Cartoon of The Day: Horse Water Walking

 

 Taken at the Relay Weekend. Some of the time, I went on horseback. And well, when I did the "walk of lag" into past the sim border and into the unrezzed area, it looked like the horsie was walking over water. 

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

A Great Relay Weekend

 

This past weekend was the Relay Walk, often called just the Relay Weekend. On Saturday June 11, many of us gathered at the American Cancer Society2 sim to listen to the Opening Ceremonies.

Following that, the teams would go to their camps to cheer on the survivors and caregivers at their lap.

And it was soon time for the team lap. 

The various sims were packed with traffic.

There were avatars of all kinds, from these mecha and huuuuuge Godzilla avie.

 To smaller avatars, such as tinies and smaller ferals. 

 And a couple times, I was the tiny, with the themed laps.

And there be dragons around.

Fuzzball Ortega was out with "The Hair."

There were some well-designed builds, such as this designer sim by Fiona Fei.

There were plently cheering on those going down the track.

 Over a thousand were on the track, with thousands of miles walked. Bain Finch would later say, "Total meters from all Relays 424,220,356 meters which works out to be 263,598 miles walked , 10-1/2 laps of the Earth."

Eventually the Walk was officially over, but people didn't want the fun to end and partied for hours.

Stay tuned for more pictures, once we've had some more time to rest.

*Addition* For those who haven't seen the Relay sims, Wednesday is the last day most of the builds will be up for sure (there's always "that guy" who takes down his build early). Thursday is the takedown day. Sometime on Wednesday will be the "Flood Party" in which a sim or two or three gets filled with water. 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Relay Weekend At A Glance

 As always for over a decade, the Relay for Life's Relay Weekend was a big event. Over 1200 avatars took part, with well over a hundred either in the stage or looking in from adjacent sims at the opening and closing ceremonies. 

The 35 temporary sims (a total of 36 with the permanent American Cancer Society sim) had 93 team camps, six designer sims, four community Hopefest Sims, five "turnkeys," and three sims for the Christmas Expo and Sci-fi con.  

The residents ran a total of 4117 laps around the track sims, running a total of  37,940,245 meters until the count was stopped. They ranged from the huge.

To the small. A friend described the first Relay Walk after the uplift to the Cloud Servers as less crashy than he remembered in previous years, but longer sim crossings. I didn't notice the occasional crowd of people waiting at a sim crossing for it to open that I had seen in some previous Relay Weekends.

A LOT happened, too much to describe in a short article. But we do have a link to the Opening Ceremonies (Click here). 

The Luminaria Ceremonies were also recorded (Click here). 

As were the Closing Ceremonies (click here). 

Not all of the exhibits were for looking at. Some had activities such as surfing and kyaking at Teddy Bear Beach in RFL Celebrate. There's also the "Attack of the Garden Gnomes" game, and of course the Sunbeamer's "The Prince and the Spot" game.

A lot of happened, and much will have to wait before it can be written about. Stay tuned for more information.

Addition:  As of now, the Relay for Life in Second Life has raised over $400,000 USD (100 million Linden dollars) so far this season.

Image Credit: top image from Relay for Life in Second Life Youtube channel

Bixyl Shuftan
 

RFL Announcement: Relay Weekend Theme Hour Schedule

 

