Battle of Fredricksburg Ball

Sunday evening saw a ball being held in honour of the Battle of Fredricksburg exhibit which was and is currently on display in the Caledon Library (please go and see it). For those of you who don't know (and I was one of the masses), the Battle of Fredricksburg was one of the many battles fought in the American Civil War (or War between the States if that pleases you). The South had a decisive victory in this battle, with about half the fatalities the North suffered and less injuries as well.

Several weeks ago, Mr. JJ Drinkwater approached me about this ball, as it was scheduled to be on my rez day and he didn't want it to conflict with any plans I may have had. I am not one for big parties for myself, so I didn't mind that it was being held on this day at all (of course, if you've read the Surprise post, you know that I had a party anyhow, regardless of what I think about it *smiles broadly*). So while I knew this ball was going to happen and occur in Steelhead I was blissfully unaware of any other details.

However, due to some circumstances and miscommunication, the ball nearly did not happen. Knowing the amount of work that Mr. Drinkwater and his hard working staff had put into the exhibit and seeing a golden opportunity for Steelhead to shine being lost, I offered up my services to assist in bringing the Ball to life.

While it was a fair amount of work, I must say that I rather enjoyed finding furnishings and accessories for the hotel as well as decorating and getting everything together. My dear brother Lunar helped me out to no end and working with the Duchess of Carntaigh is always a pleasure. I decided that it would be beneficial to used the dance card system, as it brings an element of order to what has the potential to be chaotic. Most of the ball attendants (if they'd ever attended a Caledon ball) would be familiar with the system and as there was a clear explaination of how it all worked at the top of the card, I believed that most people would be intelligent enough to either use the cards or at least understand if a potential dance partner was booked if they chose to "dance on the fly" as it were.

I hurried down to the hotel fifteen minutes prior to the dance, hoping the ice sculpture was still in shape. Guests were already arriving and the Duchess of Carntaigh was welcoming them warmly, directing them to where the dance cards where and otherwise being the charming lady she is. The actual dancing was to commence at 7:15, which gave people time to find a dance partner and choose a dance set.

Colonel Exrex Somme was my first partner of the evening....and this is when the fun began. For some reason, the Lindens decided to start maintanence on the grid, and this combined with over 50 people, caused lag of epic proportions (I also heard that the dance ball scripts went haywire too). However, as the crowd was accustomed to such trivial nuisances, we all made light of it and laughed it off.


Some of the dancers


Miss Kattryn Severine, the First Lady and owner of Steelhead, looking stunning as usual

Overall, it was a successful evening. In my opinion, I think it showed that Steelhead, both the sim and most if its' residents, have outgrown it's rustic past and has matured, perhaps even come into it's own as a place where people can come to have an enjoyable evening....casual or formal. It is no longer a place that is known merely for one service provided, but as a place where you can come and enjoy a friendly, cheerful atmosphere and have a splendid time. For any of those who are interested, the Hotel is available for rent for parties and functions. Please contact Miss Kattryn Severine for details.

It was also an excellent learning experience for myself as well. I can see where things need to be changed for any future events (restarting the sim for example) and what else that can be done to make our events even more enjoyable for the attendees. I was able to make contacts with people in New Babbage, Antiquity and Deadwood so we can share information about social events, which is very important in my opinion.

I would like to thank everyone who was able to attend, and extend my sincerest apologies for the lag and any other annoyances/discomforts you may have had to endure. Please be sure to visit us again and drop in for one of our Friday dances at the Kokopelli stage.