So you’re in LA for The One Expected Party; you’re going to An Unexpected Art Show on Friday night; you’re spending Saturday afternoon at the pub with fellow fans, old friends and new; but come Saturday night, on ‘Oscars Eve’, you still want to party. Where are you going to go?
The answer is simple – warm up for Sunday’s party by going to see Beecake play at The Hotel Cafe! Billy Boyd and his band mates will be on stage at 11pm at the venue in Hollywood; details can be found, and tickets can be purchased, here. (Please note this event is 21+)
Then grab a few hours sleep before the big event on Sunday afternoon! See you there!
Some readers may already be aware of the delicious teas – Bilbo Baggins Breakfast Blend, Gandalf the Grey Herbal Tea and Hobbit Meadow Mint Herbal Tea – available from Mint Brook Meadow Teas. Our good friends there are supporting The One Expected Party and providing tea bags for our Afternoon Tea Buffet! We recently caught up with the folks at Mint Brook Meadow Teas to find out more about their adventures in Middle-earth tea making; here’s what they had to say:
Tell us how Mint Brook Meadow Teas got started.
Mint Brook Meadow Teas began when two dairy farmers were looking for a way to supplement their income because the price for milk continued to drop. People have always loved to make tea from the mint that grows wild along the creek banks here in Ohio, and they decided to see if there was a market for it commercially. The idea gradually caught on in local markets and the line was expanded to include blends of other herbs as well as black and green tea.
What made you decide to create ‘Hobbit Teas’ – have you always been fans of Middle-earth?
The dream for Hobbit tea was born when the director of the company, Dante Tropea, had the opportunity to hear the music of Howard Shore performed in Cleveland Ohio. He has been a fan of Lord of the Rings and all things Hobbit since his childhood, and thought it would be fun to be involved somehow. His creative gears started turning and he thought if there was anyone who could provide a quality tea worthy of Hobbits it would be a tea farmer. And by the way, we would love comments at our website www.hobbittea.com as to how other people first came to love The Hobbit. Please let us know.
What makes your teas particularly ‘hobbity’? Do you think the inhabitants of the Shire would enjoy your teas?
Our Hobbit tea line includes mint as well as other herbs, which we grow here on our farm. As you know, hobbits are fond of all things grown in the earth and they love to work in their fields and gardens. I think the habitants of the Shire would really enjoy having a cup of Hobbit tea for breakfast and second breakfast and all throughout the day!
Would hobbits approve of your business style? (Do employees stop for second breakfast?!)
We are in the middle of Amish country, which is not that different from Hobbiton, so I think the hobbits would feel quite at home if they should ever stop in! Our favorite part of the business is farming, which I think the hobbits would find very agreeable. The employees do enjoy stopping for a “second breakfast” of tea and pastries on occasion!
You have some lovely artwork on your boxes – can you tell us about the artist and the design?
The art on our boxes is not the work of just one artist, but rather a compilation from a number of young art students who love Middle-earth as much as we do.
Do you think the Professor himself would approve of your teas?
We can only hope. If there is any of our teas a ‘good English person’ should like, I think it is our Bilbo Baggins Breakfast tea. This is a black tea with orange peels and cinnamon. [greendragon says, as a Brit and fervent tea drinker, I can confirm that the Bilbo Baggins Breakfast Tea is superb!]
Do Mint Brook Meadow Teas make other teas besides the Hobbit Teas?
Yes, we have our own brand of nine different teas. They are listed at www.mintbrookmeadows.com
Any plans for any further Hobbit Teas?
We are planning to expand the line of Hobbit teas in the near future. Any suggestions for new blends? You can send us ideas at info@mintbrookmeadows.com
Thanks to our friends at Mint Brook Meadow Teas for supporting The One Expected Party! It’s not too late – buy your ticket here! And you can order teas to go with your second breakfast – or elvenses, luncheon, dinner, supper… – here.
Only days away from the Tolkien event of the year and we are pleased to announce our latest sponsor for ‘The One Expected Party’ – Sideshow Collectibles! Sideshow is not just a long-time friend of TheOneRing.net, they are also manufacturers of some of the best Tolkien related collectibles available!
