Reader Submitted: Halloween on Caledon Downs

 

By Cynthia Farshore

 

 

On Tuesday October 10th the Duchy of Caledon Downs opened the month long Halloween festivities with a dance at the Goblin Cave Community Center. The dance which started at 6pm SLT lasted till 8pm marked the beginning of events.

The main event is the Ghost Hunt. Two version of a ghost figures appear for very short periods in various locations across the region. The idea is to use a prim firing weapon to hit the image before it vanishes. The great thing is you don't need to sign up or anything and can use your own gun. Your score is automatically sensed and recorded at the score pole inside the Goblin Cave.

A smaller hunt is the Jack O' Lantern Hunt. There are 5 hidden across the region. Touching it will give you a prize but don't be greedy a second touch will give you something regrettable. An information panel with a list of hints is located in the Goblin Cave next to the Ghost Hunt panel. Both panels you touch for a notecard.

This year's Ghost Train Ride is double in length with more gruesome and gory sights. You head to the high ground over at the train station and touch the little coffin on the tracks.

Ride as many times as you dare. Some who have slower rezz I suggest that you do so as this will load your cache, plus you can have another chance to see what you missed when you closed your eyes the first time, MAhahaha.

Caledon is open to ALL, it is not a hardcore roleplay community, and you don't have to dress Victorian to enjoy our land. Come to the Goblin Cave Community Center and bring a friend along, enjoy the music from the 50s to the 80s classic rock.

 

,,, and talk your friend to death, literally.

Cynthia Farshore
 

The RFL Sunbeamers Camp for 2021

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

The Relay Weekend is now history, and the 93 team camps on the 35 sims (not counting the American Cancer Society sim) have now been cleared. Among them was that of Team Sunbeamers.

The "Sunnies" as they're sometimes called have had a camp every year since the team was formed in 2013, following the folding of the Passionate Redheads: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 which won an award, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. 

This year's campsite and build at RFL Celebrate marks the ninth camp. Shockwave Yareach and Cynthia Farshore were the main builders (each will say the other did more work). But some was done by team captain Rita Mariner, and Snowbuns (Skylark Lefavre) did some work on the garden area.

 With our team flag prominently showing.

What sets this year's exhibit apart is "The Prince and the Spot Game." The game in question is based on a single episode of Monty Python's "And Now For Something Completely Different," with some other elements of Monty Python worked in.

To play the game, one had to touch a giver, receive an armband, then step into the staring square of the game. There you would be told, "You are an enchanted prince, who rules beyond the Wobbles!  One day, you find a spot on your face.  Do you see the Doctor, or ignore it?"

Assuming you decide to see the doc, you move to the next part, "You'd think a Prince wouldn't have to wait for a bus.  But here we are.  Do you have a way to get to the doctor?"

The American Cancer society can be of assistance to those who can't afford a cancer checkup, but surely you as a Prince can at least get a bus. Then comes the next part, the waiting room, "You must have means of paying to pass the ravenous receptionist of ARGH!  Do you have insurance?"

Yes, the American Cancer Society can help the uninsured. But surely you as a prince have that. And the next part is the doctor, "The doctor will see you now.  And you.  And you.  And you.  Don't be put off by him licking his lips. Do you let him examine you, with or without BBQ sauce?"

Proceeding with the examination, the doctor makes a discovery, "Oh dear.  A giant black mole is a sign of cancer.  Fortunately that can be removed fairly easily.  You need surgery.  Go to the Hospital?"

Assuming you overcome your fears, you're set to get to the hospital. But there's always a complication, "What, this again???  Can't a prince grab a taxi?  Do you need help getting to the Hospital?"

Yes, the American Cancer Society can help the less fortunate get to a hospital. But surely you as a prince can afford the taxi. But then comes another problem, "The Hospital receptionist is even meaner looking than the doctors!  Do you have insurance or a way to pay for this?"

Once again, the American Cancer Society can help the less fortunate. But surely you as a prince have no trouble with the payment. But what you may have a problem with is the hospital gown, "You are given a silly gown to wear that shows off your backside.  Um, doctor, the spot is on my face?"

But, you brave it, and go through with the gown, and the operation, "You are getting sleepy.  Sleepy.  Woops!!  All done.  That was fast!"

"You return back to your princely palace again and wait for the results of the Biopsy.  We shall hope it's good news."

Panning around, I saw the place one would have gone if they made a wrong decision, "Here Lies Prince Foolish. By his word, it's just a spot. Now he lies, in a plot." 

Nearby was some information on where to get help if one has cancer.

One of Nance Clowes team bears, personalized for the Sunbeamers.

A little further away from the road was the Hope Lodge.

Inside was more information about learning about and getting support for cancer.

And this camp being Monty Python inspired, a reference to the "Dead Parrot" skit.

Behind the Hope Lodge were the Memorial Garden and other parts of the campsite less visible from the front. 

