.  There are 18 stores in Bright Haven-- perfect for me.

 

      I arrived in front of the signature KittyCatS! shop and went inside for a quick look at the kittens.  There’s a huge variety inside ranging from tiny kittens to a large, friendly tiger. There’s accessories and food, too.   I was greeted by Cinnamon Tortie, one of the customer support staff who was working that day.   She was friendly and helpful as we chatted about the Faire.   She told me that Callie Cline created some new items for the Faire, including the fairy cat statue, a multi-color flower scratching post, and a shoulder size kitty for the Quest.  Exclusive items, like the statue, will only be available during the Faire.

        After getting a couple of scratching post flowers, I hurried off to the other shops in the village.  I noticed a lot of visitors that morning, including Ąķį (aki.kira), Zane (julienbrimstone), Nacho (nacholibra), Mystik Blackhawk, and Piccione Verino.  One of them, daviid815, spoke to me as we walked along the cobbled street. “Any cool place you recommend me to go?” he asked, explaining that he was new to this exciting, huge world.  It was great to meet a new, friendly resident.  I gave him a few suggestions and watched as he hurried off to explore Bright Haven. 

           I made a quick stop in the KittyCats’ Creations, a tavern where I found some fun Gotcha’s and tasty treats.  The Seamstress Shop, found at Bright Haven (142,41,50), was one of my favorites.  Owned by Geryn Sloane, it featured lots of special items for the ladies.  The shop is charming and filled with bolts of cloth, a spinning wheel, looms, and even a sleeping kitty.  

             Even more lovely gowns could be found at Les Encantades, located across the street.  Many of them were only 250L, a great bargain for a great cause.   If you need furniture, there are stores selling it, too.  I saw dressers, tables, and even a chiminea for only $175L.   Mystic Sky, owned by Skyler John, has great outfits for both men and women.  Gifties, too!  At "Designs by Isaura” there were fairie dolls and Galactic Princess outfits.  Very stylish.

               The proceeds from Fantasy Faire are going to support the fight against cancer.  I spotted a notice that showed L$ 2,406,899 ($ 9,628 U.S. dollars) has already been raised as of April 23. It’s great to see the SL community coming together in such a creative way for such a great cause.  Fantasy Faire runs until May 1.  

Grey Lupindo

SL Newser's Anniversary Weekend

By Bixyl Shuftan

Last week was the fourth Anniversary of the launch of the Second Life Newser. From Thursday June 5th to Saturday June 7th, there were four celebrations in it's honor, one for every year of it's operation.

On 6PM SL time on June 5, Club Zero Gravity, the space station club in Purrfection, held the first event. DJ Cynthia Farshore performed the music for the crowd.

DJ Cynthia also played for the event the following day, at the Happy Vixen Beach club at 3PM SL time on Friday June 6, also in Purrfection. Gemma Cleanslate and Theonlyjohnny were there, along with longtime friend Breezes Babi and others. Normally having events on Monday, this was a special event for the club.

June 7 at Noon was the main event, the party at the private beach of our longtime friend Covadonga Writer.

Cova had to leave just as people were showing up, and it wasn't long before Gemma, Grey, Nydia, and others were dancing away

Grease Coakes was the DJ of our happy event. Instead of the Griffin av he's been wearing for so long, he's been appearing more in this "mutant fox" avatar.

Gemma enjoys the fun on the beach deck.

Gray just after her arrival.

TheonlyJohnny in his combat armor from a sim he's been gaming at.

We had no shortage of friends with us. Among those there was Ucello "Uccie" Poultry of "The Poultry Report." Happy Caturday, Uccie.

A friend of Grease's whom was dressed a bit, unusual, for a dance party. She later told me she was going to a mosque that day. Guess one can call it "boogie in a burka."

We had lots of fun that afternoon. After Grease, Qwark Allen showed up to DJ for a while.

Finally at 6PM that day was the last of the Newser events, the party at Club Cutlass, managed by Jenni Greenfield.

Shockwave Yareach was the DJ for the party, attended by estate owner Rita Mariner and many others.

DrFran Babcock was there, with her friend Ariel Loonie, whom was dressed for the "Goat Simulator" game.

So was Eleanor Medier of the Sim Street Jounral.

Some of the partiers dressed the part, with fedoras & overcoats.

Shockwave found several news-themed tunes among the music played, "Do you know how few songs there are about the news?"

It was one fun party, and a great way to end the Newser's anniversary events.

