I came across a charming read about Tolkien's one and only attendance at an event themed in Middle Earth's honour. It was held in 1958 in the Netherlands (technically Holland). The article is filled with personable accounts of both Tolkien and his audience. I've assembled some quotes I enjoyed below. The article can be found here: https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2162&context=mythlore
"Besides eating, drinking, smoking and listening to all the
speeches, Tolkien had to give autographs. A lady told me
that she came to the “Hobbit-maaltijd” with her father to get
her book autographed, but she did not speak any English.
This was no problem for Tolkien; he signed his name and
wrote down “Elen sfla lumenn, omentielvo” in Tengwar
(which she could not read either, but that’s beside the point)."
"The evening was announced as a Hobbit dinner, so food
was provided. The intention was that between courses the
speeches be given. This proved to be a small disaster, for
many speeches were too long, so that the food was cold by
the time the speech was finished. Only one person did not
wait for the speaker to finish: Tolkien immediately dug in
when something was set before him and thus proved that he
was a real hobbit."
"With the question time the “Hobbit-maaltijd” came to an
end. Everybody I spoke to had had the best of times and still
have fond memories of the occasion. If you ask them how
they would describe Tolkien you get remarks like: amiable,
friendly, open, witty, a real hobbit. Not to turn this into a
hagiography let me also quote the one negative remark I
heard: “He drank too much,” but that too is in true hobbit-
fashion."
"And so his exceptional visit to Holland came to an end. It
was exceptional because it was the first time, and also the
last time, that Tolkien had accepted such an invitation. One
should not conclude from his abstention from further trips
that Tolkien had had an awful time in Holland. He wrote on
2 April to Cees Ouboter:
/
I still find it hard to believe that all this really
happened to me! It was a most marvellous and
memorable event . . . I shall not, of course, ever
forget the Hobbit-maaltijd, and the graciousness of all
to me. The sooner I see your country again the better
pleased I shall be. It seems clear to me that (as it
suggests in the book) the English hobbits are really the
migrant colonists, and their original home-land is
“across the sea”.
/
Of course the Dutch Tolkien-fans always knew that we are
the only true hobbits."
"Besides eating, drinking, smoking and listening to all the
speeches, Tolkien had to give autographs. A lady told me
that she came to the “Hobbit-maaltijd” with her father to get
her book autographed, but she did not speak any English.
This was no problem for Tolkien; he signed his name and
wrote down “Elen sfla lumenn, omentielvo” in Tengwar
(which she could not read either, but that’s beside the point)."
"The evening was announced as a Hobbit dinner, so food
was provided. The intention was that between courses the
speeches be given. This proved to be a small disaster, for
many speeches were too long, so that the food was cold by
the time the speech was finished. Only one person did not
wait for the speaker to finish: Tolkien immediately dug in
when something was set before him and thus proved that he
was a real hobbit."
"With the question time the “Hobbit-maaltijd” came to an
end. Everybody I spoke to had had the best of times and still
have fond memories of the occasion. If you ask them how
they would describe Tolkien you get remarks like: amiable,
friendly, open, witty, a real hobbit. Not to turn this into a
hagiography let me also quote the one negative remark I
heard: “He drank too much,” but that too is in true hobbit-
fashion."
"And so his exceptional visit to Holland came to an end. It
was exceptional because it was the first time, and also the
last time, that Tolkien had accepted such an invitation. One
should not conclude from his abstention from further trips
that Tolkien had had an awful time in Holland. He wrote on
2 April to Cees Ouboter:
/
I still find it hard to believe that all this really
happened to me! It was a most marvellous and
memorable event . . . I shall not, of course, ever
forget the Hobbit-maaltijd, and the graciousness of all
to me. The sooner I see your country again the better
pleased I shall be. It seems clear to me that (as it
suggests in the book) the English hobbits are really the
migrant colonists, and their original home-land is
“across the sea”.
/
Of course the Dutch Tolkien-fans always knew that we are
the only true hobbits."
