Reader Submitted: Scenes From The Relay Weekend

 

 Pictures from Kamida Delec

 

 From RFL Healing, "Dinky sim, including the Crystal empire castle from MLP Gen 4."

 

 

 

"I found a Disney forest."

 

 "And I went back to take a picture of my Dads memorial."

 

Pictures by Kamida Delec 

 

Reader Submitted: The Ertina Loopen Memorial Foundation

 

By Journey Texan

 

Before Relay weekend becomes too distant in our rear-view mirrors, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who reached out to me or to others near me to express how much they were moved by the Ertina Loopen Memorial Foundation at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/RFL%20Inspire/194/135/24 .  

I'm glad that I could create something that resonated with those who stopped to appreciate it and to learn more about Tina. While every day is an opportunity for me to remember and pay tribute to Tina, few days have as much visual impact as the ones during Relay weekend, so I am grateful for having the opportunity to share something meaningful with you there. 

If you missed the campsite, attached are a few photos to show that it presented the question "What do you do when cancer turns your life upside-down?" Fellow Relayers submitted answers which were displayed around the giant window frame on the ground. 

 

In the sky, a recreation of the actual Ertina Loopen Memorial Home & Garden was built and turned upside-down. You can actually go up there to sit on the inverted furniture. Other areas featured the team tent with its patented giant foot and back massage area, and other areas were further away from the track for quiet reflection. 

If you ever want to visit the actual Ertina Loopen Home & Garden, it is at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kangean/62/76/1501 . 

My thanks again to every individual and team that helped the Foundation contribute to the American Cancer Society during the season. It means a lot to me as well as to countless others whom we will never know. 

Journey Texan for the Ertina Loopen Memorial Foundation  

 

 

Design 

A Song For The Relay, "We Are Here"

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Mattie Carlton/Mattie Foxpaws, is a lady of many talents. A DJ in Second Life, as well as a Relayer, she has raised more money at a few events than some teams. But she has done more than play music lately. Recently she finished a song, and contacted me about it. 

"I wanna donate it," Mattie told me over Discord, "I dunno if its Newser worthy or not, but I knew you would like to have it." Mattie would explain how it was made, "I started the lyrics back in 2020 and set it aside for a bit due to life ... I finished the songs lyrics today, while thinking about my late friend Kei (Kei Haru Paws / dante184). Then for the heck of it i started playing with the song using a vocaloid (basically a sort of synthesized voice) and with the small bits of music theory I know, and a little help from AI (to fill in some instruments I never got to learn to play) I was able to complete a final and usable cut.

"While its not what I would can a studio quality final mix or anything, its in a state it can be used as is and shared for Relay. I want no royalties or anything. This is just a gift.  A small way I can help out. I want to make up for not being there for as many events lately as well. If anyone wishes, they can also use this as framework to make their own covers or derivatives."

 

 [Verse 1]
It takes so many we love.
Others survive, but the pain's always the same.
It never shows mercy, and shows no bias.
A disease so well known, yet a mystery it remains.
No real cure, and many treatments,
It's oh so frightening.

[Chorus]
We are here, for one another.
We are here, to bring and end.
Relay has saved so many,
and with our help,
It can save so many more.

[Verse 2]
Persons so tired and weathered.
With Chemo in the veins, effects that may remain.
Sometimes only adding to the pain. Please God!
So much nausea, hair falling away. Just take it all away!
The prayers of those that are fighting,
May they be answered!

[Chorus]
We are here, for one another.
We are here, to bring and end.
Relay has saved so many,
and with our help,
It can save so many more.

[Bridge]
Alas! When treatments are no longer needed,
Cause a cure one day found,
Harmoniously Rejoicing,
As all can walk free!
For all can be healed!

[Chorus]
We are here, for one another.
We are here, to bring and end.
Relay has saved so many,
and with our help,
It will save so many more.

 

"It may not be the best written song as I'm still learning a lot about music," Mattie added, "especially music theory, and I'm not good at playing instruments so I had to use the help of computer software such but I just wanted to do something to help. I also wanted to try and express how I was feeling at the time. I'm just sick of losing people to cancer."

