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STEUBENVILLE -- Fifty years after the death of "The Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien, the Steubenville area is planning to celebrate the writer's life and works with a variety of upcoming events.
It all starts on Friday, with Sept. 22 being marked in Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring" as the birthday of characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, members of a fictional race known as hobbits. The first chapter of that novel details Bilbo Baggins' lavish birthday party, one that organizers in Steubenville will be presenting their own interpretation of.
Steubenville's Tolkien interest began with Franciscan University of Steubenville scheduling a scholarly conference on Tolkien himself, his writing and his legacy. "A Long Expected Party: A Semi-Centennial Celebration of Tolkien's Life, Works and Afterlife" will take place at the university on Friday and Saturday.
John Kuhner, owner of Bookmarx Bookstore, said he learned of the conference and decided to host a supplementary Tolkien party downtown. Most of the party's events will occur on the third floor of Leonardo's Coffeehouse, with other events planned at nearby businesses.
Kuhner said hobbits love "food and good cheer," so the first item on the party's agenda is the "One Cake to Rule Them All" cake making competition, which will start with a cake drop-off at 5 p.m. and judging at 5:30 p.m. Afterward will begin a potluck dinner at 6 p.m.
Kids will be treated to a coloring station, along with a "The Hobbit" story hour by John Walker, professor of theater at Franciscan, and a visit by the bearded wizard Gandalf, portrayed by Steubenville Santa Claus imitator John Miller.
Along with music, dancing and ale at the hobbit party, Leonardo's will have a costume contest for those dressed as "The Lord of the Rings" characters. Admission is free for kids and those in costume. For others, admission is $5 at the door.
A few doors down, Chesterton & Co. Cigars will have a "Tokin' with Tolkien" pipe smoking and community event at 7:45 p.m., and Bookmarx will be visited at 7 p.m. by writer Holly Ordway for a book signing and discussion on her newly released work, "Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography."
"This is the second full biography of Tolkien in English," Kuhner said. "Ordway's book takes Tolkien quite a bit more seriously as a thinker and takes him more seriously as a Catholic."
Kuhner said the event is becoming a reality with the help of other Steubenville organizers such as Gretchen Nelson of Nelson Fine Arts and Gifts; Brodie Stutzman, master carver for the Steubenville Nutcracker Village; and Matthew McCloskey, general manager at Chesterton & Co. Cigars.
Also, Kuhner said, if anyone is interested in sharing a Tolkien-related activity at the party, he or she can contact Kuhner by email at john@bookmarxbooks.com or by phone at (740) 282-6100.
All of those events came to be because of Franciscan's Tolkien conference, organized by Ben Reinhard, associate professor of English. Reinhard said the conference was formed with the desire to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tolkien's death, a "big deal" in Reinhard's eyes.
"Tolkien is widely recognized as one of the greatest English-speaking authors of the 20th century," said Reinhard. "There aren't many authors who move people in the same way. ... The big idea (for the conference is) it's a way for the English department to host an event that could serve both our students and the surrounding community.
"We're bringing in scholars from all over the world, ... (and) it's something the community is excited about as can be seen from the public events that are sort of piggybacking off this."
After getting the university's permission in the fall of 2022, Reinhard said he ran a call for papers, to which various scholars submitted topic abstracts, and conference committee members decided which individuals to group together based on a central topic. Reinhard said the conference will contain several shorter panel discussions, as well as two longer keynote addresses, one from Ordway and another from the Rev. Michael Ward, literary scholar.
There is something for everyone who has an interest in Tolkien, Reinhard said, with topics covering how Tolkien's "Birmingham Oratory upbringing" shaped him and his writing, Tolkien's faith background and theological aspects of Tolkien's writing. Reinhard said he is particularly excited to see an interactive, multimedia presentation about how Tolkien perceived music and how composer Howard Shore translated that view into "The Lord of the Rings" films. The presentation will conclude with a performance by the university's Schola Cantorum Franciscana choir.
"Tolkien was able to do something that was completely new," said Reinhard, a self-professed Tolkien fan who has a bust of the author in his university office. "The stories that he put in his world are worthy of being put in conversation with the great works of imagination from the Western literary tradition.
"What he created is particularly good for the modern world, (which is) a pretty weary place. We've lost a lot of sense of wonder. ... Tolkien helped return people with freshness into the natural world, to human community, to this sense of quest and adventure."
As of Monday, Reinhard said, the conference was on the path to be a record-setter for the university. With 272 people signed up and still days to go, Reinhard said, this one could be "the biggest academic conference ever held during the school year," with last year's "Restoring a Nation" conference being billed as the biggest with 250 people registered.
Reinhard, who is in his second year as a professor at the university, said he is grateful for the university allowing him to organize the conference and grateful for the enthusiastic response he has received so far. He said he is hopeful that the conference can cement Franciscan's place as a hub of Tolkien scholarship for years to come.
"It's hard to find academic opportunities that can simultaneously serve the students, serve the community and draw in people for academic discussion," Reinhard said. "Tolkien's anniversary gives us all three things at once."
Those interested in registering for the conference can visit www.franciscan.edu/tolkien-conference. The cost for non-students and non-staff is $30.