The Higgins Armory in Worcester Massachusetts is hosting a Middle-Earth Day on Saturday, September 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition to stories and games, activities include making a Gondorian shield (or designing one of your own), watching Arwen teach Aragorn the proper way to slay an orc and seeing if you can out run a dwarf! The program is free with museum admission. The Higgins Armory boasts the largest collection of medieval/ancient armor and weaponry in the Western Hemisphere, so be sure to leave time to see the museum. For information on museum hours and admission prices, go here. For more information on Middle-earth Day at the museum, go here.
New York ComicCon is coming up next month, and TORn will be there! Having had such a great time with folks last year, we’ll be hosting a party again this year – and we hope that you can join us! More details will follow, but meanwhile, put Thursday 11th October, 8pm, in your calendar – and get ready to eat, drink and be the hobbit of your choice in the Big Apple! Hope to see you!
Welcome to our latest “Getting to know” questions that need answering. This month we’re talking to the one and only Balrog Showgirl, Nicole Roberts.
Hi Nicole and a very big thank you for taking part and for being so patient with me.
This first question is from Rosie-with-the-ribbons who’s latest costume for RingCon has been inspired by your Balrog Showgirl costume.
R-w-t-r: Do you make your costumes yourself?
Nicole: Rosie – that is awesome! Yes, for the most part the costumes I’ve been running around in for the past several years have all been of my own making. I only started sewing back in 2004, after I moved to Los Angeles and started hanging out with even more LOTR people. The first costume I made was to wear to Comic Con that year – I was the Mumak Mahud (the guy with the black and white painted face who steers the oliphaunt in ROTK), so you could definitely say I’ve always leaned towards costumes that were a little off the beaten path! I’ve done some costumes that were direct recreations (“Barf” from “Spaceballs”is the most well-known one), but as I’ve gotten more into the sewing, I really like doing things that are more of an original design, like the Balrog Showgirl. As someone who is not of supermodel proportions (and seriously, those chicks look like scary walking lollipops anyway), I like to have the opportunity to design something that I think is more flattering to me, and I always like to learn how to do something new, like dyeing feathers for the showgirl headdress.
Can you believe it has been 10 years since we first gathered at Griffith Park to celebrate the birthday of not one, but two imaginary characters from a book and film? The Baggins’ Birthday Bash has always been a great way to celebrate Fellowship amongst LA Fandom, act a little goofy, and to farewell the Summer. This year the party comes just a day after the official 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit back in 1937, so we’ll have more to celebrate than just Bilbo and Frodo. Here are the pertinent details:
When: September 22 from Noon till 6pm
Where: Griffith Park in LA, just past the Carousel turnoff. There are directions and a link to a map at the bottom of the description on the Facebook Event Page. Baggins’ Birthday Bash Facebook page
What can you bring?: Take a peek at the Facebook page, and open the description fully to see what food and beverage needs we have and what you can bring. The list will be updated when people RSVP, which can be done on the Facebook event page, or by emailing Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net
Activities: There will be some trivia, we will have fans taking turns to read The Hobbit aloud during the day, and there will be a rousing game of Golfimbul, followed by a Birthday Cake.
TheOneRing.net is continuing on our journey, quest, thing and we’re on the hunt for super fans. Think you have what it takes to be called an “Ultimate Fan?” Maybe you know someone who can be give that title? If so, we want to hear from you.
Do you have an awesome Tolkien tattoo. Maybe you’ve turned your home into Middle Earth! Maybe you named your children after Tolkien characters? Artist, costumer, musician, baker, you name it — if you, or an acquaintance, have a large body of work or an ultimate super project, we want to know about it.
To tell us what makes you, or someone you know, the biggest and best of Lord of the Rings fans, use one of the links below to send us as much information as possible. We’ll need to see what your submission is all about, so please submit a URL to an image or site. Or you can upload a small photo version. (Don’t worry, right now we don’t need super-big images and we will follow up if we need more information.)
Thank you to all the supporters of TheOneRing.net’s 27/7 LIVE stream Road to DragonCon! We have nearly reached our goal, but need your support to push us over the edge. When we leave Monday, we hope that we’ll have reached our goal and have enough funds to stop along the way, visiting Tolkien fans nationwide! If you are not familiar with the event, a company of staffers will embark on a road trip from Hollywood to Atlanta, GA and back. Fans at home can join the fun day and night with live streaming video, Barliman’s chat room, and TheOneRing.net mobile phone to share stories, recommend local Tolkien landmarks, and win prizes from our sponsors. We have set up a series of sponsorship levels at our GoFundMe.com page where you can get some great swag just for supporting this trip. And certain levels get your name in the short form documentary we will be producing about the trip upon our return. Even if you only have $1 dollar to send, please consider helping us on the adventure. (You can click the ‘custom donation‘ level link on the GoFundMe.com page to enter any amount). And did you know, the highest level of sponsorship will secure you a ticket to our 2013 Oscar Party in Hollywood?! We hope you will consider supporting us! Follow the link for complete details on the sponsorship levels. [Donate Today!]
The Higgins Armory in Worcester Massachusetts is hosting a Middle-Earth Day on Saturday, September 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition to stories and games, activities include making a Gondorian shield (or designing one of your own), watching Arwen teach Aragorn the proper way to slay an orc and seeing if you can out run a dwarf! The program is free with museum admission. The Higgins Armory boasts the largest collection of medieval/ancient armor and weaponry in the Western Hemisphere, so be sure to leave time to see the museum. For information on museum hours and admission prices, go here. For more information on Middle-earth Day at the museum, go here.