But this isn't the end of this month's parties. We had such a fun time, we're planning one for Qwark and Gemma's home beach on June 21st. Plus, there will be a couple parties at the SL11B Newser exhibit.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Woodstock - 12 Hours of Peace, Love and Music

By Grey Lupindo

 The SL Yasgur’s Farm was the site of a SL Woodstock festival of peace, love and music this past Saturday.  While its RL historic counterpart was held over 3 days in August, 1969, the SL version was held for 12 hours on June 1.     Although both events were filled with music, fun, and good times, the SL version also helped raise money for the American Cancer Society.    At one point I saw that $612,570L had been raised, and the amount was still growing.  
 

       I stopped by a couple of times during the day long festival, and it was always crowded.  Late in the evening I saw there were 74 avi’s on the site, although there may have been more at other times during the day.  SL’s Jimi Hendrix (Charlz Price) was thrilling the crowd with his music and good vibes.     Many folks were dancing while others sat on the grass and listened to the tunes.      A decorated VW was being auctioned off to the highest bidder while other smaller items were available for a donation.      

       The site had been carefully constructed to pay homage to RL Max Yasgur’s farm.   A barn, an old farm truck, and some animals were located on one side of the site.   There was even a cow that could be milked, which was a nice touch since the RL site was a dairy farm.   On another part of the site was a hippie camp, complete with tents, old VW’s, and a drum circle.   There was even a mud slide for those who wanted to re-live all the memories of that rainy weekend in New York.    

     A notecard sent out earlier by the Woodstock Production team stated that they would be playing “...every artist that played at the original event. Included are several full performances including Janis Joplin, Santana, The Who and Jimi Hendrix. All music is presented in the historical order in which it was played at the 1969 festival.”   They did, of course, edit some performances for time. 

       The festival was produced by BennyTunes Woodstock.   The team included  Benny The Boozehound,  Audio;  Charlz Price,  Build;  Fiona Harworth , Scripting; and Runa McMillan, Multi Media Textures.    

Grey Lupindo

Together for Sway

A few months ago, Sway Dench, one of SL’s most creative and nicest residents, learned that she had a serious medical problem.    Sway owns Swayland, located at SwayLand (157, 168, 21).    She is known for her Cookie Bears and designs that celebrate home, love, family, and friends.

In November, Sway sent her friends and supporters a notecard that told them she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.   The good news is that there is a high probability that the tumor is benign.   She is scheduled to have surgery in RL on January 28, 2013.   

“Until then,” Sway wrote, “I'm gonna try to be online as often as possible but unfortunately I won't be able to work as much as I used to.”  She also stated that she will be out of SL for a few months after the surgery while she is recovering.   Naturally Sway was concerned about losing Swayland and her design shop during her absence.    When her friends found out about the problem, they got together to create “Together for Sway,” an event designed to help her and her sim.   

In her note Sway stated, “Not only have you been listening to me, giving me strength thereby and encouraging me, you also have thought of something exceptional.... I am overwhelmed and practically speechless about the level of support I have experienced so far.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

“Together for Sway” was a huge market that was set up at The Nest (214, 57, 2000) during December.  According to the “Together for Sway” blog, over 80 stores and designers participated in the market.  On the first day, 500,000 Lindens were raised!  

 I didn’t make it to the opening day, but I stopped by later in the month.    Every type of item could be bought there:  lots of fancy and casual outfits, jewelry, animations, furniture, buildings, little cat hats, food, games—even a ringing telephone.    There were so many neat items that it was hard to decide what to get.  Many of them were at special prices, too.    By the time the event ended, a total of 1,551,825 Lindens had been raised.

A few days ago, Sway sent her friends and supporters another note and a special gift, a unique Thank-You Cookie Bear.   In her note Sway wrote, “I'd like to thank all of you!  The talented designers who donated time to build lovely and wonderful items...customers for your shopping stamina, bloggers for spreading the word through great pictures and posts, DJs and bands for the fun times and great music.   You have given me a lot more than Lindens.  You gave me a boost, strength, a reason to laugh, a shoulder to cry on, and a huge hug!   Thank you all very much for your help, your support, friendship and love.”

Although the market is gone, donations can still be made on Swayland.    The “Together for Sway” blog plans to provide updates on Sway until she is able to return to SL.   The link is www.togetherforsway.wordpress.com   All of us at SL Newser join in wishing Sway a speedy recovery!

Grey Lupindo

Renaissance Faire and Hunt

By Grey Lupindo

      The second Renaissance Faire and Hunt is going on through the month of December at Mieville Lovelace (21, 185, 23).  This hunt is great for anyone who likes medieval items or simply enjoys the thrill of a hunt.  You arrive on board a ship, and a foot bridge leads to the village.  The village is very creative and captures the mood and spirit of the hunt.    

