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Abandoned - Festival Grounds - Story 69

Started by Abandoned, May 31, 2021, 06:42:36 AM

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Abandoned

Intro


  This is the 69th story in the Smallville Series and tells the tale of 8 families of Hobbits who developed a small family settlement into one of the major Festival Grounds in the Shire after the deadly tornado cut through the area destroying many settlements and old festival sites.  Their settlement and festival grounds is southwest of Mayville story 68 and Springfield story 23.   The story begins after the tornado in year 52 SVT.


The map seed  # 220451503    Valley,   Small,   Fair,   Disasters Off,   Easy Seeds  8 Families


Mods activated for this map and load order are:


Map Changing and Starting Mods:   Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain, Lush & Green, DS Roads, Settlers Deco, Jinxie Natural Decorations, Kid Tree Replacer XLight, New Flora Edit, override Fewer Trees,  Family Starts

Tweak Mods:     Better Fields, Fishing Dock +25%, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative (Voeille), override Rural Citizens, Rocks Respawn, Tiny Smoke

Major or Must Have Mods:    An Empty Square, Nomads (Kid), Override Uneducated, Storage Crates, Jinxie Bitty Chicken Coop, Jinxie Bitty Village Set, Jinxie Festival Park, Kid Abandoned Places SE, Kid Hobbits, Kid Mexican Fantasy, Kid Old Town, Kid Tiny, Kid Tiny Downtown, Kid Workplace

Supporting Mods:   DS Bridge Crossings, DS Wagon Vendors, EB Ice Cream, EB Village Resort Deco, Fly Fishing (TS), Garden Shed, Kid Animal Pen, Kid Bicycle, Kid Deco Farm Animals, Kid Deco People, Kid Farmyard, Kid Festival Ground (New Deco, testing), Kid GrowHuntFish, Kid Home Grown (sneak peak), Kid Houseboat, Kid Market Carts, Kid Market Food, Kid Market Puzzle, Kid Pizza Hat, Kid Some Boats, Kid Work Shop, Maypole, Strawberries


Mod Note:  Kid Festival Grounds mod is strictly decorative and can be found under Kid Deco in the toolbar menu.  There is no production and no workers required.  Some pieces give happiness and the type of happiness is stated in the menu description. 




Welcome to our Festival Grounds, weary traveler.  You will find plenty to see and do and, of course, to eat: 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Anmu2Jrys


but first let me tell you how this all began here in The Shire.  Visitors always want to know.

Abandoned

#1
Chapter 1


  Our festival ground was not really planned, it just sort of happened.  This valley was the home of my husband Garvine's family for many years.  We met and were married at a May Day Hobbit festival and I returned here with him.  I was a Gamgee before marriage, my name is Genia.  The old folks had past- on but Garvine's older brother Garvis and their sister Noelian, and their families lived here.  Our house was the newest.  I had chickens to tend and then a newborn.  The farmyard had an apple tree and produced eggs, beans, and a little wheat.  Garvine cut firewood.  His brother Garvis lived next door with his family.  He raised some goats for milk and made tools.  He had a pear tree and grew some oats.  Their sister was the eldest and lived in the old family home after taking care of their aging parents.  They lay to rest in the family cemetery next to the house.  Noelian raised sheep and made wool clothes.  She grew oats, potatoes, and carrots.

So, it was much like any other Hobbit settlement with Hobbit holes houses, farmyards and farm fields, a large barn, a school, a trading post.  The difference was this settlement had a mill and, in fall, folks from neighboring settlements would bring their grain to the mill.  It was usually young people like us who made the yearly trip to the mill and spent a couple of days sleeping in the barn until their flour was milled.  We all knew each other since we were children, having met at various Hobbit festivals over the years. 

  We considered the year of the tornado to be the start of the festival grounds here.  In early autumn of year 52 three of the young couples came with what was left of their grain crops, we convinced them to say with us.  Two families with young children came to us for help and they stayed too.  They brought with them whatever they managed to salvage from their destroyed settlements.   We were just outside the direct path of the storm so we suffered little damage, only the mill needed repair.  Our settlement grew from 3 families to 8 that year.

Abandoned

#2
Chapter 2


  It took the rest of that first year and most of the 2nd year before we had Hobbit holes built for the new families.  There were 3 babies born before the houses were finished.  The families pitched right in with whatever work needed to be done.  One of the families brought their rabbits, their children did not want them left behind.  They built a rabbit garden just like the ones we all played in as children at various Hobbit festival.  We all missed having a harvest festival to go to last autumn and a spring festival this year. 

  One of the new families needed 2 hobbit holes, their daughter became an adult.  She missed school because we had no teacher, none of our children had reached school age yet.  The 2 Hobbit holes were built by the river.  Vernon, the daughter, said she would rather work at our small trading post further down the river than fish like her  father.

  The Hobbit festivals were never far from our minds.  There was always talk and good natured teasing about who could do a task better, many prizes had been won in the festival competitions.  Remiah won wood cutting contests several times and Agustof won not only the contest for catching the most fish but also for catching the largest.  Someone soon took them up on any challenge they issued, it was all in good fun just like at the festivals.  Hobbit men are a bit competitive, but the woman never hesitate to join in. 

