Firestorm Aniversary Party, And Gifts

 

On Saturday, September 12, Team Firestorm would hold an anniversary party, it's sixteenth. Their actual anniversary of when they were founded as Team Phoenix in 2010 was on Thursday September 3. But they moved it to the weekend after Labor Day so more people could celebrate.

 

Firestorm is turning 16 this week! Our actual birthday was on September 3, but we want to celebrate BIG TIME, and we want you to join us. That is why we are moving our party to the weekend… Saturday September 12. Yes, we will have a party. And yes, there will be gifts – four really nice ones. There will also be some amazing entertainment. There is only one more thing we need – you! Please join us.

 

The fun started at 12 with the popular SL singer Maxamillion Kleene. At 1PM, singer Tally Mercury took his place. From 2 to about 3 SL time came DJ Trick. To make sure more people could enjoy the fun, the party took place at the intersection of four sims.  Beq Janus, the Project Manager since founder Jessica Lyon stepped down in January 2024, was there with the partiers. So was Pantera Północy, noted for filming Linden events such as monthly Concierge & Land User Group meet-ups. 

 

There was a lot of fun to be had, with lots of people in avatars of all kinds dancing away to the music.

 

And as always, Team Firestorm had some presents available for those attending.  One was "a bohemian inspired" bedroom set, which had a spacious bed along with a nightstand and lamp. It was described as "legacy and PBR textures applied," as well as having single and couples animations (I didn't check to see if any were clearly for behind closed doors). There was also a post with a set of birdhouses, with a weathered rustic look. 

 

There was also a a fiery pawed cougar from Wild Kajaera. It's a forever pet which needs no food but can't breed either. One can make it breedable, for a fee, but it will then need food every so often. And finally, there was the KittiCatS collectable kitty. They had another for it's third anniversary, a red one. This one was different, black with flames of a different shade of red. When it's new, you can place it on your shoulder if you know where to click. 

 

If you're interested, the gifts are still available. But they won't be up forever. So if you haven't yet, check them out. - https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Ghost%20Town/14/240/3903 

 

Happy anniversary Team Firestorm. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

In Brief

 

There's a lot going on, and just a little time at the moment to write about it. So here's the short version of a few top stories. 

 

There was an announcement this Sunday from Club Furbidden that the club would be closing. Skitty (XxwildskittlesxX Resident) stated there would be about three weeks of events left. 

 

On Saturday September 12, Team Firestorm would hold it's anniversary party, it's 16th. There were three hours of music, plus gifts people can still head over and grab.

 

For Fantasy Faire fans who would like to visit one of the sims, good news.  Contraption, the sponsor of one of the 2025 Fantasy Faire areas, has made it's own place look like the sim at the event. 

 

More on these, and other stories, later.  

 

Spoonful of Sugar Fundraiser

 

The Spoonful of Sugar Festival is going on. The event is to raise money for the "Doctors Without Borders" organization. It started Saturday Sept 12 and is going on to Sunday Sept 27. 

 

Ever Courtois would say, "It deeply pleases me to say the 2026 Spoonful of Sugar Festival will mark our 12th Anniversary and put us on task to have raised over $200,000 USD for this magnificent movement."

 

There are a few things to do at the festival. One can admire the scenery. There's also shopping one can do at various stores. There are also gacha machines to try your luck at, and raffles one can get a ticket for. And there are the music and dance parties. There is at least one every day. 

 

"Doctors Without Borders is an international independent medical humanitarian organization delivering emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries. " 

 

To get there, head to https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UberGlobal%20Landington/127/106/23 .

 

For a list of the events, check here: https://thesosfestival.com/spoonful_of_sugar_events.html 

 

For more information, check the website at https://thesosfestival.com/ .

 

 Bixyl Shuftan

 

September 11 - "A Fireman's Prayer"

 

When I am called to duty,
whenever the flames my rage,
give me strength to save some
life whatever be their age.
Help me embrace a little child
before it is too late,
or save an old person from
the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert,
and hear the weakest shout.
And quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me.
To guard my every neighbor,
protect his property.
And if according to my fate
I am to lose my life,
please bless with your protecting hand
my children and my wife.

9/11/01 - We will never forget

Poem by Firefighter A.W. “Smokey” Linn

 

 

Firestorm 16th Anniversary Party Saturday Sept 12

 

A few days ago was Team Firestorm's official anniversary.  Soon afterwards, they would announce a party to mark the occasion. 

 

Firestorm is turning 16 this week! Our actual birthday was on September 3, but we want to celebrate BIG TIME, and we want you to join us. That is why we are moving our party to the weekend… Saturday September 12. Yes, we will have a party. And yes, there will be gifts – four really nice ones. There will also be some amazing entertainment. There is only one more thing we need – you! Please join us.

 

The event itself will last for three hours, with three musicians.