      You will hear the sounds of village life—pigs grunting, chickens clucking and townspeople mingling about—as well as medieval music played on instruments like trumpets, harps, and bells.  

    Tents and vendor stalls circle around a center pond.  Paths lead off to the docks, a tree house, and a jousting area.  Many of the shops have freebies or reduced price specials.  Everything from small candles to huge sailing ships can be found here.  I especially like the vendor who posted the “Will Work for Chocolate” sign.   Me too!

     Perryn Peterson has done a great job organizing this hunt.  Perryn is known for the Historical Hunts, including my favorite, the steampunk ones.  A notecard states that there are over 100 shops participating.  I’ve only been able to visit a few so far, but they’ve been good ones.   I especially like the fact that there is a list of participating shops and LMs.  This allows you to continue the Hunt and return later to any spot where the item stubbornly refuses to be found.     
       In addition, Perryn has set up a mini-hunt in the village that is separate from the Renaissance Faire Hunt.  Fifteen acorns have been hidden very well around the village.  So far I’ve only found 3 of them, but I intend to keep looking.      

       There’s also a make-your-own pottery vendor in the village at Renaissance Faire Isle (70, 148, 21).   This is the first time I’ve seen this type of activity at a fair.  A couple of pottery wheels are set up where you can throw a pot for 25L.  If you don’t like your creation, you can re-set and try again.   You don’t pay until you make something you well like enough to buy.    

       There’s also a tree house that is reached by climbing a rope.  You have a choice of climbing speeds, too.  There’s a great view of the Faire from here.  Check out the inside, too.   

       A faire isn’t complete without food.   There’s a tavern in the round here with free food and drinks.   Lots of tables are available, too, for you and your friends to relax and rest up for the rest of the hunt.   

Grey Lupindo

"Talk Like a Pirate Day" in Second Life

I went searching for a “Talk Like a Pirate” party, and I quickly found three fun ones. 

My first stop was at Pirates at Black Shark Reef, a tropical paradise with plenty of palm trees and sandy beaches.  Their party was located at  Black Shark Reef (144, 149, 411).  Couples were dancing to great tunes like Mark Mulligan’s “Drinking Mexico Dry” and Jimmy Buffett’s  “Banana Republic”. 

Maximillian Desoto, co-owner of Black Shark Reef, was the DJ.  He and his partner, Sunny Vandyke, looked great in their pirate outfits.   Desoto said, “I've been doing Talk Like a Pirate Day parties for a couple of years.  We like doing it.”

Black Shark Reef boasts SL’s only Mechanical Shark ride, too.  They were giving out a prize for the avi who could stay on the longest.   Wyatt Bouscario tried his luck with the Shark, followed by his partner Peachalicious.  “Gotta catch that man 'o mine,” Peachalicious said as she tried to beat his score.   

I hated to leave this fun group, but I wanted to catch up with some other pirates. 

My next stop was at the Tiki Bar, located at Poseidon's Adventure (101, 140, 23).  In addition to dancing, these multi-tasking pirates were having a trivia contest!  Edward Pluto, assisted by his friendly parrot, was the DJ here.  Pluto had one of the most colorful pirate outfits that I saw tonight. 

My last stop was at The Brass Rail, located at Fountainhead (81, 107, 55).  This was the wildest party, no doubt because they had already emptied a few kegs by the time I arrived.   Some of the ladies had lost their pirate outfits, too, but the buccaneers didn’t seem to mind.  Witchiepoo69 handed me a tankard and asked if it was my first time at a strip pirate party.  (It was.)   

But the fun was all good-natured.  CaptainTomUSA said he “be having a jolly time.”  DixieDee hollared, “Yo Ho! Bottle Of Rum? Drink Up Cause We're About To Get Swashbuckled!”   JustinKredible’s outfit included a huge sword, which led to a few comments.   LITA (lalita.graves) said, “Oi Justin...ye had best be careful with that sword!”    

All of the pirates I met tonight were fun and friendly.  I can’t wait to meet up with them soon. 

Grey Lupindo

Fantasy Faire 2012

Fantasy Faire 2012 is happening now through April 29.    The Faire is a fantastic event and part of Relay for Life, which collects money to help in the fight against a real world evil: cancer.  At the end of Day One, Zander Green reported that over $6500 U.S. Dollars had been collected for the American Cancer Society.  In addition to the featured sale items, many events are planned throughout the week, including music and dancing, Jail-n-Bails, auctions and more.     

