CONTACT: Marianne McCann Bay City Alliance marianne.mccann (at) gmail.com Bay City, SL (October 13, 2024)
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BAY CITY BECOMES "HAY CITY"
Annual autumnal hay maze offers fun, spooks.
BAY CITY, SL (13th October, 2024) - Bay City is hosting its fourteenth annual Hallowe'en Hay Maze in the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel Region. The space will welcome people from all over the grid to explore a traditional autumn hay maze filled with critters and spooky effects.
The Hay Maze was built by Marianne McCann, with landscaping by Pygar Bu and assistance from Kriss Lehmann of Botanical and the Linden Department of Public works, Enjoy a fun, spooky trek through the maze, and avoid the ghosts, rats, and giant spiders along the way!
After completing the maze, Bay City also welcome you to check out a couple of our permanent locations with a scary flair: the Channel Island Asylum and the Falmouth Hotel. You'll find signs pointing the way after you exit the maze.
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.
On November the 6th Kit
received the award and eternal bragging rights.
Some words from the
happy and proud winner:
Now that's an amazing
award!
Thanks Vick, and thanks to everyone at the Bay City Post, the
judges, and especially all the cool cats in Bay City that
participated and set out some sweet treats and decorations! Bay City
Alliance, neighbours, and friends in this amazing Bay City!
...amazing Trophy, I
love it!
Again, please pass on
to everyone involved that I'm thrilled and so nice to be in BC.
Thanks!
You well deserved it Kit! Thank you for participating.
The Bay
City Hay Maze received special attention from the Bay City Fire
Department (BCFD) for two reasons, to prevent a fire and, once a
week, to search for lost people.
A few days after the
Creepy
Crawl message came from the organizers that one visitor didn't
come home.
The BCFD, under
leadership of Lucien Greybeard, went out in full force to search for the lost visitor.
They went around the
outside of the maze and shouted hoping for a reply. From a distance
one could hear a faint reply. (click on an image to see it enlarged)
The rescue workers
immediately extended the boom of the fire truck and one volunteer
went up to see the path of the maze and the origin of the sound.
Rescue workers entered the
maze, oxygen, food and water with them. Under guidance from above
they carefully manoeuvred through the maze leaving a rope behind them.
They found the young lady
lost in the maze, dizzy, confused, tired and completely dehydrated. She mumbled something about breadcrumbs. After applying first
aid she was taken out of the maze following the rope.
In an ambulance, sirens
on, she was taken to an undisclosed location.
The BCFD did not reveal
the name of the victim so we could not ask her about her ordeal and
rescue.
The BCFD closed of the
maze for being too dangerous.
While discussions were going on to make the maze safer for visitors the weather changed.
Pictures by Lucien
Greybeard, used with permission. Please see more pictures from Lucien
from it's Flickr
page.
For the last few years
Xiola Linden has organized the Creepy Crawl, visits around the grid
in a Halloween theme listening to music, dance and having creepy fun. Each location is
raided with a creepy crowd for half an hour before the next location
is creeped. This year was no exception.
The creepy crawl started
visiting the May Haze, er, Hay Maze at the Bay City Fairgrounds.
At 10 o'clock the creepy
crowd gathered at the fairgrounds. DJ Gospeed Rasere, from a
distance, spinned up the wheels and the music started.
Many of SL celebrities
attended. Of course Xiola but also Strawberry Linden in her first
creepy crawl with a Linden last name. Steven, Wendi and Wulf Linden
joined.
Avi Arrow and Kennylex
Luckless were there, representing the old mainland around the Ivory
Tower of Primitives.
Bixyl Shuftan of the SL
Newser was present.
Evola Courtois, Solo
Anatra, Vian Magic, Yeya Zuta, and Marianne McCann, amongst others,
brought their Bay City pride to the event.
The crowd topped out at 40
people, only because that was as many as could fit. Same with the
conga line, which was maxed out for a large part of the time.
People were well dressed
for the occasion. Some were just covered with a sheet and pretended
to be a ghost, others went the full mile and were dressed with
clothes, but without flesh. Some wolves were seen running around
fighting over a pelvis.
For over half an hour the
crowd had a great time at the fairgrounds, drinking freshly made Bay
City Brew that made them glow a little.
Some dared to enter the
maze, some found the exit, some will be recovered by the BCFD
recovery party next week.
When the clock stroke half
past ten most of the creepers poofed away to the next location in Dreadville. Pity the ones left behind, they had to clean up the mess.
