The Snowman Contest and the Holidays For Hope Ball

By Bixyl Shuftan

The Relay for Life Christmas Expo wasn't over until Monday. But Sunday December 13 was the high point of the festival. This was a day of events such as the conclusion of the snowman contest, and the Holidays for Hope Ball.

Those taking part in the contest paid a 500 Linden dollar fee, with cash prizes going to the winners. Voting was done by donating Lindens to the kiosk next to the entry you wanted. Some of the entries were fairly conventional, such as this one sitting down next to a Santa sack.

Would this guy be an "Ice Pirate?" Yo ho ho and a keg of rum.

This one was a tribute to the new "Star Wars" movie out.

And this one, either the builder was from the big city, or a "Calvin and Hobbes" fan.

"Welcome to Atlanta." Looks like this snowman didn't survive his trip.

That dalek isn't part of the display, but someone in an avatar. But he certainly gave a new angle to this entry.

Now this snowman looks downright creepy, something out of a Lovecraftian story. You don't want to end up "Alone in the Dark" with that.

And then there was this one. Cuddly Waffle called it, "very cute. This was a snowman who was taking a break from the cold and somehow managed not to melt!" Maybe he was on a beach in Alaska.

 I would later hear that this snowman, built by Thathy Slade, was the winner. Second place went to the green tentacled horror by Eclair Martinek. ArianaAstro Resident's snowman came in third. A total of 80,000 Linden dollars would be raised by the snowman contest.

Soon it was time for "the Grand Finale Event of the 2015 Christmas Expo," the Holidays for Hope Ball. This would be the sixth time this annual event had taken place. It would be held in a double ballroom.

The ballroom was created by Darkstone Aeon and the event was sponsored by T-1 Radio.

Dozens would show up at the event.

Formal attire was requested, though not a hard requirement.

There were two people in Santa outfits on the dance floor, one of whom was the one doing Santa duty at the Expo. Maybe one can call this scene "dueling Santas."

A fun time was had by all. Trader Whiplash would later announce the festival had raised over two million Linden dollars.

Congratulations To Nuala Maracas and the Expo Staff for a Job More than Well Done.. .. For an Expo that was not just a fund raising success but was a wonderful place to visit -AND- L$ 2,108,062 or $ 8,432.

And so, the 2015 Relay for Life Christmas Expo is now over. But the Relayers are not despairing. In a few months will be the the start of the official Relay for Life season. And once again, their fun-filled antics will resume.

Bixyl Shuftan

Art Deco Clock Build-Off

The Virtual Museum of Architecture is having another great Art Deco building contest. Clocks are the featured item this time. The twenty-two entries are on display at Virtual Museums’ Main Campus at Virtual Museums (229, 146, 25).

Djinn Dasmijn, who organized the Build-Off, gave me a sneak preview a few nights ago while he was waiting for the final entries to be delivered. The clocks range in size from a tall grandfather to petite mantle ones. Triangles, circles, arches, and other art deco shapes are featured. Water falls, cats, statutes and more are incorporated into other designs.

Zardoz Morane’s Rockefeller Atlas clock was inspired by real world New York Rockefeller Center, while Thoth Bellic’s clock has an Egyptian flare to it. Undine Collison’s sparkling marble clock is like jewelry for your mantle.

The clocks are not only lovely to look at, they sound wonderful, too. Every 15 minutes a few clocks chime. At the top of the hour there is a symphony of sound.

The smaller building contests are very popular. While some contestants have entered other contests in the past, many of the entrants are new. “Little builds bring in an entirely new set of builders,” Dijinn Dasmijn said. “Opens up the door for more people to try new things.”

The winner of the clock competition will be awarded a $2000L prize. Half of the money is from the entry fees, and Builder’s Brewery donated a match amount. Voting on the best clock is limited to members of the VMA.

The Builders are: Mellisina Parkin, Icarion Artful, Ringenki, Tommie Cobalt, Windrider Taiyang, Sandi Glas, Silania Pastorelli, Todd Socke, Joesf Fitzpatrick, Dierdre Maven, Lissianna Silverweb, Rune Draegonne, Current, Thoth Bellic, Simi Emerald, Zardoz Morane, Atrebor Zenovka, Lea Supermarine, Raphaeli1978, Logan Weder, Gawwain Inglewood, and Undine Collison.

A large yellow arrow that points the way to the “Art Deco Buildoff Display”. Walk on the sidewalk, then up the hill to a circle of buildings. The clocks are in the second building from the left. Inside is an exhibit of Art Deco posters, too.

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*Addition* - The winners have now been announced. They are:

First Place - Sandi Glas

Second Place - Gawwain Inglewood

Third Place - Undine Collinson

The exhibit will be on display through March, 2012.

Grey Lupindo