Hobbit (Bilbo and Frodo) Birthday Parties

1998 Rivendell Birthday cake by Nancy Milliman,
with dark, milk & white chocolate leaves.
photo by David Lenander, used by permission
Mark Heiman found the ring! (Hidden in the cake)

Here are some photos from Rivendell’s 1997 & 2002 parties.

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Happy Birthday, Bilbo & Frodo!

Illustration by Bonnie (Bergstrom) Callahan, used by permission
originally appeared in Mythprint, the Monthly Bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society

For several years, The American Tolkien Society, the American Hobbit Association and other groups have promoted celebrating the Hobbits’ Birthday Party on or about September 20. The Mythopoeic Society used to do this in southern California in the late sixties, and most recently, last fall. I’d like to list parties here, on this page. Bonnie Callahan has agreed to have her artwork used by Mythopoeic Society groups in advertising/promoting their Parties. I’m sure that she’d be willing to let any similar Tolkien fan or scholarly group make similar use (please, no profiteering, even for charities, without permission from Bonnie–also, no political or exclusory hidden agendae, please!). I’m not about to post Bonnie’s address here, so contact me if you’d like something forwarded. If you’re using this on a poster or invitation, please send me a copy (or even 2 copies, one to keep for my files) to forward to Bonnie. And I’ll be happy to list your event here, if you like. d-lena@tc.umn.edu

If you have other ideas to share, or artwork to make available for similar use, let me know!

2008 Events

Sept. 19-20 [WI] Frodo Fest Community Library 24615 89th Street Salem, WI
Sept. 20 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying
Sept. 20 [NY] Saturday September 20th 2008
The 2008 Northeast Tolkien Society Bilbo and Frodo BirthdayAnnual Picnic
WELCOME, STRANGERS OF DISTANT LANDS, TO SHIRE WEST!!
TIME: 12 am to 4 pm
WHERE:  Tolstoy Foundation Center, 104 Lake Road, Valley Cottage, NY 10989 (opposite Mulberry Road)
Sept. 25-28 [KY] A Long-expected Party at Shaker Village in Central Kentucky Deadline for reg is Sept. 19.
Sept. 25-28 [Oxford University, England, UK] Oxonmoot will be held from the evening of Thursday 25th. September until Sunday 28th. September at Christ Church. Christ Church is in the centre of Oxford and if you have ever seen any of the Harry Potter films you should be able to recognise the main dining hall as the refectory at Hogwarts School. A warm welcome is extended in advance to all this year’s first timers, where better to experience your first Oxonmoot than at one of the historic colleges, with the Sheep’s shop from Alice In Wonderland just across the road?
There will be all the usual events, an art show, sales room, hospitality room, two days of events and the party on the Saturday evening in the “Harry Potter” hall. On Sunday morning there will be the remembrance ceremony, Enyalië, at Professor Tolkien’s grave in Wolvercote Cemetery. Coach transport to and from the cemetery will be provided but we cannot guarantee you a seat unless you indicate on your form that you require one.

2007 Minnesota Event was CANCELLED, due to a strike at the University of Minnesota.

2006 Events:

Sept. 23 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying.

2005 Events:

Sept. 16-18: Oxonmoot 2005.A weekend convention & party for Tolkien fans in Oxford, England (U.K.). This event is held over the weekend closest to the 22nd There are a range of talks, workshops, and slide-shows, plus a dealers room, an art show (with professional and amateur works), tours of Oxford, plus a quiet area where attendees can drink take refreshments and chat with old or new friends. Of course there is also a party including a masquerade (for those interested in costume making) as well as entertainments. It is a great time for making new friends in the Society. The Sunday is more sombre as there is a wreath laying and short act of remembrance at Tolkien’s grave in north Oxford, before everyone heads home.Oxonmoot 2005 will take place between Friday 16th September and Sunday 18th September at S Peter’s College, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford OX 2DL. Online booking now open.
Sept. 25 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, was partying.

TheOneRing.net lists a number of events occurring about the continent.

2004 Events:

Sept. 17-19: Oxonmoot 2004.A weekend convention & party for Tolkien fans in St. Hilda’s College, Oxford. This event is held over the weekend closest to the 22nd There are a range of talks, workshops, and slide-shows, plus a dealers room, an art show (with professional and amateur works), tours of Oxford, plus a quiet area where attendees can drink take refreshments and chat with old or new friends. Of course there is also a party including a masquerade (for those interested in costume making) as well as entertainments. It is a great time for making new friends in the Society. The Sunday is more sombre as there is a wreath laying and short act of remembrance at Tolkien’s grave in north Oxford, before everyone heads home.
Sept. 18 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying
TheOneRing.net lists a number of events occurring about the continent.

2003 Events:

Sept. : Oxonmoot in Oxford, England.
Sept. 20 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying
TheOneRing.net lists a number of events occurring about the continent. Some of the headlines:

2002 Events:

Sept. 20-22: Oxonmoot in Oxford, England.
Sept. 21 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying
TheOneRing.net lists a number of events occurring about the continent. Some of the headlines:
Sept. 19: Borders Books & Music in Chapel Hill, NC presents Bagginses Birthday Bash! Medieval weaponry & costume seminars, trivia contest, etc.
Sept. 22: SF Bay Area Picnic & Potluck
Sept. 22: A Birthday Party for Bilbo Baggins! Flagstaff, AZ.
Sept. 22: Ringer Events: Picnic in Calgary, CANADA, Hobbit play in Chico (9/7/02 Latest News)
Sept. 22: LA:Bilbo’s Birthday Party

2000 Events:

Sept. 16 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying
Sept. 22-24 [UK]: Oxonmoot in Oxford, England–3 days!, these folks know how to PARTY!, and actually, of course, it’s much more than a party.

1999 Events:

Sept. 24-26 [UK]: Oxonmoot, in Oxford, England
Sept. 26 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying

1998 Events:

September 13 [WA]: 3:00 to 6:00 (p.m., of course) at John James’s place. Contact John  for directions and to RSVP. What to bring: 1.Yourself. 2.Interested friend(s) [optional]. 3.Party food [also optional]. 4.Something Tolkien-related to read aloud to the group [optional, but highly encouraged]. : Seattle, Washington: Mithlond Lenore Jackson, e-mail: ljackson@path.org (206)284-2976 2125 1st Ave. W. #4 Seattle, WA 98119
September 18 [CT] at7:30 at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Farmington (Right off Route 9 and Route84) Southington (Central Connecticut) contact Bill Pierce
September 18 [DC]: Discussion topic: Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton (picked by Jack Brooks) AND a Bilbo & Frodo Baggins Hobbits Birthday Party!.DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington & Suburbs: Knossos contact: Mimi Stevens,  This group had the clever idea of inviting a real Bilbo Baggins from the phone book!
September 20 [CA]: Khazad-dûm party in the SF Bay area, 1998: Sunday, San Francisco Bay Area: Khazad-Düm – contact: Edith L. Crowe & Amy M. Wisniewski, Secretarial Team  See notes below about their menu ideas.
September 22 [WI]:The Outcasts of Redwall, by Brian Jaques, plus a potluck supper in honor of the book and Bilbo’s & Frodo’s Hobbits Birthday Party!! WISCONSIN Milwaukee: The Burrahobbits Jeffrey & Jan Long, 1903 N. 118th St., Wauwatosa, WI 53226.
Sept. 26 [MN]: The Rivendell Group in St.Paul-Minneapolis, MN, will be partying
I think there might also be a party in Southern California, L.A. area, organized by the Niggle’s Parish group. But I’ve received no details.

1998 PARTY REPORTS:
KNOSSOS CELEBRATES BAGGINS BIRTHDAY!

At its regular meeting on Friday, September 18, 1998, Knossos included a celebration of the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. In addition to the usual snacks of cookies, chips, pretzels, and whatever other conventional goodies members provide, we were treated to mince pies, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, salad and chicken. Mimi Stevens had baked and decorated a poppy-seed cake with a scene showing the door to Bilbo’s house and the message “Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo!” Baked into the cake was a ring, which was found by Cary Hoagland. Charles Butler passed around a card for Mr. Frodo Baggins of Washington, DC, who unfortunately was not able to be with us. We hope to make this an annual event. Maybe next year Frodo will be in town! –Mimi Stevens. (Used by permission).

Here’ s a contribution, already! David is moderator for Coinherence.

From: David Davis Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 09:52:01 -0400

Subject: RE: new Bilbo’s Birthday Party web-page

Sounds like fun. We did it one year, and each guest brought a mathom. Examples:

The Last Package of Original Fizzies
Strange Hinged Iron Device (something you’d see in Yankee magazine)
A glass aggie with a rose center (‘The Palantir of Rosie’)

Cheers!

Here’s another contribution, about a 1997 private party in Seattle, that might lead to a more public one, 1998:

* it will be a small party in someone’s apartment–all people we know, but we are very interested in finding others and doing this on a larger scale next year. As far as we know there are no Tolkien groups in Seattle.

* I’ll send you a copy of our invitation. Our party is going to be rather low-key, tea and cake, general discussion, a few songs, group reading of at least one poem, some riddles (we thought we would make up some riddles with no answers and see how long it takes people to catch on [oops, I hope they don’t read this here before the party!]) and some toasts.

*As we are expecting some 10 people at our party I thought that might be a good place to start. We were considering beginning with a kind of “guest book/album” that would invite people to share various impressions of Middle-earth (who is your favorite dwarf?). It occurred to me that we might expand that idea into a questionnaire to determine interests (Tolkien, discussion group, SF, CSL, linguistics…).

I wondered if such questionnaire has already been developed? If not, perhaps you would be willing to look at ours when we finish and see if you can make any suggestions.

* Report as of 10/7/97:

The birthday party came off very well, though it was not as well attended as we had hoped. We had copies of the Mythopoeic Society membership form available and several people took them. The riddles went over very well and people were far more gracious than Bilbo or Gollum would have been when we explained there were no right answers.

Here are two you may use if you want:

Troll with no bone;

ring with no stone.

Silence is the darkness

which makes no moan.

Wingless flies,

voiceless cries;

Ever desires,

never expires.

Also, what constellation did the Hobbits call the Teapot and why should you never eat lembas on horseback?

Ideas for the Khazad-dûm party in the SF Bay area, 1998:

*Sunday, September 20, 1998: Arrive at 1:00pm; Lunch/dinner served at 2:00pm*

CELEBRATION: Bilbo’s and Frodo’s Birthday Party

With food from THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Our Host will supply:

Sushi appetizers (fissssh, my precious)

Leg of lamb (but not hobbit)

Mushrooms and bacon

(Chocolate birthday cake not canonical, but I feel sure the hobbits would approve)

Everyone is asked to bring something to eat (or drink) mentioned in THE HOBBIT or THE LORD OF THE RINGS. This could include: chicken, rabbit, apples, potatoes, eggs, cheese, bread, pork pie, mince pie, seed cake,vnuts, dried fruit, strawberries, blackberries, plums, ale, beer, porter, tea, coffee, red wine, and goodness knows what else. If you have the recipes for cram and lembas, bring them along.