 

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM SLT – Maximillion Kleene (Live Singer)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM SLT – Tally Mercury (Live Singer)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM SLT – Our very own DJ Trick

 

To keep areas from overloading, the team is asking people to TP to different areas, depending on what letter their first name starts with.

 

A – J:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Ghost%20Town/14/240/3903
K – R:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Aerodrome/240/17/3902
S – Z:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Dow%20Forest/238/238/3902

 

And like other Firestorm parties, there will be gifts available for those who want them. One is "a bohemian-inspired bedroom set." Another is a birdhouse post. And there are two pets available. One is a firey-pawed cougar from Wild Kajaera. The other is a collectable kitty from KityCats. This one is different from the one in 2014. 

 

For more information, Click Here to check the Firestorm blog.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Team Firestorm Anniversary Thursday September 3

 

 

A couple days ago, Thursdayday September 3, was the sixteenth anniversary of Team Firestorm's, then Team Phoenix, founding. Team Phoenix came out of the "Emeraldgate" scandal, that hit what was then Second Life's most popular third-party viewer in August 2010, eventually causing Linden Lab to react, then Jessica Lyon and others to break away and form a team of their own "From the ashes of Emerald." The details of the controversy can be read in this 2018 article. 

 

For it's first 15 anniversaries, there were announcements of parties. But while their viewer marked the occasion with pink lettering and a short message, there was no new announcement in their blog (https://www.firestormviewer.org/). Perhaps in a few days.

 

Happy anniversary Firestorm.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Walk Around The Grid: Pet Pharmacy's Sixth Anniversary

 

Netera Landar was recently at the anniversary party of a venue known as Pet Pharmacy. Attendance was heavy, with everyone well-dressed, and dancing to swing music by the DJs.

 

See Netera's screenshots of the anniversary in Events.  

 

The Happy Vixen's 15th Anniversary

 

Some clubs don't make it to their first year. So when one reaches 15 years, it's reason to celebrate. Last month, the Happy Vixen Beach club turned 15 years old. And at the end of the month, Nydia Tungsten held an anniversary party for it. 

 

Read more in SL Clubbin'. 

 

A Fun Weekend

 

 

The weekend had some fun activities. With this being the 250th Fourth of July weekend, while some went to celebrations in both Washington DC and locally in real life, there were some inworld as well. Sometimes they were a day early, such as the one at Club Cutlass. Sadly, community Rita Mariner wasn't there, possibly due to power outages that took down some residents. But Jenni Greenfield took a break from her hiatus to appear for the red white and blue celebration. 

 

 

Cutlass and other places would be closed on Saturday July 4, as were others. But some places had small parties, such as a the pool party at Raglan Shire's "Ool" (the running joke here is there should be no "p" in the "pool"). One resident showed up as a cloud of red, white, and blue fireworks. 

 

 

 

 

Sunday July 5 had some events. At the Second Life Birthday grounds at SLB Delightful, there was a "Dream Machine Gala" at 12 Noon by Carolyn Handrick, which lasted for about three hours. 

 

Also at Noon was the Anniversary Ball of Antiquity, at,it's Buckingham Palace. The community has been around for nineteen years. For the upper crust, the wearing of crowns and sashes was encouraged as for roleplay purposes this was a state event. The ladies and gentlemen danced, as well as chatted, and mused, about goings on. There was also a note of thanks from the Relay for Life for it's contributions to Team ACTS. 

 

There was also a Homes For Our Troops fundraiser. But sorry to say real-life would drag me away from seeing it. There will be another one for today, Monday July 6.  

 

Finally at 5:30 tonight was a small party at the Happy Vixen Beach Club with "Mister E" DJing the tunes. Hostess Kitacelia brought her own fireworks. 

 

It was a great Fourth weekend.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Announcement: Happy Vixen Anniversary Party

 

 This weekend, the Happy Vixen Beach club will be celebrating it's anniversary, it's fifteenth. For fifteen years, the club and the people behind it have entertained both locals and their friends and the occasional traveler. And now it's time to celebrate with a special party.

 

The event will be on Sunday June 28, from 6 to 9PM SL time. DJ Mallit will be spinning the tunes. 

 

 https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Purrfection%20Estates/134/145/21

 

"The Squeeze"

 

There's a lot going on, and just a little time to write about it.

 

I've thought of June as our Busy Time, and this year is no exception. First came the SL Newser anniversary, a time for me and the staff to look back at what we've done and celebrate a little. Then came the Relay Track and Relay Weekend. And while this was going on, getting ready for the Second Life Birthday. This meant more than just writing about it  but also getting the exhibit ready of which the main builder Silvia had some bad luck that couldn't be helped. So time was spent getting the backup plan ready. Gemma still needs some time to recover before she can write. And of course there is real life and it's demands.