It was a great party.
Can't wait for next years Creepy Crawl.
One month ago the Bay City Post started
the Bay City Post Halloween Contest with a publication in this
newspaper. Residents were challenged to make their parcel in theme
with the period and make it the best. After a donation to Childs Play
the parcel would be judged and the maker of best themed parcel would
receive an award and eternal bragging rights.
Here are the results of the judging.
The first entries came just days after
the publication. Slowly but surely the whole of Bay City turned
Halloween.
Judging started October 28th and all
the entries were visited.
The parcel of Roc Plutonian can be
described as a skeleton party. A bandstand with skeleton musicians,
fresh from the graves. Dancing in a circle of fire more skeletons.
Also, Roc is the landlord of The Bay
City Post and he has certain pictures.
One shed, a high fence around the
parcel. The shed is on fire, around the fire ghosts moving around. A
clown laughing. Fog is creeping up from the damp ground. Children are
invited to get their treats. Don't go there! Hahaha....
During judging it became obvious. It's either Roc
or Kit.
(opens envelope)
I herewith announce Kit Calico the
winner of the Bay City Post Halloween Contest!
Congratulations Kit! The best
goldsmiths are working on your award right now.
Thank you everybody that participated!
The donations were big and small with a
total of L$4500. Thank you!
Residents of Bay City and
members of the Bay City Alliance are invited to participate in this
contest!
To participate-
Decorate the outside your
place, preferably in Bay City (not complete regions outside Bay City), in a Halloween theme or a theme that matches your
culture for this period.
Place the shield (below, provided
in a 512 PNG file) visible in front of your place.
Take a picture of your
place with the shield in view.
Send the picture (JPG
format, 1024 wide) and a landmark to the editor (vickforcella (at)
gmail (dot) com) OR make a picture on your profile feed with landmark
and inform the editor on it's profile feed.
Do this before October the
28th.
City officials and Bay
City Post reporters are invited to participate as well.
Your place will be visited
by an independent judge between the entry date and November 2nd.
The winner will be
announced in the next edition of the Bay City Post and will receive a
unique award. (and eternal bragging rights)
Your pictures and your
landmarks can be used in the Bay City Post.
Use this image/ shield (click, open, download, upload to SL)
It's October in our fair city, and that means ghosts, goblins, candy, parties!...and the always wonderful annual Hay Maze in the Fairgrounds. Each year it seems to get bigger, better, and scarier! Stop on down and explore...but bring some friends to keep you safe!
Residents looking for other scares in Bay City can check out the two following classics, plus a brand new find:
1. Channel Island Asylum - Spooky all year long, the asylum is great old-school fun, with poses and photo-ops galore.
2. Falmouth Hotel - When you land at the hotel, you get this message, which means it is a location to find Glytches!:
"Look at the upper right corner of your screen now. If you see boxes for Glytches that you just caught, please accept them now. Don't wait! If you would like to play Tyrah and the Curse of the Magical Glytches on this parcel (and many others) you need to be wearing a HUD and a weapon for collecting Glytches. You can read more about the game Tyrah and the Curse of the Magical Glytches at this URL: https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:TCMG."
3. Cafe Sheree in Harwich - Zombies and giant spiders and some very...seasonal food. Check out Cafe Sheree! Then again, judging by some of the current customers, your wait for food may be a bit long...
Enjoy the fun, and make sure to check out all of the columns to the left, to see what our roving reporters have been up to this month!
X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X
BREAKING BREAKING BREAKING
Maybe it's best to skip Taco Tuesday this time...
...and maybe toxic Taco should call an exterminator!
WELCOME to the sixty-second issue of the Bay City Post! -
Keeping you updated on the best city on the grid! Let's see what's happening in our fair city as November rolls around.
October ended with a grand Hallowe'en tradition, the Creepy Crawl, sponsored by Linden Lab. According to a report from Tuesday's Bay City Alliance meeting, "(The Crawl) rolled through the Fairgrounds with some 48 people, including quite a number of Lindens. Thanks to GoSpeed Racer for spinning some great Hallowe'en tunes from the great beyond. The Hay Maze is now being dismantled and the
fairgrounds will return to 'normal' with the help of the LDPW. Hazmat crews are on standby."
