Taking fandom to a whole new level today, there’s now an Indiegogo campaign for building a replica of the Shire, home to those adorable Hobbits, from The Lord of the Rings.
As reported by AdWeek/GalleyCat, a group launched the campaign to build “The Shire: America,” in the middle of Tennessee on the “outskirts of the Great Smoky Mountains.” They want a park to not only attract visitors and J.R.R. Tolkien fans, but also the venue to host an annual arts and music festival that rivals events like Bonnaroo (also in Tennessee), Coachella and Lollapalooza.
According to the Shire campaigners on Indiegogo, “The funding of this project would be monumental by allowing so many people to escape to a stunning and beautiful land they might not get the chance to see in New Zealand.”
To date, they’ve raised $90 of their $7.3 million goal, but they also have 23 days left to crowdfund that large amount of cash. A contribution of $65 gets your name on the wall of the Dragon Inn; $85 gets you a tour when it opens.