Since the first campsite, there's always been a pink fox statue in honor of the late Artistic Fimicloud, a noted Sunweaver whom died of cancer. 

"We Relay for Fimi" has been a phrase long used by the Sunbeamers, and the Passionate Redheads, the team Fimi was part of.

There were other people in the Memorial Garden, mostly celebrities most Relayers are familiar with such as Dr. Seuss and Fred Rodgers whom passed away from cancer.

This year, radio talk show personality Rush Limbaugh whom died in December from lung cancer joins the list.

So does the late CEO Ebbe Altberg of Linden Lab, whom passed less than a month ago. Although the official cause of death hasn't been given, it isn't a secret it was cancer that he died from.

 Behind the Garden, there was more to see.

 A fountain and statue.

Not far away were first responders.

And for fun, a cannon to launch people from.

To the side, there was also a barbecue grill.

Team Captain Rita Mariner taking it easy on a lounge chair, or is it?

Another feature of the camp that's appeared every year for the past few years: the prayer tower.

Mention the name of someone, and the name will float up into the air into the heavens.

The back of the camp had a small castle.

And the Monty Python references continued.

Including inside the castle.

And what's a castle without a dragon.

Every team in the Relay has it's stories, and more often than not many stories. For this one of the 2021 Sunbeamer camp, special thanks to the other members of the Sunweaver team, notably those whom helped design and build it.

Bixyl Shuftan
   

The Sumbeamer Camp For RFL 2020

By Bixyl Shuftan

Relay Weekend 2020 was quite an event. And the fifty sim track it took place on had many places. This included the campsites of a number of teams. Some teams were making their first or second appearance. Others had appeared year after year. Among the latter were Team Sunbeamers.

Since it's founding in 2013, the Sunbeamers have been a top-performing team, and have always had a campsite. The one from 2016 got the first place Cancer Education Awareness Award. The one from last year was a train station and train track that took people around information boards describing the medical treatment of cancer across history.

After having clawed it's way to Sapphire-level fundraising, past 750,000 Linden dollars, the team was a bit tired. But it still wanted to do a good job with the camp. The idea was a visually attractive place that both informed and allowed those stopping by to relax. Cynthia Farshore, Shockwave Yareach, Skylark "Snowbuns" Lefavre, and team captain Rita Mariner took part in the building.

Near the team sign was the pink fox statue, representing Artistic Fimicloud, or "Fimi" as she was affectionately known. Fimi was a resident of the Sunweaver Estates, where most of the Sunbeamer team make their homes in Second Life, whom passed away in 2008.

 The most visible part of the campsite from the road was the "Gameonopoly Hotel Souvenir and Coffee Shop," which looked like a giant Monopoly game red hotel piece.

 Inside, one could order a cup of coffee, from Shockwave Yareach's steampunkish coffee machine.

Or one could get a bottle of moonshine hand sanitizer. As Rita would say, putting it on your hands would kill your germs, swallowing it would kill your worries for a little while (though give you a hangover in the morning).

Just beside the red building was the rest and relaxation area.

It had lounge chairs, campfire, and barbecue (with real meat for the carnivores and soy for the herbivores).

Me trying out the lounge chairs. At the time this and many other pictures were taken, I was blue for a week to honor a pledge if the team hit Sapphire rank, which it did.

The main part of the campsite was the game board.

It was an obvious knock-off of the Monopoly game. But it was tweaked to reflect the Relay, such as "Go to X-Ray" instead of "Go to jail," "Mammogram Avenue," and more. Instead of "Boardwalk," there was "Cancer Free."

Another major part was the Memorial Garden, featuring a number of notable personalities whom have passed away from cancer over the years.

Cancer is not a simple disease, but can take many forms. While lung and breast cancer get the most attention, it can appear most anywhere on the body: skin, stomach, esophagus, brain, colon, bladder, ovaries, male organs, and other places.

Not everyone honored at the campsite had died from cancer. Two people close to the team, John White and ComCat Fenstalker had passed away in the past year due to heart disease.

Not far from the entrance was a glowing tesseract, made by Shockwave.

Around the game board were more signs with more information on cancer.

By these signs were some flowers arranged to spell key words.

In the back of the camp was a garden area, with a couple smaller lounge chair areas.

On the Relay Weekend of Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, the camp was among many the Relayers walked by.

One of a few pictures taken at the group photo showup on Tuesday June 9. Unfortunately Kylee Gracemount and Matt Carlton couldn't make it over.

Because many of the items in the build were "no-copy," as the camp takedown was originally going to take place after the Flood Party on Wednesday June 10, the Sunbeamer camp was taken down on in the late afternoon. Just as the last pieces were being taken up, word began going around that the time the Relay sims would remain up for a while longer. So there would be a green space to mark where the camp used to be.

It was a great camp by a great team in a great season for the Relay for Life in Second Life.

"Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!"

Bixyl Shuftan