"MOAR PRIMS!" That was the joyful cry in Bay City last night as news broke about the 50% increase in Mainland prim allowance, causing more than one citizen to dance in the streets. As Bay City already gets a double prim allowance, that's quite a big deal! What will you be doing with YOUR extra prims? This issue of the Post features some great work by our roving reporters: Uccie Poultry-Seale continues her award-winning interview series with an insightful discussion with Geohistoria Farshore; Dakota Schwade explores the difference between Bay City's East and West sides; and Cheeky Geek Qie Niangao teaches us how to protect objects from unwelcome "sitters". In addition, Marianne McCann dispels the myth of Da Boom; Georgia Florence Sipe continues her fashion series featuring Jackie O.; Police Chief Hooker provides a detailed report on Bay City shenanigans; and AdudenamedAnthony gives us the rumble report and some insights on the upcoming US elections.
All that, and maybe some more! Enjoy!
***********************************************
Breaking, Breaking, Breaking!
Things got out of hand at the first "Burning Taco" festival! Where IS that fire company when you need them?? Because there was also THIS:
Toxic Tacos' special "More Prims Brunch Buffet" goes astray!
WELCOME to the Forty-ninth issue of the Bay City Post! - Keeping you updated on the best city on the grid.
Scary Stuff!
It's October, and here's the post!
Bay City is one of the few places to have spooky sights year round. Check out the Asylum in South Channel, or the Falmouth Hotel in Falmouth, for wall-to-wall spooks on Hallowe'en or any day!
Also, check out the hay maze for some more general rated spooks: the hay maze may not have a lot of blood and gore like some other places, but it's still got plenty of spooks and things that go bump in the night for those who enjoy their scares without it being a Grand Guignol presentation.
UFOs spotted over the westside! Attempts to communicate unsuccessful.
"Klaatu Barada... necktie" received no response.
*****
BAY CITY BECOMES "HAY CITY"
Annual autumnal hay maze offers fun, spooks.
Bay City is hosting its fifth annual Hallowe'en Hay Maze in the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel Region. The space will welcome people from all over the grid to explore a traditional autumn hay maze filled with critters and spooky effects.
The Hay Maze was built by Marianne McCann, with landscaping by Pygar Bu and assistance from Kriss Lehmann of Botanical and the Linden Department of Public works, Enjoy a fun, spooky trek through the maze, and avoid the ghosts, rats, and giant spiders along the way!
After completing the maze, Bay City also welcome you to check out a couple of our permanent locations with a scary flair: the Channel Island Asylum and the Falmouth Hotel. You'll find signs pointing the way after you exit the maze.
*****
HOT BAY CITY NIGHTS A SUCCESS!
Event includes the crowning of new Miss Bay City, Belle Mistwallow
Bay City's Annual Hot Bay City night event concluded with L$60,000 raised for charity, a new Miss Bay City, and a great weeklong event. The latest person to be crowned was Belle Mistwallow. Runners up were Ayame Kintsugi (Zombiegal Resident), Micha (MichaMoz Resident), Cinder Roxley, and Wellington Beam
The event was initially delayed due to health issues and other concerns, but this did not stop the show from going on. Stepping up to build the venue this time out was ADudeNamed Anthony, who did a stellar job with the area. He also was one of the car vendors, and provided a brand-new mesh 1961 2Zoetic Panther to our new Miss Bay City.
A big thank you to all who played a part in the event, including Priscilla Cox and Rachel Seelowe for organizing car washes, Pygar Bu for Emceeing the Miss Bay City event, and ADudeNamed Anthony, Kinnaird (Resident), Marianne McCann, and Evola Courtois for judging contestants.
*****
Page 2 Editorial: "Resurgance"
I've been around Bay City since the first auctions. As a result, I've seen the city through a lot of ups and downs. The days when people were making horrific, bloody, physical grief-ish displays on their parcels in order to force sales of land, for example.
We've faced painful losses and other maladies that have at times shook our city to the core. We have also experienced great highs here. Some of my happiest SL moments were a direct result of Bay City.
Indeed, the city has its ebbs and flows, and I am pleased to say that we're in the midst of the former. While we are not without some issues -- the amount of open land on the westside, or whatever has been going on in Bay City - Sconset, for example -- the city is thriving.
Our city, in the last few months, has gained some great new residents, who are making this city even greater. Take for example, Bay City - Truro, even stretching now into Bay City - Barnstable. What was once empty and unattractive is now home to some great, places to RP and enjoy led by Bay City Residents new and old. Or consider Bay City - Falconmoon and the new hedge maze located there by Belle Mistwallow.
