Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Click here to apply as a booth participant at Hair Fair, the annual SL community fundraiser event that sells amazing virtual hair styles for avatars, with a portion of all sales donated to Wigs for Kids, a non-profit that creates real wigs for children experiencing hair loss due to chemotherapy, alopecia, and other issues. Launched in 2006, the annual event led by Sasy Scarborough is attended by a large percentage of the Second Life community, and has converted L$ sales into USD cash donations approaching $100,000.

Sasy tells me that roughly 50,000 SLers — about 1 in 10 of the active user base! — attend every year, with most of the donations made through hair sales. A labor of love run by her and her partner Mel Vanbeeck (pictured here), Sasy tells me it's the stories that attendees and donors tell her, which make it most meaningful.

"[T]hey often share something that happened to them, a family member or a friend, and I cry and then I share with my team and then I cry more," she tells me. "People stop me during the event and share information and how much it means to them that we do it, or that they also donate their hair to Wigs for Kids, or are going to now that they know about it from the event."

She and co-managers Vanbeeck and Whimsy Winx, are also in contact with the real life non-profit during the event: "[T]hey are so happy about what we do and genuinely think that Second Life and what it is and how it functions is amazing and over the years have even come in [the virtual world] to see the builds and the event, which is just awesome."

The booth application is here, with a deadline of April 24. As an inspiration lewk book for 2022's event, here's some favorites New World Notes has featured over the last 15+ years:

Above, from 2021's Hair Fair, a look put together by SL blogger Gillian Waldman.

Above, from Anya Ohmai, among columnist Iris Opehlia's collection of favorites for 2014.

This one above by Newreem Waffle, featured in Iris' 2013 collection.

Going back to 2008, this one is Eat Rice by Ellie Celt, featured by Iris here.

Finally, there's always a special place in my heart for Rikka Koi's utterly epic Cthulu Baby Hair Incubator from 2008.

Inspired? Go here to apply to get a display booth of your own.

Update, 8:15pm: Corrected the launch date to 2006 and added visitation numbers and thoughts from Sasy!

Sasy and Mel Vanbeeck photo via her Flickr.