Kristahfer

Love the decorations of your house and that Rabbit Garden is fantastic.


Great work.

Abandoned

Thank you :) Hobbits mod is one of my favorites and so easy to combine with other deco.  It is so homey and scenic.  :)  Kid gets full credit for that rabbit garden, it is adorable.  :)

Abandoned

#5
Chapter 3


  In fact it was a woman who was responsible, unknowingly, for the first contests of our festival grounds.  Garvine's sister, Noelian, had some leftover strips of fabric that she made contest banners from, just for fun.  With the help of husband, Lenn, at the beginning of year 3, there was a contest banner by the river and 2 small colored flags by the 2 fishing spots.  Two benches were made and placed nearby for anyone who wanted to watch.  Husband and wife, Agustaf and Nathari, accepted the challenge.  Contest banners were also placed by both wood chopping blocks, one in front of Lenn's house and one by Remiah's.  Both men sharpened their axes.
 
  In spring, Noelian also planted some of her carrots seeds in a small patch in the clearing half way between the fishing and wood cutting contests.  The carrot patch crossing contest was a standard event at Hobbit festivals.  Everyone in The Shire knows that Patty Proudfoot could cross a carrot patch without stepping on a single carrot; like all Hobbits, Patty had pretty big feet.  The contest was well suited for the children with little feet and assured that every child would win at least one prize at the festival.  We all enjoyed the competition as children and won many pieces of fruit, cookies, or other sweet treats.  We were then off to the rabbit garden to play with the rabbits.  Our children would have a bit more fun that summer.

  It was summer of that year when Mychalmers, the seed merchant, came to our trading post for the first time.  He had sad news from all around the Shire resulting from that devastating storm, many survivors were still struggling.  There were shortages of just about everything especially tools and clothes.  We thought we could surely help provide some of those things.

Abandoned

#6
Chapter 4


  At the beginning of the new year contest results were in.  The clear winner of the wood cutting contests was Remiah.  Neither men was happy with the amount of firewood they cut, work stopped a few times during the year when the stockpiles were full and firewood storage space was limited.  After the contest, Lenn set up a workplace next to the house to help his wife make coats.  There was a large surplus of wool.  Some coats could go to the trading post to help others who were in need.

  The fishing contest was also won by a landslide but it was to be expected.  The fishing tree had a larger radius and overlapped that of the shore fishing spot.  Well, it was all in good fun and we needed the fish.  As a result we had our first Judging.  One of the men suggested we built a barbeque  to make fish and chips.  A spot was chosen not far from the river next to the carrot patch where folks gathered with their children.  The question was who's recipe should be used?  Who said women were not competitive?  They were soon making fish and chips to be judged which was the best, Noelian made another banner.  A notice was posted on the new notice board by the large barn for folks to stop by the barbeque to taste and cast their vote.  The herb combination Nathari, wife of a fisherman, used to season the fish won without a doubt.

  While the judging was going on, 2 families arrived.  There were 6 adults with 1 child and 2 more on the way.  One family built a bait shop house near the barbeque.  Another fishing spot was marked with a flag, the fishing tree would not be used in any future contests.  The second family built a boat rental house down past the trading post.  They built a few fishing boats for anyone who might want to do some fishing on the lake rather than from the riverbank.

  The two new families saw what we ourselves didn't.  They were thrilled that we were developing a new festival grounds.  Many settlements like theirs and most festival grounds had been destroyed.  The people of The Shire needed something to look forward to each year.  So it seemed, we were building a new Festival Grounds.  We needed a place to discuss this.  We built a Green Dragon tavern.

Abandoned

#7
Chapter 5


  There was much to discuss that winter if indeed we were to undertake the building of a new Festival Grounds.  Word would spread and we would have a lot of visitors.  Some would come for the May Day festival after their crops were planted, some would come for the Midsummer festival like you, weary traveler, and some would come for the Harvest festival after their crops were in.  Others would come and go to enter contests or judgings or just for fun.  Some vendors would travel from one festival to another and some would remain from spring until fall.  Migrators and those looking for work will remain year round.  We will need both temporary and permanent housing.

  We began building boarding houses, one by the trading post where most vendors would arrive and one half way between the carrot patch and tavern.  Neither was complete when more families arrived.  They had tried to make a go of it after their town was destroyed but it was just too much for them.  They would gladly stay with us and help develop a new festival grounds.  The 2 families, consisting of 4 adults, 3 adult children, and 2 young ones, moved into one of the boarding houses as soon as it was finished.

  The two newly arrived mothers had 2 good suggestions for our festival grounds.  One suggested a gift shop next to the boarding house.  She could make and sell small items to remind folks of their time at the festival.  The other mother had a good recipe for candy and suggested we build a candy store.  The candy could also be used as prizes for children crossing the carrot patch.  We liked both suggestions and built a gift shop and candy shop next to the boarding house.  The 2 families moved into their shops as soon as they were built.  The adult son moved into a small cabin by the barbeque and carrot patch where our first prize tent was built.  The children were happy and they were still crossing the carrot patch when the snow began to fall.  The family in the gift shop began making some small toys as prizes so the children would not be eating too much candy.  The adult daughter moved into a small hobbit hole built next to the tavern, she would operated the stew pot when the time came.  What would a Hobbit festival grounds be without Sam's stew pot.


