#78 My Recent Show And A Halloween Thought

Oct 07, 2024

When I was a kid Halloween decorations seemed to be G rated and primarily aimed at, well, kids.

Lots of witches and black cats, skeletons and pumpkins.

“Friday the 13^th” was yet to be a hit movie franchise and the “Halloween” film series was also not yet a thing. (Yes, I realize I am dating myself quite a bit here.)

The holiday had spooky overtones but I can’t remember anything truly sinister.

OK, maybe you could count Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula, but those were so cartoony I don’t ever recall being scared of them even the tiniest bit.

I certainly do not remember fake bodies hanging from trees, fake bodies with knives coming out of them, fake decapitated bodies etc. etc.

And even if there were representations of wolves or monsters there was a really important component absent.

Nothing moved.

Nothing made noise.

For that sort of thing you had to go to an official haunted house type attraction and, let’s face it, if you went out of your way to walk into a house of horrors you were probably over the age of eleven and fully prepared – even excited - to be freaked out.

Fast forward to a recent early September trip to Costco.

As I enter the store, I can hear a variety of Halloween type noises coming from the back – there’s some standard villainous laughter and witch cackling. Then comes the big howl.

And, as I turn a corner, I see that a giant werewolf is part of a display that is mounted way up on top of a central shelving area so that you can see him from every single part of the main open area. The thing is at least 10 feet tall and moves its head back and forth while howling fit to wake the dead .

My brain registers that, yes, it is Halloween decoration shopping season and yes, there will be big animated stuff on offer as part of the spooky merriment.

Then I notice the crying.

A kid is sobbing his heart out and a mom is saying “Just don’t look at it!”

Did I mention the arms that reach out towards you menacingly? And the flashing eyes?

Then I hear another kid.

And another.

And some of the crying sounds truly panicked.

And I look at this wolf in a completely different light.

It’s no longer just a cheesy creepy addition to some homeowner’s personal neighborhood yard of horrors.

It’s a trauma inducing trigger inflicted on unsuspecting kids and moms out for a day of shopping for toilet paper and eggs.

I’m not kidding when I tell you that I heard constant wailing the entire time I was in the store.

The following week the wolf was there but the sound was turned off.

By the next week it had vanished.

I asked a checker about it and he said the complaints from angry moms were overwhelming.

I guess it wasn’t just me.

I’d like to make a serious request as folks prepare to celebrate this holiday that, frankly, used to be mostly about candy, and now seems to be mostly about scaring the bejeezus out of all and sundry, to take a moment to remember your five year old self and perhaps make some considerate decorative choices for the kids in your life.

And Now For Something Completely Different…

Kenosha Performing Arts Festival - Thank You!!

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to see my show at the White Lilac in Kenosha yesterday! We had a packed house!

This is a still shot from one of my numbers. As you can see, not content to merely play one harp at a time, I’m playing two :-)

Another big shout out to all the festival organizers and volunteers and hosts and just anyone and everyone who worked on this inaugural event. Over 30 fantastic performers were showcased!

A particular thank you to Kelly MacKay, owner of the White Lilac. The space is intimate and a great addition to the Kenosha performing scene. Kelly and his team bent over backwards to make sure I was well looked after.

And another big round of thanks to Catherine Borowski, host of Cat’s Corner on WLIP, who honored me with an hour long guest spot on her show the week before the festival!

Lastly, thank you to Marsha Caporaso and Francisco Loyola who were two of the lead visionaries in starting this festival.