As they create great things, they potentially inspire neighbors to do the same, and encourage other great folks to join Bay City.
It's great to see the city thrive and reach new heights, and wonderful to see new friends enter the fold!
*****
WEATHER REPORT:
Local dopper radar spots flurries of Tacos outside Toxic Taco in Bay City - Sandwich.
WELCOME to the forty-first issue of the Bay City Post! - Keeping you updated on the best city on the grid.
Warmth
We're deep in Autumn now, and heading towards the winter months (and winter events, eek!). Traditionally, this is when those of us in the States look towards Thanksgiving dinner and family get-togethers for Hanukkah, Christmas, or other winter holidays.
With that in mind, I want to encourage you to reach out to your own Bay City family, too. Let's let the holidays be a time when we will have a place to call home, and people to call neighbors. I'll also be the first to say thank you to all who make Bay City one of the friendliest bergs on the virtual roads of Second Life!
All that... and all the bird cage lining you've come to expect from Bay City's finest paper
*****
BREAKING BREAKING BREAKING
Hallowe'en Hay Maze ends in disaster.
Who knew it was so flammable?
*****
A touching Memorial to Ever Dreamscape by Dee Darwin
Beautiful Work, Dee!
*****
GUEST EDITORIAL by Cheree Shippe
Bay City: City of the the 21st Century and Beyond
(Editorial note: while I may not necessarily agree with the below -- this is a reaction to my own editorial last issue -- I offer it, unedited beyond grammar and formatting.)
As in most things in Second Life, there tend to be two different camps that each think something different about the same thing...and Bay City is no different.
Vintage... the Bay City Time Period, or the echos of Bay City’s past.
Bay City is not a static entity, something that once created never changes: it is a living, breathing, changing, and evolving ecosystem filled with hundreds of people each seeking to put their own little mark on the landscape we all so love.
There are many in the Bay City Alliance who cling to the original scope of a “1950s American City” and claim it to be the gospel to which all things Bay City should comply, that the lords of the mountain (the Lindens) have decried that the first Commandment of Bay City is “Thou Shalt Not Leave the 1950s Theme” and that anyone deviating from that commandment should be stoned… Ok, not stoned but there are often sighs of disappointment and little comments made when any visible member of the community chooses to disregard that commandment.
On the other side of the fence there are people who have realized, long ago, that the concept of a themed 1950’s environmental died out as an unsustainable goal not long after the city itself went public for land purchases almost a decade ago. There are those in this camp that will even argue that the Lindens themselves have abandoned the 1950s to bring some updates and improvements to Bay City themselves, sacrilege according to the others.
The question is, of course, which of these viewpoints is right? Is there a right and wrong answer to this? Well, no, there isn’t. You will never convince the Retroites that it is the 21st century and that Bay City, as an entity, has also evolved and entered the modern era with the rest of Second Life. It is even harder yet to convince them that this is not a bad thing and that it doesn’t spell the doom of class and sophistication in Bay City.
When you drive through Bay City, either in your slow retro rat-rod or in your luxurious 2015 SZYM Intruder, I invite you to take a look around and draw the conclusions for yourself, see what your eyes tell you and what your heart tells you based on that information. What I am going to do here is, for web content viewers (and links in the notecard I’m sure) go through Bay City and point out evidence of both points of view and explain why, it is my opinion, that Bay City has left the Flying Forties and the Nifty Fifties and entered the Digital Decades of the 21st Century.
“And so... it begins.” - Ambassador Kosh, Babylon 5
Channel Island Mental Hospital / Hotel Falmouth
This building could be classified, easily, as the ‘Gateway to Bay City’ as it’s the first stop on Route 66 once you cross into the City Limits. Retroites will immediately state that the building’s classic appearance speaks volumes to the Linden’s desire for the first view of Bay City to be a “vintage’ one, and they are right that the building is very vintage. The building is so vintage infact that it’s haunted by ghosts, infested by rats, filled with dirty blood spattered walls that would indicate to your average individual that this building is closed and abandoned.
Now the Hotel Falmouth: again, much of the same, another abandoned old building that symbolizes decay and age in Bay City.
These buildings make an undeniable case for being a piece of the vintage past that has been abandoned in favor of moving to more modern accommodations. While writing this piece, a resident exploring the Channel Island Mental Hospital was asked if they felt this building was a “1950s in use hospital” or an “Abandoned structure that hasn’t been torn down,” and their answer was, not surprisingly, the second.