10 AM ~ Opening Ceremonies
    
11 AM ~ Survivor/Caregiver Lap
    
NOON - 12:30 ~  Survivor/Caregiver Lap
    
12.30pm - 1 PM ~  Teams Lap
    
1PM  ~ Teams Lap
    
 2PM ~ Wizard of Oz
    
 3PM ~  Prince/Princess/King/Queen
    
 4PM ~  Under the Sea/Aquatic Animals

 5PM ~ Sock hop
    
 6PM ~ 80's Neon/Rollerskates
    
 7PM ~  Christmas in June
    
 8PM ~  Beach Party
    
 9PM ~ Luminaria Ceremony
    
 10 PM ~ Unicorns/Fairies/Fantasy
    
 11 PM ~  Tinies/Dinkies
    
 MIDNIGHT ~  The clock strikes midnight-Fairy Tales
    
 1 AM ~ Arrrr it be pirate hour!
    
 2 AM ~  Real Life Heros
    
 3 AM ~  Sci Fi Fun
    
 4 AM ~  Pink Power Hour
    
 5 AM ~ Pajama's Curlers and Coffee
    
 6 AM ~  Fight Back Lap
    
 7 AM ~ Friends Hour-matching
    
 8 AM ~ Purple Hour!
    
 9 AM ~ Dancing in the streets
    
10 AM ~ CLOSING CEREMONIES    
    
11 AM ~ VICTORY LAP ~
  

SL Video: "2009 Relay for Life in Second Life (Pt. 2)"

(Click here if the video fails to load)

From MarkTwain White on October 2009, "The American Cancer Society's 2009 Relay for Life in Second Life(tm) took place on July 18-19. Join us as we take a walk through the sims and see what the creative enegentic folks of Second Life created for this year's incredibly successful fund raising event. This is the second of two parts."

SL Video: "2009 Relay for Life in Second Life (Pt. 1) "

(Click here if the video fails to load)

From MarkTwain White on Sept 2009, "The American Cancer Society's 2009 Relay for Life in Second Life(tm) took place on July 18-19. Join us as we take a walk through the sims and see what the creative enegentic folks of Second Life created for this year's incredibly successful fund raising event. This is the first of two parts."

Triumph: Relay Weekend Concludes

Yesterday marked the second half of the Relay Weekend, also known as the Relay Walk, marked by 24 hours of walking across a track across almost 40 sims. In the pre-dawn and early morning, the Relayers continued to walk the track. Some had taken breaks to sleep, but a hardy few continued on without so much as a nap.

At 10AM were the official closing ceremonies.  Committee members thanked the hundreds whom had taken part, large and small, as well as recognizing certain individuals whom had made special efforts. There were also some team awards given out. There were also reminders of why the struggle continues, stories of people who had survived their battle with cancer, and of people who had not.

Among the teams getting awards was Team Sunbeamers. They had received the Cancer Education Awareness Award: 1st place. Since it's creation, the team had earned awards for fundraising, but not for it's campsite. This time it had. So when it walked the Victory Lap following the closing ceremonies, marked with fireworks at certain locations on the track, it did so with Cynthia Farshore, one of the builders of it's award-winning camp, it's flag flying high.

After the victory lap was an impromptu event at the T-1 Radio location. And a number of people whooped it up. While there might not have been a "skunknado," at one point a thirty foot woman showed up.

Members of team Sunbeamers would later get copies of their award. Also given out were teamwork awards, and awards for completing at least one lap of the Relay Track. Cynthia Farshore would get the "Rabbit Award" for making more than ten laps.

The SL Newser will display more pictures of the track later. For those who can't wait, IshtarAngel Micheline has a few up on her Flickr, of both the ceremonies, and of the track.

*Addition*  - the sims will remain up until at least late Wednesday night. While no date for the "flood party," a recent tradition for the Relayers, has been given yet, it's often on the Wednesday afternoon following the Relay Weekend.

Bixyl Shuftan

Relay For Life Walk Sims Online

The sims for the Second Life Birthday may be coming down. But the ones for the next big event in Second Life have just come online. The American Cancer Society sim has been joined by about forty others which appear about once a year at this time for the 24 hour Relay Walk, also known as the Relay Weekend as it takes place over Saturday and Sunday. A few sims are for activities and major exhibits which take up a whole to a half sim. But most of the areas are divided up into quarters to accommodate four teams.

Among the camps will be that of Team Sunbeamers. Their camp is in RFL Support, the sim just to the left of the northeast corners. Rita Mariner (still in her "Bid Me Pink" avatar) places the team name marker on the campsite here in this picture.