The Faire has eight Fairielands:  Devil’s Locket, Jungle Bungle, Nu Orne, Shadow's Claw, Shifting Sands, Siren's Secret, Meandervale, and The Tides.   I started at Meandervale (128, 68, 23).

Meandervale is a lonely sim sponsored by The Looking Glass.  It is decorated with giant sunflowers, orange slices, butterflies and windmills.  There are six featured stores and ten themed stores.  Clothes, accessories, wings, and more—there is something for everyone and every budget.    

At The Looking Glass you can find all types of steampunk and fantasy clothing and articles for your home and castle.   If you don't have a castle, you can even buy one of those here, too.   Two of my favorites were Castle Ruins Lodge and the Wizards Retreat.  They also have boots, goggles, and capes.  There are cute Rocking Horses to ride and buy.   A whole section of the store is devoted to tinies, too.

Fantavatar & Moonstruck, which features clothes, shoes, and other wonderful items, are auctioning a one-of-a-kind fountain made especially for Fantasy Faire 2012.  The Pater Tiberino Fountain commemorates the day when Romulus founded the City of Rome in 753 B.C.   The god Tiberino is holding a trident in one hand and an amphora in the other.  The lovely sound of the water and the graceful butterflies make this a perfect item.

In addition to Fantavatar & Moonstruck there are five other featured stores: Boudoir, Weather! or not?, Material Squirrel Wings, Angelwing, , and Vaengi Wings, as well as ten themed stores. 

At one of the themed stores, Grim Brothers, I found a great pair of Noah's Arc shoes.   They’re quite a conversation starter and fun to wear.  Even better, I know that my Lindens went to support a great cause.

Another themed store, The Elegant Goth, was new to me.  They have fun furniture like the Mad Hatters Tea Party and other interesting gothic furniture.   A few vendors are giving out freebies, such as a pretty fountain available at An Lema and an animated Forest Candle at Star Journey Academy. 

But the reason for the Faire is to support the fight against cancer.   Kiosks and signs throughout the sim provide information and accept donations for this worthy cause.    

For more on the Fantasy Faire, click on it's website: http://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/ .

Grey Lupindo

Rez Day Party for Samantha Glume

A Happy 5^th Rez Day celebration was held on Saturday, January 21, for Syzygy CEO Samantha Glume. The party was held at the SGE Space Station, which Samantha built, located at Syzygy Calliope (194, 115, 1100). The hangar was decked out with pink and white balloons and filled with droids. Because Samantha is a huge space and panda fan, science fiction/space was the theme and pandas decorated her rez cake.

Syzygy resident Grijandomore Greene entertained the crowd with a huge selection of space themed music. Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks decorated the hangar and provided the huge pink and white rez-day cake that was decorated with Samantha’s signature pandas. Moto猫 (Motoko Henusaki) won a prize for correctly guessing (or counting) the number of droids that Pipsqueak had placed around the hangar.

During the afternoon party many well-wishers came to the party. They danced for hours. Among them were Elric Anatine, Celtic Infinity, MoonBeam Sorbet, Lydia Bracken, Kulta Hannu, Mr. Cosmos (Lincon Cosmos), Moya Tagente' , Richard Hapter, and Elizabeth Rechter.

Grey Lupindo

New Year's Eve 2011

I spent the last few hours of 2011 with old friends and new. My neighbors on Syzygy met in the Community Center for games of Simopolis and Greedy, Greedy. Syzygy Eos (18, 20, 76). B. W. Jinxing, who frequently organizes the games, rounded up gamers Motoko Jenusaki, Samantha Glume, Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks, Crescent Renard, and Elric Anatine. A few of us couldn’t stay to play, but we toasted the coming new year before dashing off to other RL and SL parties.

A huge party was held at the Winter Village on Old Europe (32, 204, 22). The New Year had already arrived in many of their home locations, but the champagne was still bubbling on SL. Residents were dancing on the ice when I arrived. They also have sleigh rides, a ferris wheel, shops, and other things to do here.

I caught the end of the celebrations at Alt 7 on Pomponio (23,82,71). Alt 7 is SL’s largest alternative music club. The celebration here was more informal since they primarily focus on their music. But I was able to say hello to my neighbor Celtic Infinity, who manages the club, before dashing off to my next stop.

The snow was falling by the time I reached the party on Port Babbage. Their celebration was held on the rooftop of the Rookwood Brewery & Bottling site. Partiers danced in the snow while the sands of 2011 slipped away. The DJ played the crowd’s favorites, including hits by Electric Light Orchestra, Eurythmics, and R.E.M.

A great ending to 2011.

Grey Lupindo