 

Mattie uploaded the song onto the Internet for people to download. To download the tune, Click Here.

Bixyl Shuftan

The 2022 RFL Sunbeamer Camp

 *
By Bixyl Shuftan

 

For most of its history, people have held Relay for Life events in Second Life. As a chapter, the Relay for Life in Second Life, has proven one of the most successful ones, during the Pandemic becoming the one that raised the most money. Made up of over a hundred teams, there is something of a friendly competition to raise the most money. But the teams also cooperate, the "one team" principle. 

 

The team yours truly is part of is the Sunbeamers. Growing out of the folding of another team, the Passionate Redheads in 2013, the "Sunnies" have gone from a respectable start to being a top performing team every year. Last year, we were 13th of over 130 teams, just missing the top dozen, having raised over a million Linden dollars. 

For the Sunweaver community, who make up most of its members, the team is a source of community pride, in addition to a way to do something about cancer, which has affected a number of its residents.

 

The camp was at RFL Prevention, on the east side, or to the left side of the track, traffic on the Relay Weekend moving south. The Memorial Garden was on the left side, featuring noted personalities over the years who passed away from cancer. In the middle was the Hall of Heroes, this year's feature. To the right was the Hope Lodge. 

 

Cynthia Farshore and Shockwave Yareach did most of the world on the camp (each will tell you the other did more work).

 

 Cynthia would show me around some in the camp's "Hall of Heroes."

The heroes in this case were doctors, nurses, researchers, and others in the struggle to combat cancer. 

And Relayers were counted in this exhibit.

Beside the Hall and the Memorial Garden was the Tower of Prayer.

And there were a number of signs providing information, some were about American Cancer Society apps.

There was a pond, and a couple inner tubes to cool off in.

Another part of the camp was the Hope Lodge.

A Hope Lodge offers cancer patients a free place to stay if they need treatment away from home.

Sorry to say while I thought I took some pictures of the Memorial Garden, I only found one (at the end of the article). I was likely distracted as I was reminded of some sad times.

Personal commentary:

 

Sadly, for me it was a reminder of some friends who had passed away from cancer over the years,

And at the start of the month, so had my Mother, who passed after nine months of surgery, recovery, and relapse. 

 

 So last year, I joined the ranks of the many thousands who have been caregivers. While the exhibit showed them as heroes, I myself didn't feel like a hero, just someone who was taking care of one who had taken care of him when very young. 

For me, the Relay Weekend has usually been a largely happy time, celebrating with friends, while taking a few moments to reflect on Artistic Fimicloud and others whose fight with cancer came to a sad end. While this year was still mostly happy, I often thought about friends who had passed away in the previous year: my real-life next-door neighbor, Jessicabelle Dayafter, fellow Relayer Alleara Snoodle, and now my Mother. 

But I wasn't alone, I was around friends and offered much support.

So here's to our friends and family who have helped us become what we are, and to our future, which hopefully soon will have cures to all forms of this dreaded disease. Perhaps next season will raise the last few dollars that makes it so.

Go Sunbeamers, go Relay,

Bixyl Shuftan 
 

The Surplus Motors UTV, And More Home and Garden Items

 *
By Bixyl Shuftan

While residents in Second Life can walk, teleport, and (usually) fly around, many of us desire vehicles. We're used to using them in real life, and they look cool. At the Home and Garden, Surplus Motors has one car with 100% of the money going to the Relay: the Surplus Motors UTV (Utility Task Vehicle).

To begin with, the price is 996 Linden dollars. But you don't actually get one vehicle, but you get a package deal with two sets of three. One set is for human, furry, and other avatars around 5-6 feet in height. The second is a smaller set of vehicles for dinkie tiny avatars. So instead of one vehicle for a thousand linden, it's three for 333 Lindens each (or 166 each if you spend some time in both regular-sized and dinkie avatars). 

Of the three varieties, one is the standard UTV, orange in color. Another, painted John Deere green, is made to look like it's for farming with it's wheelbarrow and other equipment in the back. There is also a white UTV made to look like it's for parking lots, or perhaps roads. Each is well detailed on the inside, with steering wheel, gearshift, dashboard, seat belts, etc.

