Oxonmoot is the annual meeting of the Tolkien Society http://www.tolkiensociety.org/. It is always held in Oxford but at a different location each time. This year it was at Somerville College http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/college/ which I was happy about because it's within easy walking distance of my house.
Oxonmoot began last Friday evening (Sept. 15, 2006) with registration, meeting old and new friends at the bar, and then a dinner. I went over early because I had volunteered to be a steward so I helped set up the bookstore for a few hours before registration.
Besides the bookstores there was also an art room (Ted Nasmith, Ruth Lacon and others) and a games room. Also a tea/coffee room.
On Saturday there were 2 tracks of talks or other presentations to choose from. I especially enjoyed a talk on Tolkien, Oxford, and women.
On Saturday night we had a party with entertainments and a costume contest.
On Sunday there was a walking tour of Oxford in the morning which I didn't go on because I live in Oxford. At 10:30 AM two busloads of people went to the cemetery in Wolvercote to gather at Tolkien's grave. My husband and I rode our bikes over. We went a little early so I could clean and fill the vase that is a permanent feature of Tokien's grave. I had made a bouquet to put in it and I wanted to do that before the rest of the people came. When everyone was ready a speaker read to us about Tolkien's life and friends just before and during the war (some years she reads from Tolkien's works). Then wreaths were laid on the grave and someone sang a song in elvish and then people could pay their own respects and take photos before they left.
Here are some photos I took:
The bouquet I made to place upon the gravesite -