Abandoned

#8
Chapter 6


  Tables and benches were built for the area across from the tavern where the stew pot was.  The area was fenced  and tall flags were erected so the area could be located from a distance.  A banner designated it as a rest area.  Folks could enjoy a mug of ale, a bowl of stew, or just sit and rest awhile.  Another road now lead from the tavern to the road in front of the 2 shops and the boarding house that was widen anticipating it would be one of the main roads of the festival grounds.   The road by the other boarding house and boat rental was also widened. 

   Next to that boarding house is where one of the families that arrived that year chose to build a coffee shop and bakery.  Those staying at the boarding house or going out early to fish could enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a donut.  Some umbrella tables were set up and tall blue flags and a banner marked it as another rest area.  Another new arrival set up a market place next to it.  He arrived with a horse and cart and built a house with a stable attached.  There were 22 new arrivals in year 6 which included several vendors and several families who had been taking livestock to be judged at other festival grounds that no longer existed.  Our 2 boarding houses were full.  We were concerned with so many new workers that the tools Gavine's brother made would not be enough.  A tool smith was built not far from the main stockpile.

  The animals the newcomers brought with them was the next priority.  We  began working on our livestock judging area.  We chose the area across the stream from the tavern, it was out-of-the-way yet easy to get to.  The families brought cows, sheep, and chickens to be judged.

Abandoned

#9
Chapter 7


  Two tall flags and a banner marked the bridge that crossed the stream to the Livestock Judging area.  There was a barn and two houses for farm families by the entrance to the area with old town workers' housing farther back where the cows were pastured, feed corn and oats were grown for them.  There were 2 sheep sheds there also.  The chickens were in a special area of their own where they would be housed and judged.  The larger animals would be brought to the 2 animal pens to be judged. There were benches for spectators and of course there was a prize tent conveniently placed.  The prizes would include baby chicks, sacks of special feed mixes, bales of wool, wedges of cheese, or small tubs of butter.  It was standard festival practice for anyone entering a judging or competition to donate items to the prize tents.  Winners could choose their prize from any of the tents scattered around the festival grounds.  Some of the farm products would also be judged, some would be bought and sold by vendors, and some would  be donated to feed visitors and workers.  You don't want to miss sampling some of the products.


Abandoned

#10
Chapter 8


  Three things happened at the same time at the beginning of year 8.  We had just finished building a food tent when we realized how short of food we were.  Before we could do anything about the situation, 16 newcomers arrived, 13 adults with 3 young children.  They'd heard about the new festival grounds from river boatmen.  Some were vendors, some came to help, and some just came to see for themselves what was being done.  They all willingly pitched in to gather wild foods while we built a food store and more rooms to rent.  Back by the tavern another field was being cleared, we needed more wheat for ale and bread making.

  Two families arrived by houseboat and suggested we build a lighthouse by the river.  There were now a few sailboats on the lake as well, they might need help to see their way back to shore if they stayed out too late.

  Meanwhile back in the livestock judging area a workplace dairy was making cheese and by the new food tent beef sausages were being made.  Some of the cheese would be used by the vendor who built a Pizza Hat and was raising tomatoes next to it.  Some small worker houses were built nearby.  There was still so much yet to do.

banishedsanni

Only the pizza hut is a bit too much. It just doesnt fit into the game and the environment it provides i think. Everything else looks rly cute

Abandoned

yes, I think it is maybe a bit too big but it is cute.  I think it would only fit in a festival or beach setting but it is a bit too modern for Banished.  It fit well with EB's Beach Resort when I used them both in Summer Haven Hideaway.  Thanks for comment  :)

Abandoned

#13
Chapter 9


  More vendors arrived early in year 9.  A wagon vendor set up his wagon to display his wares in the clearing across from the boarding house on main street.   Others soon joined him.  We fenced off the area and posted banners designating the area for vendors.  There were soon several wagons and vendor stands selling general goods as well as the usual cure-all elixirs and candy stands.  The wagon vendor had stabled his horse with the market vendor's horse down by the coffee shop.  His brother opened a wagon parts workshop there and would make and sell wagons for those who made purchases at the festival and needed a way to get those things home.  Few visitors left the festival grounds empty-handed.

  The vendor's area soon had the standard feed store, seed and seedlings shops, and garden supply store with tools and carts and irrigation systems like the one used in the tomato patch in the food area next to the vendors area.  In spring there would be baby chicks and rabbits and at the end of the festival there would be some livestock for sale as well. We expected more vendors to arrive as word of our festival grounds spread.  We only hoped we designated enough room for them all.

Kristahfer

@Abandoned I really like the little vendors you created with the small umbrellas. Really nice touch.