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The Halloween Scene
Posted at 5:05 AM on October 30, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(33 Comments)
Tomorrow is Halloween and I'll spend the evening hunkered down at home.
Somehow our neighborhood has become a trick-or-treat magnet for the surrounding area - we'll decorate the house on our usual "Eyeball" theme and be prepared for 500 costumed urchins at the door between 6 and 9 pm. This is now standard procedure. Our dog spends every November 1st in an exhaustion-induced half-coma, because after the first hour, "woof, woof" simply doesn't come close to saying all that needs to be said.
Halloween is a young person's festival. When you get to be a certain age you start to feel your mortality and all this joking around about ghosts and crypts and zombies becomes less an entertaining fantasy and more a preview of coming attractions. But I do like seeing the costumes, especially homemade ones that show some creativity.
There was a time when I dressed up for parties. My favorite and most ambitious Halloween costume was "Vince", a sidekick sewn together with old mismatched and worn out clothes that I stuffed with newspaper and secured with a few stitches to a separate set of clothes that I could wear, so when I put the outfit on Vince and I appeared to be Siamese twins.
Vince's face was a gruesome rubber mask stretched over a Styrofoam head that was impaled on a sawed-off broomstick. The broomstick ran down into the middle of Vince's stuffed "body" where my left arm was hidden. By twisting the broomstick I could make his head spin around, and by jiggling the stick Vince's head would bounce up and down atop his frazzled old turtleneck to the great amusement of people nearby.
The two or three Halloween parties that Vince attended happened many years ago. Even though we were attached along the left side, I couldn't keep my eye on him all the time. He must have been doing some things over there caused the invitations to dry up. It's difficult to stay popular when you have to drag around such a creepy appendage.
Of course, Vince probably felt the same way.
What's your best-ever Halloween costume?
Comments (33)
"Samurai Tomato" - during John Belushi's "Samurai"skits. my red footy pjs padded with pillows to make a round body, face painted red, philodendron vines on my head and a plastic sword in a scabbard around my waist. nowadays it wouldn't take as many pillows......
Steve did a great one - "Reverend Buck Mammon" (we lived in the south then) in an old graduation gown, slicked back hair and a pencil-thin mustache. we even found an old "Finance for Ministers" book in the flea market.
never had any really good ones myself, but my daughter made her own pumpkin costume out of a cardboard box and painted and decorated it and i helped her with a hat and she got raves (she was 9); unfortunately it was tough to walk in, and then it rained but she kept going and i was proud of her; the boys are going to be mario (from a game) and a skeleton
we don't get any kids at my house, never have, we are too far off the road and surrounded by a fence so they get scared and then the dogs dont bark
i will be working tomorrow nite and most of us wear costumes , even me
My recent favorite was actually worn to a morning show Halloween concert. My friend and I wore buttons that said I love Venice and Go Gondolas and sunglasses. We carried broomsticks painted white. We were ...a pair of venetian blinds.
I felt badly when the attentive staff at the Fitzgerald offered to take us to our seats early.
Dale that concert included the theromom (sp?). Any chance you have any of that spooky music?
Happy All Hallows' Eve to all in the Heartland!
Our neighborhood gets super busy on Halloween because the neighbors behind us go all out. They have life size figures in wood coffins, ghouls on their roof, the dead hanging from trees. All this will be accompanied by sounds, dry ice, and elaborate games, toys, and treats for children on Saturday night. Yesterday, a news crew was out to get footage and interviews.
My favorite costume I ever wore was a go go dancer. My friend and I borrowed her mother's go go boots (they were so cool) and long haired wigs. I sewed myself a psychedelic dress for the occasion. That might have been the Halloween, looking back, that I scored the most candy I had ever gotten. It might have been my last Halloween to go out as well.
Well, happy Friday all! That's cause for celebration.
That was a very interesting costume, Dale. It sounds to me like Vince ties in, some how, with Captain Billy. Perhaps he went off to join Captain Billy's crew after he was separated from you.
The best costume I can remember is one my mother made for me that had a home made tail, I think it was an animal such as a cat. More recently I dressed up a pirate to give out treats. We don't get too many coming to our house for treats.
I will do pumpkin carving with my grand daughters this halloween. My daughter and son-in-law, who live in Chicago, will be here to visit. My son-in-law, Zack Kline, is in Minnesota, tonight, to preform with the Orange Mighty Trio in Zumbrota at Carnagie Crossing.
Greetings! I don't remember any special costumes as a kid, even though my Mom was an excellent seamstress. Although as a young adult, I remember sewing my own Cleopatra-type looking dress that I wore out dancing to disco on Halloween.
If I dress up now, my costume is a hippie flower-child look; tie-dye shirt, old jeans, jean jacket, leather fringe and beads. And of course, the blue eye make-up. Fun stuff ...
What is Genways Halloween Special?