 

What this means is we're not gong to be able to cover things quite as much as we like. Some Relay exhibits we would have otherwise put the spotlight on will need to wait until a reader submission. Some things about the Second Life Birthday will need to wait, from a few days to over a week. 

 

We'll keep doing the best we can. It's just that some things will have to wait, and a few things with a window will be missed. And you can still count on daily updates. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Newser 

 

Reminder: Newser Party Today

 

Just a reminder, the SL Newser anniversary party is today, Saturday June 6, at the Happy Vixen Beach club at Noon SL time, with DJ Snowy scheduled to play the tunes. 

 

Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24)  

 

See you there

 

Join the Newser For a PARTY!

 

It was today, sixteen years ago, in which the Second Life Newser began.. It was quite an eventful month, in which we wrote about the end of the classic "Greenies" sim, the decline of Ozimal breedable pet bunnies, the Relay for Life, the Second Life Seventh Birthday, and of course Linden Lab laying off thirty percent of it's workforce followed soon by the resignation of then CEO M Linden. And since then, the Newser and it's writers have kept on going.

 

And now, we're taking a moment to celebrate. There will be a party at the Happy Vixen Beach club tomorrow, Saturday June 6, from Noon to 2PM. There will be a small contest prize (CAYA) up for grabs. It's a chance talk to some of the reporters, and a moment to celebrate journalism in this virtual world.

 

Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24)  

 

*Addition* It slipped my mind earlier to mention the party was on Saturday, for some reason.  

 

Subject to last-minute change 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

The Newser Is Approved To Be In The SL23B

 

 We got the news last week, but wanted to wait until we received the final stage of approval, the plot of land. We got word of that yesterday, and now we can say we've "thrown our hat into the ring."

 

The Second Life Newser will be part of the Second Life Birthday, the SL23B. 

 

Our plot's in SLB Beguile. The big hat's our marker until the exhibit is placed there. 

 

So what will it be? Well, you'll see. For now, this is all we can show of the plot, at least until the opening on Thursday June 18.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

A Busy Weekend

 

It was quite the weekend in Second Life. Sunday had the 18th Annual Bay City Anniversary Parade and Pary (above). Also that same day was the start of the Raglan Shire Artwalk, which began with a music party. There were also a number of Relay events, including a "Bronzing Party" in which a number of teams that raised just a little money got a boost to Bronze level.

 

More on these events later.

 

Press Release: Bay City's 18th Anniversary Celebration.

BAY CITY CELEBRATES EIGHTEEN YEARS

This Classic City Area was the First “Mole” Project

BAY CITY, SL (30 April, 2026) - The Second Life® mainland community of Bay City reaches the eighteenth anniversary or its initial release this May, and Bay City Residents are once again hosting their traditional parade down the city’s Route 66, followed by a live music event in their fairgrounds.

The first project of the Linden Department of Public Works, Bay City opened in May of 2008 to initial viewing. In 2011, its land mass doubled, as it absorbed the copy of Bay City that existed on the former Teen Grid. It has developed into the largest community-focused virtual urban area in Second Life.

Parade participants are asked to gather at noon SLT/PDT on Sunday, the 17th of May, to lineup at the band shell in Bay City - Harwich. The parade will wend its way down Route 66 beginning at 12:30 p.m. SLT/PDT, and will conclude at the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel region. 

A music event will kick off at 12:30 p.m. SLT/PDT at the Fairgrounds with DJ DJ GoSpeed of KONA Stream providing music leading into the event until 1:30 p.m.SLT/PDT , followed by AleyKat (Aleylia Resident)from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. SLT/PDT, Jesie Janick from 2:30-3:30 p.m. SLT/PDT, and Raspberry Rearwin from 3:30-4:30 p.m. SLT/PDT.

All Residents of the Second Life grid are encouraged to participate. Celebration goods, including parade float bases and ideas, are available at the Bay City Community Center, in the Daley Bay region for those who wish to be a part of the event. Ample viewing areas are provided for all. The music event is also open to all who desire to attend -- not only Residents of Bay City, but the entire grid is welcome.

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life® and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest Bay city group, and home to most Residents of Bay City.

For more information, contact: Marianne McCann

 

EOTB: Applications Being Accepted For SL23B Shop & Hop

 

For merchants wanting to take part in the Second Life Birthday Shop and Hop event, good news. Yesterday on April 30, Linden Lab announced it was accepting applications for the shopping event. 

 

For those interested, business owners wanting to be part of the event need to fill out an application on Google Docs (here). The SLB Shop and Hop will last for the duration of The Birthday, Thursday, June 18 thru Sunday, July 19. The setup itself will be from Friday June 5 to Monday June 8. Merchants are required to have all items in their store discounted by at least 20 percent, and have at least one available as a gift to anyone, or a gift certificate worth at least 299L, reguardless if they're in the store group or not. Politics is to be avoided, and items not for sale at the store cannot be advertised. 

