I am complete. I had the most spectacular geek weekend of… dare I say, my life. It was definitely THE event of the year. It was A Long Expected Party and sheer joy!

It's funny. Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated by small places. One of my favorite D&D characters was a tiny little Halfling (aka Hobbit) called Rat. He was mischievous little character.

When I saw the cartoon The Hobbit, I fell in love. My character came to life, as did my interest in Lord of the Rings.

About five years ago, I started writing songs for the Brobdingnagian Bards' CD, Memories of Middle Earth. I noticed a pattern in my writing. Most of the songs were about hobbits. Hobbits captured my imagination. I even wrote a hobbit birthday song for Bilbo Baggins, so hobbits could have their own birthday song. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be blessed with an opportunity to sing the song for him, on his birthday, in front of a gross of hobbits. This weekend, I did just that.

The Brobdingnagian Bards flew off to The Shaker Village in Kentucky for three days of hobbity fun. The Shaker Village was a perfect setting for The Shire. The buildings just had that “feel”. The event barn where the BondFire and Hall of Fire were held felt right out of Gondor, immense.

Thursday night's BondFire kicked off with Mother Nature telling an engaging story of how hobbits almost didn't have a Winter. Gandalf and Bilbo reenacted several scenes from the book, with their own unique twists. Gandalf told his own story. And I had the pleasure of kicking off the weekend solo, playing many of the songs I wrote for Memories of Middle Earth.

Gandalf told me afterward, it was the perfect beginning to the weekend. He didn't know how it would be topped… but it was.

Friday, we woke up early. I caught a tantalizing hint of Michael Drout‘s brilliance as he talked about the Anglo-Saxon influence on the Lord of the Rings. It sparked my imagination with excitement.

At noon, the Brobdingnagian Bards with Michelle Hedden kicked off lunch with some music. Folks gathered in the grass with the wind blowing cool air, as they ate. We had lunch and then I headed off to the Brandywine.

There were about a hundred of us who took a boat ride down the Brandywine River. The weather was perfect. Birds flew through the valley. We talked and just enjoyed the flow.

When the boat landed, I joined Bilbo and his Fellowship as we hiked back to the Shake… The Shire. It warmed up a bit, and I had a little too much sun. But the thought of ice cream propelled us up the hill to relaxation. Then I took a short nap before the Hall of Fire that night.

The Hall was once again alight with excitement. There was harp music, poetry, stories, more skits, a costume contest, songs by Kate Brown, and then the Brobdingnagian Bards finished the evening out with a few songs we never get to play. The whole evening was even better than the last.

Saturday, I woke early and hiked to Farmer Cotton's for breakfast, so I could make it in time for Michael Drout's entire discussion on Anglo-Saxonny and J.R.R. Tolkien. It was fantastic. It fired me up to re-read the books and to even brave The Silmarillion again. I have yet to make it through that book. But dang it, I'm gonna try!

At lunch, we played some more music. Then that afternoon, I joined my friend Cara for a photo shoot and some great conversation around The Shire. It was a pleasant, relaxed afternoon.

When we arrived at the party site, I was blown away.

A facade of Bag End was constructed that was absolutely beautiful. The signs and stage and tables, and energy… People arrived and were just as excited. We were about to recreate Bilbo's Birthday Party from Fellowship of the Ring. It was everything you would've expected. And what an honor to be able to play music for that awesome event!

The night drew by with hobbity fun, dancing, sing-alongs, and of course, lots of great food and drink. Then as the eve came to a close, Bilbo took the stage and made his speech.

“PROUDFEET!”, the entire audience shouted when Bilbo thanked the Proudfoots for attending.

There were baffled dismays as Bilbo stated, “I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

Then “Goodbye.” The lights dropped out, followed by brilliant, flashing lights. Bilbo Baggins had vanished. Everyone screamed in fright and were lost in chatter as we took the stage to a play few more final songs for the weekend.

We finished the evening. Everyone was excited, but they filtered away slowly back to their hobbit holes for good night's rest.

I couldn't go to sleep. Fortunately, I didn't have to. Lo and behold, I found Bilbo, Gandalf, Frodo, and a few friends sitting around Bag End, reminiscing the weekends' climax, which we all agreed topped the whole weekend. That evening's festivities made Bilbo's Birthday Party real to me. It was a Magical event.

We sat there, and talked under the stars and cool night air. I played a few songs to expectant, relaxed ears, as we all reveled in the magic. Eventually, I decided no matter how excited I was, I needed sleep. I asked their permission to sing one final song, “The Ring of Hope“.

I didn't realize how perfect that song would be in that setting out in front of Bag End. But as I sang about Bilbo, then Gandalf, then Frodo, we were all moved and touched by the incredible story that J.R.R. Tolkien brought to our lives.

That evening, in particular, brought it all home for me. It was perfection, a moment I will be telling my children around a campfire one day as I keep Lord of the Rings alive for the next generation.

While it was a moment of moments, I can only hope that one day we will do it all again. Then we shall all gather in story and song in front of the green door of Bag End and peacefully announce, “Well, I'm back.”

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.