This year I was determined to have some sort of gathering on International Lolita Day, which falls on the first Saturday of June and the first Saturday in December. It’s a biannual holiday so that we can have the opportunity to wear our finest warmer- and cooler-weather coordinates. It’s also more fun! Lolita Day is not an “official” holiday–it’s something created by Western lolita who wanted a day of celebration. For that, I fully support it!

It’s clear that there would never be a bank holiday in honor of lolita fashion, but if there can be days like “National Strawberry Ice Cream Day” (January 15, for the record), why can’t we have an “International Lolita Day?” All that it really takes to create a holiday is enough momentum. It starts somewhere, is little-known, those interested in it celebrate and spread the word, and eventually it gains enough momentum to be more than just the inkling of a good idea. I love celebrating, and I know I’m not the only one! I hope that in the future, International Lolita Day becomes part of the core knowledge of anyone gaining an interest in the fashion. I never need an excuse to get dressed up, but I certainly won’t turn one down~

To try and make the meetup in Chicago as accessible as possible on Lolita Day, I planned a potluck picnic at the free zoo. I didn’t count on the increasingly dismal weather forecasts. For the week before the picnic many potential attendees worried about the talk of thunderstorms. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of suitable rain plans–there isn’t really anywhere in the city for a large group to meet and have a picnic indoors without renting something, and the group had outgrown the capacity of my tiny home. The weather forecast isn’t very accurate in our area due to the effects of the lake, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for a good day.

Of course, as soon as I left the house to head to the zoo, it started raining. We trudged along anyway, as I would not be convinced to cancel without seeing lightning. Nearly everyone was sending me messages or calling to ask if it had been canceled, though! We were all very concerned with the status of our intended event. My small group arrived very early and right in the heart of the downpour, so we huddled in the conservatory and tried to avoid the leaky spots. (It’s a beautiful vintage building, so it isn’t water-tight in the slightest!)

By the time several of us had assembled, the rain was over. Unfortunately, the grass was wet, which complicated the picnic a bit. I wound up sending the group about a block or so north to a covered gazebo so we wouldn’t be sitting on blankets soaked with rainwater, then waited for the rest of the guests. I wish I had brought a checklist, because it was very difficult for me to figure out who had arrived and who was missing, since no-one notified me that they weren’t going to come.

After a leisurely, enjoyable lunch, we headed back to the zoo. At this point the weather was gorgeous~ The rain had alleviated some of the humidity, although it wasn’t exactly “dry” weather, and the sun was shining but the clouds still remained. I appreciated that it wasn’t blazing hot, but also had the chance to give my parasol lots of use between the rain and sunshine. We meandered around the zoo for a while, and then split so those who wanted to ride the carousel would have the opportunity.

The zoo has a lovely carousel that is truly a work of art. It has 48 handcrafted endangered species, most of which can also be seen at the zoo in a non-carved form. It sits near the back of the zoo on a structure custom-built to hold it, beneath a canopy to protect it from most of the weather. Thus the paint isn’t faded from sunlight, we didn’t have to worry about it being wet from the rain, and it’s always a bit cooler on the carousel even though it doesn’t go very fast. I didn’t get any pictures, although I really wanted to, because I left my camera with my husband and I was holding everyone’s bags.

As much as I adore that carousel, I’ve actually never ridden it! Isn’t that silly? Maybe one of these days I’ll actually go on, but I don’t know how I could choose which animal to be my steed–they are all so beautiful~

After everyone had enjoyed the ride, we rejoined the other group by the polar bears, took pictures, and enjoyed each other’s company. There were so many people at this meetup that I hadn’t had the chance to meet before, so it was very exciting! Lately there has been a lot happening in the suburbs, which I can rarely get to, or events on Sundays when I’m trapped in the office. It was nice to finally connect a face with a name or identify a girl with her picture. I enjoyed being a part of so many conversations~

Slowly different members began to depart, and those that remained headed over to some tables to have a “second” picnic. A few people had arrived a bit late, and many of us had leftover items. There’s almost always an abundance of food, but it can come in handy if the meetup lasts a few hours longer than you might have thought it would and everyone is feeling hungry again. My husband was glad to have people drink more of the tea we brought, since it made the bag he was carrying lighter and lighter~

Soon it was time for me to head home, while some attendees went to Chinatown for dinner. That would have been kind of fun, but since I had to be up early for work the next day it just didn’t seem like a good choice. I had a really wonderful time meeting so many people, I can’t wait to see everyone again~! ♥