 

This year, the Shop and Hop sims will be in two areas, one General-rated, and one Adult-rated. So those wanting to be in the Adult area can request it. Those wishing to be part of the General-Audience area need to keep their items and decor fit for the sim rating.  

 

Applications for the Shop and Hop need to be turned in earlier than other SLB applications, by Sunday May 10. Volunteers, Exhibitors and Entertainers need to turn theirs in by May 18. 

 

For more information, read the official blog post here.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

SLB23B Open To Applications For Volunteer Staff

 

Last week on April 14, Linden Lab announced they were accepting applications by residents wanting to be volunteer staff for the Second Life 23rd Birthday celebrations, or SL23B. 

 

 

We’re looking for volunteers to help bring the celebration to life. SL23B volunteers play an important role in welcoming visitors, assisting with events, and helping guests explore the birthday regions.

We’re seeking Residents with strong people skills, patience, and enthusiasm for sharing the best of Second Life with others. Volunteers help answer questions, guide visitors through the celebration regions, and support the many activities happening throughout the event.

If you enjoy helping others and want to be part of the team that makes SL23B run smoothly, we encourage you to submit a volunteer application ....

 

Those interested in submitting an application need to do so through this Google doc (here).  Besides being courteous, you need to keep your appearance appropriate for a General-audience sim, as well as wearing the group tag and team shirt. You must commit to shifts two hours long and be available for at least a minimum total of eight hours for the event, longer totals very much preferred. And volunteers *must* attend a pre-event training session, with those not showing up removed from the group. And as these are strictly volunteer positions, no compensation in Linden dollars will be offered. 

 

Volunteer applications need to be submitted by Monday May 18.  This is the same date as exhibitors and performers. The information for those wanting to take part in the Shop and Hop is currently pending. 

 

The SL23B will take place from Thursday June 18 to July 19.  The theme this year is The Golden Age of Hollywood. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

(sorry for the delay, lots of things happening) 

 

SL Video: "Bellisseria 7th Anniversary "

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

 From Sceneris on April 13, "Second Life Bellisseria 7th Anniversary"

 

SL23B Announced: "The Golden Age of Hollywood," Applications For Exhibitors, Performers, Being Accepted

 

 Earlier today, Linden Lab announced it was planning for the Second Life 23rd Birthday, or SL23B. The theme this year is "The Golden Age of Hollywood."

 

Save the date! On June 23rd, Second Life turns 23. The 23rd annual Second Life birthday celebration (SL23B) will take place from June 18th through July 19th, 2026. Get ready for a full month of live music, performances, community exhibits, and celebrations across the grid.

This year’s theme is The Golden Age of Hollywood. Think classic cinema, red carpets, vintage glamour, and the magic of the silver screen. 

 

Linden Lab would also announce they were accepting applications for Exhibitors and Performers.

 

We are inviting Residents from across the community to create non-commercial exhibits that reflect the depth and diversity of Second Life. From art and roleplay to communities, nonprofits, and interactive experiences, exhibits highlight the many ways people connect and create together.

 

 

Performances are a major part of the SL birthday celebrations, bringing energy and entertainment to stages throughout the event. We are looking for a wide range of performers to join the festivities. DJs, live musicians, singers, dance troupes, theater groups, particle performers, lecturers, workshop hosts, and community storytellers are all welcome to apply. Performances help create the lively atmosphere that makes the birthday celebration memorable for visitors from around the world. 

 

Those interested in being an exhibitor for the SL23B need to fill out this form on Google docs.  Exhibitors are not required to follow the theme, though "We encourage you to share what makes your Second Life experience meaningful. Your interests. Your communities. Your creativity." Some exhibition sims will be Adult-rated, and you can apply to be in one. It's pointed out an exhibit cannot be commercial and one cannot sell anything there (you can offer gifts) or be blatantly advertising (simple mentions of sponsors are okay). Political messages are considered not appropriate for the celebration, and what is considered hateful content is prohibited. People are asked if they want a small, medium, or large plot, and will need to explain why if they want medium or large, and if it's water or land. As there are a finite number of plots, applying does not guarantee a spot. 

 

For performers, they need to fill out this form on Google docs.  While DJs and live musicians certainly come to mind, there can be others such as comedians, particle show makers, script class teachers, and more. They are also required to show up at least an hour before their sloted time and if late a replacement will be found to fill in the slot. They are also required to bring in their own audio stream. For events in Gemeral-rated sims, the clean versions of songs must be the ones used. 

 

Both those wishing to be exhibitors or performers have until May 18 to apply. Applications for SL23B volunteer staff and shops for the SL23B Shop and Hop will be offered at a later date. 

 

For the blog post in full: Click Here. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan