Come Celebrate in Style!

***Public Service Announcement: In Lieu of the 3rd Shire Riddle Race on Gladden this Sunday, and their addition of a fashion show, my event has been rescheduled to the following Sunday, April 28th to avoid event conflicts!***

Finally, the Anniversary Festival has gone live! I don't have too much to report about the festival itself, since it's almost exactly the same as last year. The two differences are this--you can't use the raid exploit to farm envelopes any longer, but the envelopes have a very slim chance of containing the Reveller's Gilded War-steed cosmetics. One person on Gladden obtained them this morning and posted them on GLFF. Basically, if you've seen the Reveller's Gilded Steed, you'll have a very good idea of what the war-steed appearance will be.  For a wonderful overview of the barterable cosmetics, please check out Hymne's 5th Anniversary Cosmetics entry at Cosmetic LOTRO.

Now for the meat and potatoes of this particular post!

On Sunday, April 28, at 3 PM EST, Rangers of the West and myself will be hosting a server-wide Festival Ride and Fashion Show! This is a two part event, starting at the Methel-stage in the Shire. From there, we'll be riding in unison to the Bree-land Festival Grounds. If you do come early and attend the ride, feel free to bring fireworks, mingle with us, and celebrate! Once we reach the Festival Grounds, we'll let everyone get settled in and begin the Fashion Contest!

There are two categories, non-mounted and mounted, each of which will have prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. All non-mounted players have to do is create and wear an outfit that best defines the spirit of the festival! Mounted players are encouraged to create an outfit that compliments their steed of choice, whether it be a war-steed, meta-steed, or another standard mount.

The prizes will be issued as follows:

1st Place Mounted Category: 50g, Riddermark Crystal of Remembrance, Tarnished Crest of Rohan,  3 choices of dyes
1st Place Non-mounted Category: 50g, Symbol of the Elder King (level 65), 3 Mithril Flakes, 1 Small Star-lit crystal, 3 choices of dye
2nd Place, both categories: 25g, 5 Fused Profound Relics, 2 choices of dye
3rd Place, both categories: 10g, 5 Fused Aged Relics, 1 choice of dye

**Each dye prize is a stack of 3. If you win multiple dye packages, please choose different colors...supplies are limited.**
**Prizes have also been graciously donated by Serious Business, Rangers of the West, and Turning of the Tide**

The criteria by which I will be judging is as follows:

1) The originality of the outfit
2) The integration of pieces used
3) The blending of colors
4) Overall impression

Did you know that the 24th will be the 1 year anniversary of Material Middle-Earth? I can't believe it's already been a whole year! I remember opening this cosmetic blog with a contest for the Forgotten Darkness kinship. Who would have thought I'd be helping to host server events?

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Also, Lilyrose and her kinship, Rangers of the West, are planning a series of events that take place at various locations during the festival. As of right now, we have a horse race scheduled for Saturday, April 27th at 12 PM EST that will include a course taking playersfrom the Forsaken Inn to the finish line at Weathertop. If all goes well, we're also planning a Fireworks Extravaganza for the final night of the festival!