Short answers, pulled from the story.
Tolkien fandom is the international, informal community of fans devoted to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially the Middle-earth legendarium of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. It emerged as a distinct fan subculture in the United States during the 1960s.
Tolkien fans use several names for themselves. A Tolkienist studies Tolkien's work and the Elvish languages, a Ringer is a fan of The Lord of the Rings and especially Peter Jackson's films, and Tolkienite and Tolkiendil are also used as names for fans.
Tolkien used that phrase to describe the intense following his work attracted, particularly among the hippie and anti-war movements of the 1960s United States. He admitted that 'many young Americans are involved in the stories in a way that I'm not,' and the attention grew so intense that he removed his phone number from the public directory.
Organized Tolkien fandom took shape within science fiction fandom soon after The Fellowship of the Ring was published in 1954. An early fandom group called 'The Fellowship of the Ring' formed at Pittcon, the 18th World Science Fiction Convention, on the 4th of September 1960.
Stuart D. Lee's 2014 handbook A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien names four essential Tolkien fan sites. These are the Tolkien Gateway, TheOneRing.net, the Tolkien Library, and the Tolkien Society.
Tolkien Reading Day is an annual observance held on the 25th of March, marking the anniversary of the fall of Barad-dûr within the story. Sean Kirst proposed the day, and the Tolkien Society launched it officially in 2003.