Phew! The Green Dragon Friday anniversaries are past us for this year. Here are some impressions and pictures from the parties!
The start: Event listing from May 2008
"There is going to be a regular Friday meeting at the Green Dragon in Bywater. Each week there will be a 'loose' theme such as Story Telling, Riddling... anyone wishing to play and new songs or pieces of music will be most welcome too. (This will be a loose social gathering with no obligation to attend, with folks dropping in when they can and is something we have developed with the other hobbits of the Shire and the help of the LRPA)
Arrive: 20.00 - 21.00 [BST] Theme: Riddling (Please bring one riddle with you, try to keep it in-lore, ie no modern references)"
- Event listing from the original lostmathom forums, May 2008
5th Anniversary Speech
It was five years ago, in the spring. A late May day, hobbits gathered in Bywater in the evening, and entered the Green Dragon. Rumours had spread of an informal weekly gathering fer hobbits. Riddles and stories, music and drinking... those were the thing ter look forward to.
These first Fridays were very much a cooperation between the old hobbit kinships, like The Shirelings and The Grand Order of the Lost Mathom. One central figure all those years ago was miss Lotti, the official lute player at the Dragon. But there were surely others too.. all them lovely hobbits who first met at the Green Dragon.
Over the years, many of our old friends have gone ter wander the lands outside of our bounds. Some of them visit us from time to time, brightening our days with stories from the past. Many new hobbits have come to, cheering us up as they help keep our weekly hobbit gathering alive. In recent years, dwarven travellers have become a more welcome sight here. And this all warms me own heart ter see.
Because it is all of yer who keep these Fridays alive. Yer who come ter chat and to entertain the audience. Yer who come ter drink or just have a good time along with others.
Without yer all, there would be no Green Dragon Friday. There would be no regular day every week where all hobbits, no matter their kinship or family, can be together. No place Where we can share our news with each other. No place where local entertainers can have their first nervous performances in front of an audience. No place where we can share our joy and happiness, and sometimes even our sadness, regardless of which family we belong to. And if yer ask me, I believe we would all be poorer hobbits without this place ter meet.
Over the years, we have met new friends here. We have had some of our first dances with that special hobbit in our lives. We have listened to some of the finest songs, stories and poems the Shire can offer. We have been stumped by riddles to which the answer has never been "pie". We have worn down the dancing rug, but it still hangs together. We have been grumped at by old gaffers who has taken special joy in reminding us all that everything was just so much better in the past! We have eaten numerous pies, set off even more fireworks, and drunk enough ales ter fill the Brandywine, even with Barmy's increasing ale prices.
Every corner of this inn has a tale to it. Every loose board a memory of old attached to it. It would not have been so if us hobbits hadn't always been able ter stick together. And that's what we should celebrate tonight. Good friends, old and new, working together to keep our traditions alive.
So I ask yer all ter join me in this toast. As we enter our sixth year. To the Green Dragon, and to all our good friends over the years!
- Lina, May 3 2013
Arts competition
All the entries of the arts competition are shown in this post.
The winner was miss Freoda with her tapestry "Tea at four". She won the main prize, which was a set of written song lyrics, subject of her own choice, with accompanying music notes.
Winning entry: Freoda's "Tea at Four"
5th Anniversary Meal
Barmy prepared the following six-course meal for the warmup party on April 26th.
- Salad of black pudding, served with a poached egg and fresh-baked buttery bread
- Grilled salmon steaks, served with a mustard and herb sauce and steamed green beans
- Chicken and smoked bacon pie, with creamy buttery mushroom filling
- Slow-roast pork with apple and lavender sauce, served with crisp crackling
- Sherry trifle, creamy goodness filled with with cherries and crushed gingernut biscuits
- Barmy's fabulous moist treacle and ale tart, made with a gentle splash of Green Dragon's Breath ale and served with whipped cream.
Of course, tea, cider, ales and wines were served all night!
Pie baking competition
The contestants had to describe how their pie looked. Then they had to answer two questions from the judges (Simbo and Jadite):
- What are the main ingredients in your pie?
- Why did you bake this particular pie for the Green Dragon anniversary?
First place: Mollywobbles
Mollywobbles holds up a large aromatic puff pastry pie decorated with a stuffed puff pastry green dragon
- The base pie is baby lamb in a succulent gravy with a hint of mint and the Green Dragon is stuffed with a savoury filling of golden shire potato and spring onion.
- Well, I heard tell this were a favourite recipe of Barmys - the lamb that is and the green dragon was to make it special for a special day.
Second place: Acorne
Acorne lifts the cover from her pie and the smell of caramel, chocolate and ale drifts away
- The pie contains ale, caramel, chunks of chocolate, nuts , and sweet biscuits.
- Well..I looked around me burrow to find things that reminded me of the Fridays I spent here at the Dragon. I decided it had to have Green Dragon's Breath ale and a bit of sweet crumbled biscuit fer the rug we dance on,definitely some nuts, some chunks of chocolate popping thru the crust like we pop up ta the ceiling and, most of all, it had ta have a welcoming warmth.
Third place: Akelay
Akelay holds up a large, golden-brown crusted pie with a picture of ... is that a catfish? Nay, looks just like a puff pastry pear! A delicious, somehow baconish smell tickles your nose.
- My pie is made of a home-made puff pastry crust, filled with pieces of pears, green beans and delicious crispy bacon on a mashed shire taters bed. That combination gives a great taste of its own already, but some Shire seasonings round it up nicely.
- Actually, 'Pears, Beans and Bacon' is a very old Needlehole recipe, traditionally eaten with boiled taters. What better thing to celebrate Green Dragon Friday?
Runners-up:
Tibba holds up a colourfully decorated pie, with mint leaves on the crust arranged in the shape of a dragon, and some flat pieces of red apple cut to resemble flames close to its mouth.
- This is an apple pie, with the best of last year's apples from Appledore and some fresh mint I grew myself
- Well, I made this pie because apple pie is simple yet very enjoyable, and it is homely and always makes me think of a warm fire and fine company. So it reminds me very much of the Green Dragon.
Sevelda holds up a large, round pie that smells of apples and cinammon. A layer of thick, bubbly chesse covers the top.
- This is an apple and cheese pie made with real, authentic and 100% real moon cheese! It goes best with orange juice, the favorite drink of Nello Strongarm ... he was the firs thobbit to walk to the moon!'
- Oh, well, I was going to make a special pie to give Simbo indigestion, but I couldn't do that to Miss Jadite! So instead, I made this pie ... if ya stand on the roof of the Green Dragon at night, you can see the moon real good!
Spriggy shows a plate containing what looks like a big lump of black coal, vaguely resembling a dragon.
- A cabbage that I got from Master Loeimoes, a slice of the pumpkin from my garden, and freshly picked strawberries!
- Well, there are all these things in it that have made me happy in the last few days. And the Green Dragon makes me happy too!
Molly serves up the winning pie!
Limericks
Many of the limericks presented during the warmup party can be read here!
Pictures
Here are some of me pictures from the parties. Enjoy! [portfolio column="1" layout="sidebar" current="event-gallery" ids="6192"]