On Sunday, Sept. 21st, TheOneRing.net marked another turn around the sun by celebrating the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins with our annual picnic at Griffith Park.
Friends from near and far, old and new, joined us for a day of merrymaking and good food. Attendees journeyed from as far as Massachusetts and Chicago, but most were local SoCal Hobbitses, Elves, Dwarves, Rangers, Gondorians, Rohirrim, Númenóreans, and Southrons. The weather was lovely–warm and breezy. Though at one point, the sky threatened rain, it never materialized.
TORN staffers Clifford Broadway (Quickbeam), Cathy Udovch (Garfeimao), Kristi Fojtik (Saystine), Justin Sewell, and Nancy Steinman (Mithril) were on hand to organize the games and contests, but to also enjoy the day. Cliff was our Master of Ceremonies–you may know him (and his voice) from the weekly TORN TUESDAYS webcast. With our new amplified speaker and microphone (thanks to last year’s picnic-goers’ generous donations), Cliff’s reading of Bilbo’s Birthday Speech rang out loud and clear among the trees, delighting all the Bagginses and Boffins… Tooks and Brandybucks… Grubbs, Chubbs… Hornblowers… Bolgers… Bracegirdles… and Proudfoots (PROUDFEET!) in attendance.
The picnic is a potluck, and guests brought a wide variety of delights for the table, including Detroit-style pizza, cheeseburger pie, fried chicken, potato salad, lavender lemonade, and lots of baked goods including Honey Cakes and Lembas…the list goes on. A brand new tent, also acquired with last years fund-raising efforts, shaded the food table and kept the bees at bay. Separate enclaves set up by attendees with food spreads of their own to sample, turned our festival into a real corner of Middle-earth.
This year’s cake contest was a tough but tasty decision for the judges to pick winners; all the entries were beautiful and delicious.
After everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy the repast, the games commenced. First up was a Lord of the Rings movie trivia contest. There were three rounds and a final playoff, and the competition was stiff, often resulting in all participants getting the answer correct, which only made the game more fun and longer lasting.
We played Golfimbul, a time-honored tradition thanks to Pippin’s ancestor, Bandobras “Bullroarer” Took and its modern re-inventor, staff member and Tolkien Forever founder Kristi.
And there was Dwarf Tossing (thanks to Gimli, Legolas, and Peter Jackson).
There was a most excellent costume contest, and the winners included Eowyn donning her starry cloak, a Hobbit lass wearing her hand-made autumnal patchwork dress, Lobelia and Otho Sackville-Baggins, and three (very young) Hobbits whose Hobbit Mom said they resemble Merry and Pippin in their natures. Our annual talent show featured songs, readings from Tolkien’s books, and recreations of movie performances. We were treated to two beautiful songs, one by Hobbit Christina and one by Elf Arwen, along with some heartfelt readings and light-hearted acting. This year’s judges were @stellabridgeofficial @zalkegeroth and @nancyinwanderland
Thank you to the judges and all the participants in the fun and games! We also want to give a shout out to Functional Mud for donating two gorgeous ceramic mugs as prizes, to Justin for the animated Bilbo and “Prancing Pony Club” t-shirts, and to all the other staff who gathered prizes for the event. Also thanks to Jeffrey Lindsey and staffer Mithril for taking the photos posted here (so many to choose from!) And a big thanks to Vik from @socaliquendi (a new SoCal Tolkien Society Smial/Chapter) for the birthday stickers and her help, and everyone else who helped out or volunteered to help next year.
A year is far too long a time to have to wait until the next picnic! But we look forward to seeing you there. Keep brushing up on your trivia and practicing your Golfimbul swing in the meantime. Be sure to follow us for more photos and updates @theoneringnet on Instagram and Facebook, and check out our DiscordChannel. Namárië, for now.