First graders LOVE it if their teacher wears a costume, so I try to oblige. I've been a ladybug, wicked witch, clown, hag, slut (just kidding), and Yoda. The last few years I've become pretty lazy, so anymore I just throw on a black blazer and a pair of mustached big nosed groucho glasses. This year I thought it might be fun to tape dark paper to the inside of the glasses for a Blues Brothers' effect, but instead it produced a surprising likeness to Leon Redbone. All I'm really missing is the panama hat.
Dale - I can't imagine handing out 500 treats. You're the black cat's meow!
Happy Friday good people!
Dale, I also leave my computer on, playing Radio Heartland, for my cat, while I'm away at work. The things we do for our pets!
I'm not very good with Halloween costumes, as I wear glasses, and all the cool masks I'd love to wear, I can't.
Whoa - I gotta leave for work! Happy Friday everyone!
I was Mr. Peanut one year. My peanut body was a very large clothing donation brown bag, I had a monacle, a top hat and a cane and spats.
Hey Dale, can you play the "Griesly Bride" song?
Thanks for The Ghost of John. It was a big favorite here during preschool.
How did you choose eyeballs as a decorating theme at your house?
I'm usually really lame with costumes, but early on (circa 1972) I borrowed a black rosary (when teaching at St. Anne's of the Sunset) and used it for a nun costume that was really fairly convincing. Drove my bright yellow VW Beetle to a party in Oakland and had to stop for gas (self serve) while in this nun costume. The people who answered the door at the party also paused before inviting me in...
We're on a dead end street and get virtually 2 trick or treaters. We used to get a few more, but may now have the reputation as the house that gives out not candy, but salted peanuts.
Wish we could see Vince, Dale!
Beth-Ann,
Eyeballs just happened. They were what we had the most of when it came to Halloween imagery.
And everybody relates. They're endlessly spooky.
Aaron, it's good to hear from you again.
Dr. Kyle is running a special on Genway Catsup for Halloween. There are four types - A, B, O, and AB. Here's his description:
"We named the four Genway catsups after types of blood. When I was little, my father put catsup on every meal. Then told us kids that the food was something he'd killed for us. He described the violent struggle. Then he'd lead us in prayer.
'Thank you Dear Lord for letting me win ... this time.'
It was the beginning of my fascination with food."
My best Halloween costume was well-worn before I finally put it aside. When I was three or four years old, my mother sewed a cat outfit from black fleece just for me, and it made a recurring appearance every October for several years. It had black fuzzy mittens (befitting Minnesotan autumns), a hood with pink-lined ears and a tail that I carried over one arm to keep it from getting dirty on the ground. I loved it so much that I would take it out at unpredictable times during the year and wear it until she told me to put it away again. The year I suited up and realized the legs ended several inches above my ankles was a traumatizing one. I have been many things since the demise of the cat costume, most of them more original and elaborate, but none of them so well-loved. Thanks again, Mom.
Arron, I think Genway must have some halloween specials.
Perhaps Genway has some special treats such as candy crossed with lighting bugs which glow in the dark.
Genway might have some pumpkins with jack rabbit genes so that they could jump out of the way when some one makes an attempt to smash them.
I'm just guessing what Genway might have.
As a grown-up (sort of - I was in my 20s) I once went as a pregnant alien carrying Captian Kirk's love child. It involved a lot of blue makeup and a 70s vintage bridesmaid dress heavy on the silver lame. A year or two later I went as Elvis Presley (one of my best friends was Priscilla) - I still have the white jumpsuit somewhere, I think. Not sure which was scarier - but they both involved a lot of synthetic stuff.
Thanks for Morning Has Broken - my morning had not yet broken when you played it, but I'll catch it on the archive or the rebroadcast. (Just thought of the song about the song about the jack-o-lanterns heart with all the pumpkins in the field - any chance there's time for that today?)
Indeed, thank you for Morning Has Broken...will try to catch it again at 11 repeat.
And thanks for the Ann bolyn song...another favorite of mine. Is Claudia Schmidt's Vampire song on the list for the morning?
Do you have any buffy st. marie in the library? She has a great vampire song too.
My ex and I went to a party as a couple of tea bags;..now that I am an "old bag" I wouldn't dare do that again. The year we got married I wore a bridal gown to the following Halloween Party...only time I wore one
Happy weekend all...will that Colorado storm grace us, you think?.
Okay, Arron, Dale did know about the Genway special so my guesses are a little off the mark, but might give Dr. Kyle some ideas for the future. It seems that Dr. Kyle might have gotten some of his ideas from Dale's Dad.
the boys and i are SO happy to hear from Larry; we miss his voice
they loved the names for the catsup
In college sewed a turtleneck into my black bean-bag chair and put the stuffing back in around it. Then I went to 1st Avenue with my friends - I didn't expect the slam-dancing target that I would become! It was a blast. Then we went to Perkins and I had a bit of trouble eating my pancakes and eggs since I couldn't see my plate.