Sideshow Collectibles
More than 15 years ago, Sideshow Collectibles embarked on a mission of connecting people with their favorite icons from the worlds of film, television and comic books. This innocent quest has since blossomed into a unique celebration of popular culture, made possible by a worldwide devoted community committed to the art and lifestyle of collecting.
Sideshow Experience is an insight into our travels, a showcasing of creative endeavors, personal expression, and meaningful relationships developed through this unusual journey.
Sideshow does business online at SideshowCollectibles.com
Sideshow is pulling all the stops to help support our event. From loaning us a life-size troll, Gollum and a few other decorative pieces, they are also generously donating some extremely unique collectibles for our silent auctions and giveaways. We mentioned previously the Artist Proof Balrog, but we are now also pleased to announced a few other hand signed pieces of fine art: Gandalf On Gwaihir Over Helm’s Deep Artist Proof by Alan Lee (signed by Alan Lee, Richard Taylor, and Ian McKellen); Barad-Dur by John Howe (signed Richard Taylor, Peter Jackson and John Howe); and Rivendell Artist Proof by Alan Lee (signed by Richard Taylor, Alan Lee and Peter Jackson). Yea – those are some impressive pieces and available at the party!
Tickets are still available to the public, so don’t miss out! This will be one party you simply cannot miss!
[Purchase Tickets] [Art Show Tickets] [Sideshow Collectibles]
We are in the midst of Oscar week and the anticipation is building for The One Expected Party and The Unexpected Art Show! (Tickets are still available for both events!) We’d like to thank another one of our sponsors, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
With 
nearly two-centuries of award-winning history, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade and Reference Division continues to publish some of the most renowned novels, non-fiction, children’s books and reference works in hardcover, Mariner Books trade paperbacks and ebooks. Its distinguished author list includes eight Nobel Prize winners, 47 Pulitzer Prize winners, 13 National Book Award winners, and more than 100 Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Silbert Medal and Honor recipients. HMH publishes such distinguished authors as Philip Roth, Temple Grandin, Tim O’Brien, and Umberto Eco, as well as The Best American series®, The American Heritage® family of dictionaries, The Gourmet Cookbook and other culinary classics, the Peterson Field Guides and books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Along with a celebrated lineup of children’s authors, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group is the publisher of some of the best-loved children’s books and book characters including Curious George, The Little Prince and The Polar Express. For more information, visit www.hmhbooks.com.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are not only financially supporting the party; they are also sending a large number of their Tolkien publications and Hobbit movie tie-in books – and some other Middle-earth goodies! – to be used in our auctions and giveaways! We are grateful to have the continued support of our good friends at HMH!
We hope YOU can also join us all for a magical night in Hollywood! Purchase your tickets today!
[Purchase Tickets] [Art Show Tickets] [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]
Many of TORn’s readers will have seen the online movie Born of Hope. This film, conceived and created by fans of Tolkien and of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and which tells the story of Aragorn’s parents, has had literally millions of views. If you aren’t yet one of the many fans of Middle-earth who have experienced this labour of love, you can watch it here.
The film’s director, Kate Madison, and lead actor Christopher Dane (who plays Arathorn), are joining us for the fun at The One Expected Party! We’re delighted that they’ll be there, and we’ll be sure to get them to stop and say hi on the live stream from the event! So if you’re watching our live stream from home, or if you’re joining us at the party, look out for Kate and Christopher! It’s not too late to buy your ticket, here – we hope to see you in Hollywood!
Welcome to the latest “Getting to know…” questions that need answering. Based on the old Getting to know you threads that I used to post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.
This month we’re asking questions of uber fan from Brisbane Australia, Peter Kenny.
Hi Peter and thank you for joining in 🙂
Kelvarhin: What piece of Tolkien ephemera began your collection?
Peter: My very first Tolkien Book was a single volume paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings given to me as a gift in 1976. I still have that original copy in my collection.
Continue reading “Getting to know Peter Kenny”
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
So you’re in LA for The One Expected Party; you’re going to An Unexpected Art Show on Friday night; you’re spending Saturday afternoon at the pub with fellow fans, old friends and new; but come Saturday night, on ‘Oscars Eve’, you still want to party. Where are you going to go?