In the notecard, Surplus Motors boasted a number of features for the UTV

-License plate change
-9 preset colors, possibility to add your own
-Projectors lights (advanced light settings only)
-Shadow on/off
-RL sounds
-Re-size
-Smoother driving
-Multiple driver and passenger animations
-Multiple shift styles
-Exhaust smoke
-Adjustable seating
-Automatic/Manual Transmission
-Unlock/Lock
-Alarm
-Eject
-Working lights
-Opening doors

....And more features to boot!

Driving the car is simple enough. Just click on it, and sit. Move by pressing the forward arrow, and steer with the left and right arrows. To shift gears, press the PageUp and PageDown buttons. But the notecard says you can by pressing SHIFT and then either the up or down arrows. To go in reverse, shift gears down to reverse, then press the up arrow. To go up an inclined surface, such as that of some of the bridges on Bellisseria, you'll probably need to shift to second or third gear.

I found the car simple enough to drive, in both regular and dinkie sizes. The dinkie UTV seems to go a little faster, but it's the same speed. It just seems faster as the car is smaller.

Talking to Jules Catlyn, the woman behind Surplus Motors, she plans on doing more dinkie-sized cars in the future, "I gave an affiliate vendor for Dinkies cars to aminata Potez. To support her sim and I like Dinkies." She added she's been getting some positive responses from Raglan Shire about them as well.

To get the Surplus Motors UTV, head to Hope 2 (184/216/23).

*  *  *  *  *

Besides the UTV, there are many other idems up for sale. For those with horses, I found a "Caution: Stallion" sign. It's at EitshEks [HX] Stables by Hera Silverfall (Herasdejavou), located at Hope 2 (60/112/23).

At Ari-Pari, the 10L hunt item is the Shamrock Top Hat Planter by Ariana Petrova, located at Hope 2 (16/92/23). Just add and unpack.

Checking Sigma, among the items they have is a hallway shelf. It costs 200L. Their 10L hunt item is a candle. Both are made by Soft Tenkins. Get them at Hope 2 (66/16/23).

That's it for now from the Expo. Enjoy the shopping.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Macy's Christmas Parade and The Christmas Expo

 
By Gemma  Cleanslate

So the shopping goes on. There are still many places to visit if you are looking for more trees, wreaths , scenery, or outfits. I will never get to all of them and I am pretty sure you won’t either. I still have a few recommendations though. Here are some reminders first.

Frannie DJ has put away all her Thanksgiving day parade floats and now has her Christmas Parade out. It will stay open until Christmas Day . Santa is still there at Macy’s store and there is still ice skating going on. I stopped over to see some of the floats which are as beautiful as ever. Don’t miss it! There is snow on the ground and the trees are glistening with ice formations on the limbs.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Steamy%20Shores/72/206/700

Remember to visit The Christmas Expo. This event is raising money for research for the American Cancer Society and has so much going on!

There are parties and raffles and Breedables, sales and auctions, and so many shops with goodies to continue your search for décor and outfits.

If you get there before the ninth, you can enter the snowman (and snowwoman) making contest. The regions are beautifully decorated just for exploring.  

The Expo website at https://slchristmasexpo.com/  will tell you everything you need to know. This SURL will get you there : https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Christmas%20Expo/55/128/23

Also, the Shop and Hop event opens Wednesday at 9am . Get ready for so many shops in one place on 12 regions with 240 merchants. Extreme lag in the early days, but it will be open until January 2 of the new year. I am sure there will be gifts at most shops.

Gemma Cleanslate
 

The 2018 Sunbeamer Campsite

The Relay Weekend is the high point of the Relay for Life fundraiser season. A large number of sims are opened for the month and with the permanent American Cancer Society sim are made into a circular track, with a few sims to the side for activities such as boating, racing, DJ events, and more. The track sims are noted for their builds. Some are special "designer sims." But most are divided up into campsites for the various Relay teams.

Among them in North America Hope is that of the Sunbeamer team. Since their first year in 2013, the team has made a number of builds, in 2014, 2015, 2016 which won an award, and 2017. Now, once again they have a build that represents the fight against cancer and honoring those lost.

