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.

The Pleasure of Your Company is Requested...

Please join us at the Steelhead Hotel and Ballroom this Sunday, August 26th from 7-9 pm for an evening of dancing. Her Grace, the Duchess of Carntaigh will delight our ears with her splendid taste in music. Dr. Darien Mason will be our host. Refreshments will be served, to replenish your strength and fortitude as we dance the night away. Formal dress is requested and strongly suggested. Both the Blue and the Grey are welcome, as are our friends from other genteel sims.

This ball is being held in honour of the American Civil War Exhibit that is currently on display at the Caledon Library. Please pay the library a visit during the afternoon of the 26th to speak with the curator, Mr. Turing Weyland but the Battle of Fredricksburg and the exhibit. The exhibit will run until October, if you would like to learn more about this historic battle.

It was a One Eyed, One Horned, Flying....

Now that the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled, I am able to search for my pen and ink that went missing when the aliens landed......Oh, pardon me, I'm terribly ahead of myself. Perhaps I should go back to the beginning of this mess.

Thursday morning dawned bright and clear. I had noticed that we were in need of a few things back at camp and so headed to Davaar by train and trolley to pick up a few provisions. I also stopped in Victoria City to gather a few other necessary items. It was approaching evening by the time I finished all of my shopping and as the train has been rather sporadic at best, I grew tired of waiting for it to return and so headed back to camp on foot. When I got there, this is the scene that greeted me.




At first I was very nonplussed. I thought that the Blue Team had been doing some spying and had crashed their flying machine(s). I marched into the pub and sent a telegram over to a member of the blue team asking them about the debris and was told that no, it wasn't them but that Aliens had landed.

Needless to say, I was a bit surprised at this news. However shortly thereafter, my beloved arrived and I pushed that information to the back of my mind. Edward decided that a trip around Caledon in the Parsvail to look for any other landing sites would be a good idea, so he, the Duchess of Carntaigh, Miss Gustafson, Sheriff Ortega and myself boarded and flew peacefully through the air.

However, word soon reached my dear Sir Edward that our encampment at Loch Avie was under attack! We hurried back to the camp to see these very odd alien orb-ish type creatures shooting these evil fire beams at our camp! The troops mobilised, the blue team pitching in to ward off the evil attackers as well! I later heard that their camp was decimated by the creatures, of which I was very sorry to learn.

Dr. Figaro was in attendance and as some of her medical staff were unavailable, I offered my meagre services as nursemaid, doing what I could. Minor injuries were sustained in the Loch, but then we heard that the Alien had swiftly made their way to Eyre and were being very destructive. Everyone sprinted away, hurrying and sending out calls for help to others as they went.


In Eyre, Mr. Book received a very deadly chest wound. Dr. Figaro patched him up as best she could and asked me to keep an eye on him as he awaited transport in Miss Lightfoot's shop. Luckily he survived, for which I'm sure Lady Amber is exceedingly grateful. In fact, if it hadn't been for the valiant work of our dear Doctor, I'm sure the losses would have been very high that day indeed.



The Aliens

The battle raged on for quite some time. Sheriff Ortega's flying machine, the Interceptor was shot down and nearly ruined, as were many other vehicles. The Aliens seemed to be impervious to our weapons, but finally, on the bloody field of Tammaronach, the tide began to turn. Sadly, Mr. O'Toole's house was set ablaze (again) which really threw him into a murderous frenzy (understandably) and there were flames everywhere with more injuries, but slowly, Caledon began to gain the upper hand.



Finally, the battle died down. Troops were in the Moors and Mayfair with no further sightings of the hideous creatures from beyond. Hoo's and Huzzah's went up and everyone staggered back to their respective camps or abodes (as many non-militia persons joined in the defense)for the evening. Edward and I visited for awhile with the members of the Red Team who were able to keep their eyes open before collapsing into a deep sleep ourselves.

Fortunatly, many people had recovered enough to attend the ball in Steelhead on Friday. I would say the dance was a success and I do believe a good time was had by all. Afterwards, I showed Edward the changes I have made to the attic in Rosehaven and he contributed a few very important touches as well. I also had to show him the new bathroom I had put in....and the very lovely bathtub as well. Ahhhh....washing away the grit and grime of battle had never been so enjoyable! *smiles demurely*

The main battle is today....Hopefully both teams have seen that we are all Caledonians, regardless of how we eat our eggs (but everyone knows that the correct way *is* the little end) *grins* Now to lay out my things for the Duchess of Carntaigh's ball later....