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a.s.
Valinor
Mar 6 2007, 11:37am
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Tolkien Society affiliation
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NEB's post in Moots that the Silmarillion conference was cancelled by Heren Istarion, the NE Tolkien Society, has me wondering how many here have 1) a local chapter affiliation or 2) another kind of affiliation with the T.S.?
Is it possible to have "virtual" chapters (I believe it is)?
Anyone ever thought that we should form our own chapter?
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Everybody's wondering what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worried 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
No one knows for certain, and so it's all the same to me:
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
~~~~Iris DeMent
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drogo
Lorien
Mar 6 2007, 12:04pm
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Would know more about how the local Smials are connected to the Tolkien Society (she's with the Denver-area Smial), but from what I understand it's not rigid. Most that I know of are groups that do meet in person at least on occasion and have moots and gatherings (like Heren Istarion or the Far Westfarthing group in Illinois or Burrahobbits in Wisconsin). You can be a member remotely, but I don't know what they offer that is all virtual.
Here's a list of the Tolkien Society Smials and their web sites:
http://www.tolkiensociety.org/ts_info/smials.html
(Formerly drogo of the two names!)
(This post was edited by drogo on Mar 6 2007, 12:05pm)
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Daughter of Nienna
Grey Havens
Mar 6 2007, 8:14pm
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I belong to a Tolkien Society group in Hawai‘i on O‘hau (the island that Honolulu & Waikiki are on).
Tol Andúnë means Island of the Setting Sun. We are on an island and we are about as far west as you can go and still be on the same day with the rest of the world. As regular Tolkien Society events, we have only a few "official" things that we do.
Official Tol Andúnë events:
1. Book readings, usually with topics.
Our founder organizes that. The next one is on Tolkien Reading Day, March 25. We will meet at Barnes and Noble as usual. Those that want to go for lunch afterward. We often have two to 3 of those a year.
2. Fodo & Bilbo's Birthdday: our big event of the year.
We meet at some hobbit-friendly restaurant with a side room. There is a birthday cake (last year it was pies), games and prizes. Some members pass out mathoms, some come in costume, others wear a significant T-shirt.
Unfortunately, last year our party competed with the Season Premiere of Lost...which is a huge free-screening event on the beach on Waikiki with some of the stars showing up. They have one every year here. It is a big nightmare of chaos with thousands of people. Many of our members went to that instead. They don't normally compete, though.
3. Tolkien Toast
We meet to toast to the professor on his birthday. We usually have pupus and or dinner, too.
That's it for the Official stuff.
SEMI-OFFICIAL SPECIAL THINGS:
Relevant people sometimes come here:
A. Mat Appleton from WETA came and gave a 2-day, slide-show talk complete with samples of armor. It was at the same theater that had the Trilogy Tuesday here. We have a connection to the concierge there. Because of him we had a wonderful Trilogy Tuesday with catered food! He gets stuff for our members that collect things. He brought in Mat. Our Group took Mat out to dinner and some invited him over for New Years and some took him sightseeing.
B. Lynnette Porter came in January...no slide show, but she gave a talk to the class of one of our members that teaches a Tolkien Course. She got a similar treatment of Dinner and sightseeing. She fit right in with our group, real cozy-like
C. 2004: We had a celebration of the Coronation of the King. We were invited to make something for the king, art, writing, reading anything. That is how I got back into drawing.
Unofficial Tol Andúnë things:
1. I organized a birthday group thing. I divided all the regular members into four groups according to their birthdays, by season. We get together four times a year to celebrate each others birthdays. The next one happens to fall on the same weekend as our Tolkien Reading. It's the start of Spring Break here and one of the birthday people is a student, so we had to pick that weekend.
The birthdays of the two winter people both fall in March (there are no birthdays between Nov & March). The other groups are quite a bit larger. Spring group (May & June) has 4 people, Summer (July-Sept) has 6 people, and Fall (Oct -Nov) has four people. We give out presents to the birthday people. It is usually something Tolkien or movie related in some way. I give out prints of my drawings, mounted and matted. Sometimes people will pitch in on a larger gift for someone. (That is how I got the 50th anniversary edition of the LotR). Many people make gifts. It is loads of fun and very hobbity. No costumes, usually. When it's my birthday, I give out mathoms.
2. Movie type things. Like If there is a movie of one of the cast members opening up, we will go as a group, those that want to. (and other similar types of things)
3. Email: we are all constantly sending each other information that we get through our own interests or activities. Like I am an avid movie person and get magazines and info from the internet, I pass along, keeping people updated on what cast member projects are. Or anything relevant related to HIFF (Film Festival) like when David Whenham came here as a juror. Our teacher passes along stuff that she comes cross. Our tourist guide, ditto... our convention goers, ditto... our collectors, ditto... TV watchers, ditto and so on.
4. Misc. things:
- when David Whenham came, we went to everything of his, his talk, his movie, and his appearance to introduce the free beach-screening of RotK.
- When the Ringers DVD came out, we found a place with a screen and watched that with catered food, it was close to Christmas, so it was a combination Christmas party.
- A member had a trilogy sleep over during the holidays.
– Some members take trips together to conventions or New Zealand.
- I can't remember all the things… but any excuse for a party of get together, goes.
5. Some of us are fans other things as too:
Like HP, so those that are, do things together related to that… like the book release at Borders.
The Lost Premiere also, I usually go to that, but I opted for our Bilbo & Frodo party instead.
Twice now, the Lost people have given talks at HIFF, including some cast member, so some of us have gone to that.
6. There are other cross-interests:
I am a beader and artist. There are some other creative people in our group. Some of us do that. One friend from the group beads with me. There may be other cross interests too. Like costuming.
I am sure I missed something. This time of year, between the holidays and end of March are pretty silent for tings that we do.
I live in town, so I frequently get together with other people who also live in town formovies, lunch, dinner, mall-crawling, etc.
I am not sure how that would work online, TORn pretty much seems to do everything my Tolkien group does, we read and discuss the books, and there are occasional get-togethers (which I have not gone to  ). People have made friendships, etc.
But if you thought about it, maybe there might be a creative way to do it with a Tolkien Society. I am all for inventing new things.
Are you a member of any Tolkien group?
Websites Directory, my drawings, Aloha & Mahalo
Nienna: “those who hearken to her learn pity, and endurance in hope . . . All those who wait in Mandos cry to her, for she brings strength to the spirit and turns sorrow to wisdom." — Valaquenta
(This post was edited by Daughter of Nienna on Mar 6 2007, 8:19pm)
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Daughter of Nienna
Grey Havens
Mar 8 2007, 8:16pm
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Start a group in your area yourself.
The woman that started it here, I think started with two other friends who loved Tolkien. I am not sure how other people came into the group. I signed up at a big Premiere party given for the opening of the ROTK. It had been going a couple of years at that point.
I found out about it through a friend, a very serious Tolkien fan since the sixties, took a trip to New Zealand and met a person from here who was one of the founders of our group. She also happens to not live very far from either of us.
The Tolkien Society website can help with that.
http://www.tolkiensociety.org/ts_info/index.html
Websites Directory, my drawings, Aloha & Mahalo
Nienna: “those who hearken to her learn pity, and endurance in hope . . . All those who wait in Mandos cry to her, for she brings strength to the spirit and turns sorrow to wisdom." — Valaquenta
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