I had a few words with Cynthia Farshore, whom with Shockwave Yareach did the majority of work on the campsite, "Shocky helped with the furniture and the coffee house. Rita and Snowy the memorial garden and trees and plants." When I came over, the place was mostly done, but there was still a little to do, "I feel there are more info panels needed on a couple sections but otherwise (it's done)."

Talking about the campsite, Cynthia told me, "When time came that I was going to be the builder I had no idea what to build. How the design came about was in pieces. I just developed it with knowing that I needed to connect the different aspects of cancer fight to one point, the point I chose to be the Relay. So I went to the ACS website and looked at the different areas and came up with the doctors and nurses, transportation provided, the hospital and treatment centers, research and all came to the Relay. At this point I choose to set them in sections around a walkway and each section a mode of transportation assigned that represents the different areas of cancer fight traveling to the same goal to be united in the fight."

The entrance led to a path that led beside a brick wall, with information about cancer beside the path. "With this one you start on the ground and go up as it says the sky's the limit."

"My own thought." Cynthia spoke of this particular display panel.

The end of the path led to a wagon and car, next to a coffeehouse area.

"As we come to be united in relay there the common area is the place all merge in a union of fellowship. Coffee houses are today's general meeting places, much as the taverns were of old."

 The coffeehouse had a copy of the steampunk coffee brewer at Club Cutlass.

Behind the coffeehouse was a memorial garden, with numerous pictures of personalities whom met their end due to the disease, "Along with this we can reflect on the ones we lost in the battle against cancer."

"and sometimes you're surprised."

Sunweaver campsites have always had a pink fox statue in honor of Artistic Fimicloud, a member of the Sumweaver community and Passionate Redheads team, the precursors of the Sunbeamers, who passed away ten years ago. Clicking on the statue gets you a notecard explaining who she was.

Fimi was a good friend and renter on one of my sims for many years.  She lived in her treehouse and had it decorated with artwork, she created.  Fimi was a talented artist and had a gallery here on SL, where she sold her artwork. She also sold her art in RL, and her favorite subject was her beloved Hudson Valley. Each painting also included a hidden pink ribbon, as a reminder of her fight.

Fimi was fun to be around and always up for a good laugh or joke. She was friend to many.

She was a Breast Cancer Survivor, but it came back and the second bout had spread, and was the one that finally took her life. She is sorely missed. Before Fimi passed, over 70 of her SL friends posed for a photo and we sent it to her, so show our LOVE and that she was in our PRAYERS. It is her courage and never give up spirit that drives our team today.

WE RELAY FOR FIMI!  The Pink Fox is her avatar.

The past few campsites have had a prayer tower. Originally created by Becky "Sha" Shamen, this year had a different one by Shockwave, "Shocky changed the design a bit for this year. It spirals."

As in Becky's tower, people can name someone they wish to honor. Then the name floats upward towards Heaven.

Trotting about not far from the coffeehouse near the car was a skunk, "don't get sprayed."

At the end of the tour was the Hope Lodge, "Hope Lodge and lodging program info in here."

The "dummies" were from both Cynthia and Rita, "Even while I was at work this week, I was shopping Marketplace during lunch for the dummy avs. Rita will put out some of hers and that should be enough."

There were more information boards inside, as well as a few vendors for products. Someone had already bought one of the lights, "People are checking out the place already ... well, that's good."

There were also a couple seats next to a fireplace one could sit and chat, or just sit. I noticed the fireplace had Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on it. Cynthia told me that was Shockwave's doing, "Looks rather old too. Shocky's so can be."

Cynthia would say, "This one was tough cause I had to make a cross-country trip right in the middle of the build time. I worked a few hours a night in motel rooms, using a laptop. I'm used to doing big camp builds on two monitors and a strong computer. (pause) Actually, two computers and four monitors, setup from DJing days. And the final night in a motel the laptop died, must of took a hit somewhere ..."

"I'm happy with how it's worked out. Oh, when I started I was nervous. But I am a bit of an artist, and have stood looking at a blank canvas a couple of times. I don't know it just comes to me. ..."

The Sunweaver campsite is at North America Hope (125/80/23).

Bixyl Shuftan