Unfortunately. aside from the build teams and a few other Relayers, the sims are closed to the public. This includes a certain fox reporter of whom this was as far as he could go. The good news, Becky Shamen is on the Sunbeamer's build team, so we should be getting some sneak peaks over the next couple weeks, the Relay Weekend taking place on the 16th and 17th.

Bixyl Shuftan

Relay for Life Weekend Schedule

Saturday July 18

10:00 AM: Opening Ceremony at the RFL sim - Relay for Life (134/63/21)

11:00 AM: Survivors and Caregivers

12:30 PM: Team Spirit

2:00 PM: Crazy Hats and Hair

3:00 PM: Movies and Musicals

4:00 PM: Holiday Road

5:00 PM: Hawaiian Beach Party

6:00 PM: Space Cadets

7:00 PM: Health Matters

8:00 PM: Purple Power

9:00 PM: Remember - The Luminaria Ceremony

10:00 PM: Meet and Make a New Friend

11:00 PM Relay Heritage

Sunday July 19

12:00 Midnight: Random Outfit Hour

1:00 AM: Get Active - Sports

2:00 AM: The 60s

3:00 AM: Hoppy Ball Dance

4:00 AM: Relay Around the World

5:00 AM: Heroes and Supers

6:00 AM: Fight Back Ceremony

7:00 AM: Happy More Birthdays

8:00 AM: Coffee, Tea, or Relay

9:00 AM: Formal Hour

10:00 AM: Closing Ceremonies

11:00 AM Victory Lap

Keep an eye out for any smaller events durring and after the Relay Walk

Relay for Life 2015: The Sunbeamer Camp

Every year, the Relay For Life's fundraising season culminates into one main event: The Walk. Taking place on a track covering over a few dozen sims, the teams are invited to build camps across the landscape. Team Sunbeamers is no exception, having made a build every year. And this year's build offers much to see, as well as a game to do.

Read more in Places.

Tomorrow ...

This is it! Tomorrow's the day the Relayers have been waiting for all season: The Relay Walk. The Track is ready. The camps are all built.

The sim where Team Sunbeamer, the team of the Sunweaver Estates where the SL Newser office makes it's home, is on the northwest corner of RFL Strength at  (35/135/21).

On the southeast corner are our longtime friends in the Relay, the Steelhead Salmons.

 On the southwest corner is Team Walking Tall For a Cure.

And our next door neighbors on the northeast corner are the Knights of Avalon.

Keep in mind these four great exhibits are on just one sim. Imagine what all forty have?

The Relay for Life Walk takes place tomorrow, with the Opening Ceremony at 10 AM.

Press Release: Relay for Life Weekend July 18-19

Thousands of Avatars to Participate in American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Second Life on July 18-19 on the RFL Regions.


WHAT: Thousands of cancer survivors, caregivers, volunteers, and teams of walkers from Second Life communities, busineses, media outlets, and more will come together for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Second Life.

WHEN: July 18-19, 10 AM - 10 AM SL time
Opening Ceremony and a celebratory cancer survivors hour will happen at 10AM SL time on July 18.

A touching Luminaria Ceremony, where candles are lit in honor and memory of locals who have battled cancer, will happen at 10PM SL time on July 18.

WHERE: Relay For Life regions,

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Relay%20For%20Life/80/64/21

BACKGROUND

The Relay For Life movement united communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. Relay for Life events are typically community events where teams and individuals camp out at a school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. But in Second Life, we get to do it all within the virtual platform in the 17th largest Relay For Life event in the world. Each Relay team has at least one participant on the track at all times and raises funds for the American Cancer Society in the months leading up to the event.

Beginin July 11 through July 19, the Activity Regions will be open to the Second Life community. Join our Relay community for this week-long celebration. You can expect to see numerous events from live musicians, a comedian, fun games, and people celebrating in an already electrifying atmosphere.