Hey Mike/Dale, if you want to squeeze an unusual song into the mix, my daughter called this the "ghost music" when she was 4 or so - the song is "24-Hour Store" by the Handsome Family off the Singing Bones CD. I think she called it ghost music because the musical saw sounds so creepy.
My own costumes were pretty simple, but I've seen some doozies. My favorite was a woman dressed entirely in pink - a pink sweat suit, pink tennies, pink gloves, etc. And on top of her head was a tiny, plastic, toy chair. What was her costume, you ask? "I'm a piece of bubble gum stuck underneath a chair." Now THAT'S creativity!
my biggy was the wolfman year. i went to the barber shop and got the hair and glued it on my face chest and the back of my hands.i made a putty nose that i had attatched somehow. i had to sit quietly and itch all night but the cudos felt worth it.
my kids ahce had some fun ones. a picnic table comes to mind. piece of plywood held up with suspenders . add a checkered tablecloth and there you go. happy halloween. congrats on the fund drive. well done.
Streaming is not working this morning, and I see you just played my song Dale. Guess I'll have to listen to it later. Thanks anyway Dale.
Jennifer
morning, all!
like some others, my favorite costume for myself was the witch costume mom made for me when i was 3 or 4--a truly wonderful pointed hat with a jack-o-lantern cut-out on it...
i found a great half-face raven mask when i was in college, made wings, tail, etc., and, being an english major, quoth "nevermore" often during the evening.
my favorite done by someone else was a fellow who took a wicker "horn of plenty", threaded a straw through it, added a hood, and turned it into an aardvark head, and he could still drink beer while wearing it---oh, so clever....
did i already miss the anne bolyn song?
The costume I remember best from younger years was a Dennis the Menace outfit, including the classic style mask from the 60's. A few years after graduating from college, I had the gown and mortarboard and thought what could I do with that, so added Groucho glasses & mustache with a big fake cigar. If you weren't a big Marx Bros. fan, it wasn't as greatly appreciated, but I know Groucho appeared in academic garb in one of their movies.
great ideas, All! and i love the creepy, dark Genway blood type catsup!
we used to get over 100 kids when we lived in Duluth but now get zero. no one wants to come down a long road that has a sign saying "dead end" at the beginning. the coyotes are howling, i heard a wolf the other night, it's dark (as Leo Kottke says - "so dark you can smell the moon" - do you have that one, Dale??
happy halloween!
~SIGH~...ahhh... Thanks Chief. "Creepy itch" now scratched.
I've never had a good Halloween costume. I did have a clown costume that was -pretty- good. My sister (a genius with, among other things, costuming) set me up for my 6th grade school costume parade.
Probably the lamest costume I ever had was one of those standard, plastic Superman costumes. Of course, it was cold in Duluth, so my mother made me wear warm clothes under it. So, it was one of those chinsy looking thin plastic costumes with a parka (yes, an actual parka) under it. Three words: worst. costume. ever.
Good Morning RHers! I am on the mend from H1N1 (not contagious anymore so thought it was safe to post) so at present I look pretty scary without a costume.
A favorite costume was a giant backpack - 5'x3' - made for my daughter when she was in highschool. She put it on over her head so it looked like she was being carried inside of it - or that was the hoped for effect. She got a prize for it I think. Only problem - since it was made with cardboard for rigidity and covered with red felt - it was hard to sit at her desk.
I didn't check the playlist, but I hope "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm" is on it.
Happy Halloween!
Dale -
Thanks for the Peter Mayer! I wasn't remembering his name (I think I was combining the title "John's Garden" with a male artist name and thinking it was John Gorka, and I knew that wasn't right).
Got to thinking, too after the "Ghost of Elvis" that maybe I should dig out the Elvis jumpsuit (with all its pony bead finery) and distress it some, give it a few tears, etc. and go out some year as the ghost of Elvis...
Happy Halloween all!
Wow - what a response today! Next year, Dale, can I be the guest main blogger on Halloween?
A poem I like:
From Ghoulies and Ghosties,
Long-leggety Beasties,
And THINGS that go BUMP in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
Finally getting to logon.
Thanks for the Anne Boelyn for Lucas, Dale. He loved the Tom Lehrer as well. Hates mush, but grisley mush is great.
We have our own suspicions about the absence of Accordians from Hell, and not to make rash accusations or name names, but how DO pirates feel about accordians?
Just wondering.
Catherine
Jim,
I think the Genway people are going to be knocking at your door, because you had some great ideas.
My mother made three pumpkin costumes in decreasing sizes, so whichever of us fit them wore them. We were a big hit as we toured the neighborhood. When I outgrew the pumpkin costume, I graduated to gypsy. My dad went as the Jolly Green Giant one year—long underwear dyed green, with lots of green leaves sewn all over it.
Finally, some poetry for the day from the Mad Hatter:
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a teatray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
OMG, Kris -- Husband went once as a Jolly Green Giant, same scenario. It was several years before I met him, but there is photo evidence.
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