Road Signs and Markings
One can’t help but also immediately notice the road signs and markings present in Bay City, at least all the ones placed by the Lindens.
Stop signs are Red with White Lettering and Borders, these designs didn’t come into play until the later parts of the 1950s in the United States, prior to that all Stop signs were Yellow with Black Text. This is an immediate notice that the Lindens intended to advance Bay City outside of its original scope AT THE MOMENT OF CREATION.
Route 66 contains a center lane marked with a Diamond Symbol. This is a modern day sign for “High Occupancy Vehicle” or “Carpooling” lanes on the freeways of most major West Coast cities. The Lindens use this lane as a “Flying” lane, however, this symbol was not historically used until the late 1970s in traffic control systems in the United States reflecting this fashion or use.
Speed Limit Signs are posted White with Black Text, the modern day style, unlike the theme era which would have been Black signs with White text.
All signs in Bay City are of the modern era format, road markings match that which you’d see in each and every urban United States city if you walked outside today. The Lindens, in their construction have not brought forward “the past” into Bay City here, but instead they have built and updated Bay City into the modern era for motorists everywhere.
Trolley / Water Trolley
Recently, the Lindens (and their Mole henchmen. No offense to moles, I love you guys just sounded better than employees.) have set about updating the aging Bay City transit systems to something a bit more “with the times” script wise, and with that have also come new designs for both forms of Mass Transit in Bay City.
When one stops to appreciate them, you can not help but notice the sleek lines, modernized colors, and overall the much more “updated” and 21st century feel of these new items. Admittedly this is much more present on the Water Trolley than the ground one, however, you can see and feel it on both.
This change has even been seen by the Retroites who have publicly mentioned how they look much newer than the rest of the city, perhaps they are starting to see the truth?
Resident Builds
Now, for the most obvious and irrefutable proof that Bay City has moved beyond the 50s and into the Modern Era, one can’t help but look at what makes Bay City what it is today: the builds that its residents put down.
If you tour each and every Bay City Sim, which I did in the interest of science, you will find that a staggering 90%+ average of the builds are designed and built around the present day and not the 1950s as the Retroites would have you buy into. Flat Panel TVs adorn the walls of houses and flats, modern day BMWs and Porches (even though those 911s could be from the 50s, they haven’t changed design in about 300 years) rest in the driveways, and other items not even dreamt about flood the senses in undeniable quantity. Buildings are built in urban modern or chic style containing design cues and materials not used in mass quantity in 1950, buildings that are occupied and operated by people wearing modern clothes talking on Cell Phones and wearing Nike shoes.
Conclusion
Bay City is indeed in 2014, not 1950. It’s time to let the 1950s rest and become the period everyone breaks out during parades and events, just as we do in the real world now, as the facts are irrefutable that Bay City has indeed entered the 21st century.
Does this mean it’s time to throw away your 1 or 2 period cars and race out to buy something new? Of course not, just like in the real world there are still people out there who like to drive the classics, even daily. Does this mean it’s time to update your wardrobe and lose the horn rimmed glasses and poodle skirts? No, not at all. In fact retro is the style right now isn’t it?
So what does this mean? This means that it’s time to put the “everything must be Retro” mantra that the Retroites continue to push on everyone and accept the fact that they are a vocal minority...but no matter what that they are gravely out numbered by the people who view and see Bay City as a thriving, Modern, city with a great community unlike any other on the grid. A thriving community that should not be divided over something as stupid as pretending that progress doesn’t happen around them. The Bay City Community needs to see that Bay City can still be the amazing place it is once they accept into their hearts that there is, and will continue to be a growing number of, people who respect their decisions to drive around in 60 year old cars in poodle skirts, but are still people who find this Retroite way cute and quaint much in the way of older people who try to fight and hide from the advancements of technology in the real world.
The comments about asking people to switch to (aside from one or two builders) let's face it people, crappy, generically scripted vehicles (not yours Anthony, I rather like your Leadburners), and pastel colors from their much more common and sophisticated clothing, vehicles, and builds.
Park Plaza residents enjoy beautiful views, fine dining, and a roof top patio with hot tub; all this near route 66, and within walking distance to Hairy Hippo Fun Land and aquarium. Rates start at 55L a week for studios, and 185L a week for full size apartments. Free furnishings available. Contact Roc Plutonium for more information!
