Halloween Memories

     Over the years, I've had many Halloween related memories.  As grand as some of my adventures have been as an adult, I think the best memories are from the years that I was young enough to still go trick-or-treating.

     As a kid, you tend to feel the build up to Halloween even more.  You watch as the leaves continue to fall, decorations slowly go up, and the pumpkins on the porches transform into jack-o-lanterns.

     I realize that things are different now.  Often, children trick-or-treat at the mall instead of their neighborhood or even in broad daylight.  Well, things were different in the 1970s.  Back then it was still quite common to see packs of ghosts and ghouls, roaming the streets, in search of treats.

     Now as a youngster, the mere act of knocking on a stranger's door and being rewarded with candy was quite a thrill in itself.  However, there were certain people who went the extra mile to make things really special and those memories stay with me to this day.

     We had one family who, instead of giving candy, would hand out nickels to all of the trick-or-treaters.  It sounds rather funny, because a nickel wasn't much (even in 1977), yet I clearly recall that every child in the neighborhood made it a point to not miss out on "the house that gives out money".

     One neighbor would have a life-sized scarecrow sitting outside his door, with spooky music playing in the background.  On one year in particular, our neighbor removed the scarecrow on Halloween night, dressed in its clothes, placed a jack-o-lantern on his head, and sat himself down in the same spot.

     He would wait for kids to get close and then reach out for them while laughing a hideous laugh.  This totally scared the bejeezus out of everyone involved.  Good times!

     We had one older couple down the street who always took pictures of all the kids.  They would set up a 35mm camera and snap pictures, just as the kids said “trick-or-treat”.  They also gave out little prizes for their favorite costumes of the night.

     I always thought that this was very sweet.  Sweeter still (though quite sad) was the fact that the husband continued this practice for a couple of years, after his wife had passed away.  It's unfortunate but I suppose that if someone were to do that today, parents would be terribly alarmed at having someone take pictures of their children.

     My favorite trick-or-treating memory of all time was one that parents probable should have been concerned about, there just didn't happen to be any adults around at the time.  I grew up in Henrietta, NY (a suburb of Rochester).  It was a quiet little neighborhood and as such, parents weren't afraid to let kids go off on their own (so long as they remained relatively close to home).

     I believe it was 1981 and I was 11 years old at the time.  My buddy Jason and I were wrapping up a long evening of trick-or-treating.  Just as we were about to head back home, we stumbled upon a curious house.

    The lights were all out (the international signal for "we don't want trick-or-treaters) but there was very loud "haunted house music" coming from the house.  We looked at each other and shrugged.  Figuring that it would be a shame to miss out on any extra candy, we proceeded down the driveway, to the house.

     Arriving at the front door, we were met with another strange sight.  The door was wide open and there was still no sign of light from within the house.  I was a rather timid youth and was quite ready to turn around and leave.  However, before I could, Jason reached up and pressed the doorbell.

     Immediately, from within the blackness of the house, we heard a woman calling to us and the sound of chains rattling.  At this point we were too startled to move so we just stood there, staring into the blackness.

    As we watched, a woman crawled (yes crawled!) into view.  Not only that, but she was half-naked!  Clad only in a flimsy, white teddy, the woman crawled toward the door.

     "Thank you for coming boys.  You must save me from my master!" she said.

     Our 11 year-old eyes were out of their sockets, wanting dearly to stare at her barely covered breasts but feeling the urge to run screaming into the night at the same time.

     Then things got really weird.  Now in full view, it became clear that the woman had a collar around her neck and was tethered by a chain.  The chain was held by a large, bare-chested man who emerged from the dark.

     "Candy, candy...candy for the children" he said.  His voice was slightly muffled under a horrid Don Post mask (like the one in this picture).

     The man held the chain, preventing the woman from "escaping", and proceeded to stuff a TON of candy into our bags.  With that done, he shut the door and we ran off into the night.

     Neither of us mentioned that to our parents, for fear of freaking them out.  We certainly didn't want to be prevented from trick-or-treating on our own, in future years.

***

     Well, thank you for reading.  If you've read this far, I'm betting that you have some great Halloween memories of your own.  Please take just a moment and leave a comment.  I would love to hear your tales.  We're less than 100 days from Halloween, it's not too late to make sure that you can create some memories this year!