"The campsites are built, and the atmosphere is so contagious. Join us as we bond as one team with the one common goal in fighting cancer, said Random Darrow, 2005 Relay For Life of Second Life Event Lead, "I am very proud of our Relay community. Seasoned Relayers embraced new teams and Relayers. We had a record number of new teams this year, a sign that Relay For Life in Second Life is growing!"

Since Relay For Life started in Second Life, volunteers in the virtual world have raised more than $2.6 million and hope to reach $250,000 USD for the 2015 season. Funds raised in Second Life are routed directly to the American Cancer Society through official fundraising kiosks and vendors. The money raised through this event helps the American Cancer Society to fund life-saving cancer research and to continue to be the globalleader in the fight against cancer through education and prevention initiatives.

The Relay For Life of Second Life is one of the most diverse annual events of any kins on the grid where hundreds of teams representing many communities in Second Life come together, united in their shared goal to end cancer. The event also provides an opportunity for some of the grid's most talented designers to showcase their talents on team campsites and interactive region-wide builds.

The event is open to the publice during the full 24 hours between 10AM-10AM SL time on July 18-19. "We invite everyone in Second Life, reguardless if you're a current Relayer or not. Walk the track with us, visit the campsites and builds, shop, make donations, and listen to the stream," says Stingray Raymaker, Director of RFL Online Revenye for the American Cancer Society, "There's something for everyone at the Relay For Life of Second Life, and if you want to fight cancer, this is the best way to do it!"

The Premier Sponsors of the 2015 Relay For Life of Second Life are:
Gemstone Breedables
Sol Existance
Metal Health Club and Mall
Runestone
Club Zydeco

From 10AM SL time on July 18 through 10AM July 19, you can listen to the event at T1radio.com. T1 Radio is the official broadcoast stream of Relay For Life of Second Life.

Goodbye Second Life Birthday, and Hello Relay Walk

Today, Wednesday July 8 is the last day for the exhibitors at the Second Life Birthday to pick up their exhibits. Already, much of the place looks bare. July 9, the sims all go offline. It was a great fun event, but now it's time to move on.

And just as the SL Birthday is fading away, at least until next year, the sims for the Relay for Life Walk are now open to builders, such as Dusk Griswold here for Team Sunbeamers.

So far, only the team's flag has been placed to say "we're here" at our location on RFL Strength, But the team has been working on parts of the exhibits for the past few weeks, so we'll soon have the camp ready. While the Newser will offer tantilizing sneak peek pictures to show what's there, the whole thing won't be revealed until just before the Relay. Same thing with other team camps (unless they want), although the special designer sims are fair game.

And so in one day, we say goodby to one of Second Life's bigger events, and hello to it's next one.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Relay Weekend"

(Click Here if the video doesn't load)

A video by Oldesoul Eldemar about the Relay Weekend in July.

The Relay Weekend

It was an eventful weekend, and one of the busiest I've spent on Second Life this year. Going down the Relay tracks, I spent many hours online at both events, going down the track, or just hanging out with teammates and friends. DrFran Babcock was also there, and relayed just as hard.

There were some milestones reached. The Sunbeamers raised over 110,000 Lindens, or about $450 USD, reaching Silver status. The Steelhead Salmons reached Platinum with over 527,000L, or over two thousand US dollars. And then the big milestone. One of the goals for this relay season was to reach the total amount raised in Second Life by the Relay over it's nine year history here to two million US Dollars. At the Closing Ceremonies, it was announced that goal had been met.

I'll write more on the Relay later. For now, I need some rest.
.
You can see recordings of SL TV coverage of the Relay on Livestream: (Click Here).

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoons of the Day: Relay Weekend

 Regulars at Second Life's Relay Walk often joke that the lag gets worse every year. Though this time, Linden Lab had it's big "Project Sunshine" update just days before. So some people wondered this time if it really was our imagination.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Sneak Peek at the RFL Track

Tomorrow, the Relay For Life Walk takes place. Hundreds will walk across a track going over about forty sims. For those interested in an early peek, Second Life Newser was able to take a few pictures of some of the builds.

Read more in Places.