Thursday, October 26, 2006
HAUNTED HOUSING
A friend of mine works for the Brooklyn Park Public Library. Last year, instead of the standard story time with a bowl of candy, the library decided they wanted to host a haunted house. My friend is also a member of the Greater Columbia Fantasy Costumers Guild, so called on them for their assistance.
We set about transforming the conference area in their basement into a vampire’s crypt, a mummy’s chamber, a mad scientist’s laboratory, a warlock’s study, and a giant spider’s web. My wife and I dressed as monster hunters (well, she had a sword; I think I was dressed as a Cossack gypsy or something) and guided small groups through the dark hallways, from station to station as they were harassed by ghosts and collected the talismans they needed to escape the evil dungeon.
The community was very appreciative of the free event, and we were all asked to do it again this year. We’re very heartened at reports of kids comparing haunted house stories – “No, you should come to this one; it’s a lot scarier than Arundel Mills.” This year we have chosen a different theme, probably because one of the members bought a mask based on a certain recent summer blockbuster, but it could just be a coincidence for all I know. While we’re getting some help from the anime club that meets at the library, I’m hoping we can convince a few others to be guides as well. Three was barely enough last year, just between the rambunctious boys who kept sneaking back in line and the girls who got so scared they literally climbed the walls at every turn, and with the word of mouth we’re expecting a much larger crowd.
My wife is hitting the thrift store today to see if she can find pieces for our costumes. That’s what she did last year, but I’m convinced we have enough items in our closet to make decent characters. She thinks I should wear a red-and-white striped shirt like Kirk Douglas from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”. I told her I could wear a matching cap and glasses and just say, “Hey, kids! Where am I?”
After the haunted house Saturday afternoon (12-4, I think) I’ll be heading to Columbia to perform in a staged radio play with Prometheus Radio Theatre for a Halloween show at the Maryland Academy of Music. We’ll be performing a classic radio script of a spooky story; I’m still not sure what the foley guy is going to do about the rats. After our performance, the Boogie Knights will be singing, they’re a local filk group that takes pop songs and sings them with fantasy or medieval lyrics.
It will be a fun but busy day.
We set about transforming the conference area in their basement into a vampire’s crypt, a mummy’s chamber, a mad scientist’s laboratory, a warlock’s study, and a giant spider’s web. My wife and I dressed as monster hunters (well, she had a sword; I think I was dressed as a Cossack gypsy or something) and guided small groups through the dark hallways, from station to station as they were harassed by ghosts and collected the talismans they needed to escape the evil dungeon.
The community was very appreciative of the free event, and we were all asked to do it again this year. We’re very heartened at reports of kids comparing haunted house stories – “No, you should come to this one; it’s a lot scarier than Arundel Mills.” This year we have chosen a different theme, probably because one of the members bought a mask based on a certain recent summer blockbuster, but it could just be a coincidence for all I know. While we’re getting some help from the anime club that meets at the library, I’m hoping we can convince a few others to be guides as well. Three was barely enough last year, just between the rambunctious boys who kept sneaking back in line and the girls who got so scared they literally climbed the walls at every turn, and with the word of mouth we’re expecting a much larger crowd.
My wife is hitting the thrift store today to see if she can find pieces for our costumes. That’s what she did last year, but I’m convinced we have enough items in our closet to make decent characters. She thinks I should wear a red-and-white striped shirt like Kirk Douglas from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”. I told her I could wear a matching cap and glasses and just say, “Hey, kids! Where am I?”
After the haunted house Saturday afternoon (12-4, I think) I’ll be heading to Columbia to perform in a staged radio play with Prometheus Radio Theatre for a Halloween show at the Maryland Academy of Music. We’ll be performing a classic radio script of a spooky story; I’m still not sure what the foley guy is going to do about the rats. After our performance, the Boogie Knights will be singing, they’re a local filk group that takes pop songs and sings them with fantasy or medieval lyrics.
It will be a fun but busy day.
# posted by Renfield @ 8:47 AM 