The Magic Mirror

This is a great effect from the folks at imagineerieing.com

Calkins Rd. Wegmans Food Markets (10.29.08) Rochester, NY

Here are some pictures of the monster visiting the Wegmans on Calkins Rd. in 2008.

Hallowindow

   Mark Gervais is an illustrator and animator from Calgary, Canada.  A few years back he came up with a brilliant idea to decorate his home, using some of his animated art work.   He turned to local Calgary musician and producer, Dewi Wood to supply spine tingling sounds and Hallowindow was born.

     Hallowindow is a collection of Halloween themed animations that you can use for window projection or your TV.  It is available on DVD and as downloadable video files with spine tingling soundtracks.

     In order to display the animation in your window you will need a DVD player hooked up to a projector with proper connection cables.  It is best to use a projector with a fairly bright bulb, 2000 lumens or more, but dimmer projectors will also work.  You will also need something to project the image onto in your window.  A simple solution for this is a white bed sheet or a white shower curtain pinned to the window frame on the inside of your house.  There are also some other tips about projectors on the Hallowindow blog.

     The pictures presented here don't do this masterpiece justice.  I strongly suggest checking out Mark's page or YouTube to see Hallowindow in action.

Trying on the suit

Took a dry run, just to make sure that everything was in working order.  Sounds like I'm in dire need of some WD-40!

Monster For Rent

What exactly is Monster For Rent?

     He’s a stilt-walking monster, standing at just under 9’ tall.  In his younger days, he worked at various “haunted houses” and “haunted hayrides”.   Now as a more seasoned monster, he spends the Halloween season, hiring himself out to entertain at birthday parties, Halloween parties, grocery stores, farm markets, and different companies who want to draw some attention to their business during the Halloween season.
     Originally from Rochester, NY, the monster spent a number of years living in West Palm Beach, FL.  Currently, he resides in the quiet town of Wellston, OH.

 So what does the monster do?

     Really that depends on the specific event.  The overwhelming majority of the time, he’s called into action to shake hands and pose for pictures with party-goers and customers of the various events that he’s hired to perform at.
     At company functions, he’s been used to pass out advertising literature, march in parades, draw attention to certain displays within a store, or even stand by the side of the road to help draw in business.

Can the monster talk?

     Sadly, no… The mad scientist who created the monster neglected to give him the ability to speak.  However, he’s become quite adept at communicating with folks through hand gestures and head bobs.

There will be lots of young children at my event.  Will the monster be too scary for them?

     While it is true that a 9’ tall monster might seem pretty intimidating, the monster very rarely scares any little ones.  In his experience, children who are afraid of Santa Claus, clowns, or the Easter Bunny may also be afraid of the monster.
     The monster has become quite adept at scanning the crowd for signs that any of the little folks are looking a bit uneasy.  When he detects this, he avoids eye contact and focuses on the folks who are close by, shaking his hand and posing for pictures.  Generally, this allows any timid youngsters to move along and not suffer any frights.

The monster is so big.  Will he fit in my home or business?

     Aside from being just under 9’ tall, the monster is able to fit just about anywhere that an event might be held.  He’s easily as maneuverable as any “normal” person.  As such, he’s able to duck through regular doorways, climb stairs, and pretty much go anywhere required, doing what needs to be done.

There will likely be big crowds at my event.   Will this be a problem for the monster?

     Not at all.  The monster is very sturdy on his feet and hand full peripheral vision.  Whether he’s indoors with merchandise displays or outdoors in a throng of people, the monster is very adept at moving about in tight spaces.

Could the monster hold a sign to promote my event/business?

     Yes, absolutely.  The monster would be able to hold/carry any sign that any other “normal” person could.

Any chance we could dress the monster up in one of our uniforms?

     Sure.  Aside from being rather large, the monster would be happy to.  Over the years, he’s worn t-shirts, aprons, hats, & buttons from those who’ve used his services.

Where can I get more information?

     You may either leave a comment below or send an e-mail to monsterforrent@yahoo.com.  I promise to respond as quickly as possible.