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Party Ideas
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St. Augustine: The Oldest City With the Oldest Ghosts
I'm currently in the process of compiling more information of things to do here in St. Augustine,
but there is one place that I know of that will give you a thrill to participate in...
A Ghostly Experience walking ghost tour: Guides in period
costume lead visitors through the brick-lined streets of old St. Augustine by the aid of lantern-light, spinning historically-based
tales of murder, piracy, and hauntings. The hour and a half tours are inexpensive and this is the only company that includes
in their tour a visitation through a certified haunted building. The building, which is the Spanish Military Hospital, was
filmed by the television show "The Ghost Hunters" and confirmed by the crew to be haunted. The episode has yet to be
aired, but also features a sampling of the talented storytellers employed by the small company.
On a personal note, I was trained and ready to be certified to work with this wonderful group
when I found out I was pregnant and unable to tolerate the heat and walking for such an extended period of time. Although
I'm very disappointed about this, I have still had the privilege of learning the town's rich history -- ghostly and otherwise
-- and of training with the two most amazing storytellers, Dion and Charlie. If you get the chance to choose, either one of
them would be a treat you won't soon forget!
Disturbing goings-on around the nation
Most people know the story of the Winchester Mystery House. The heiress to the Winchester
rifle fortune was told by a medium, after the early deaths of her husband and child, that she was cursed by the victims of
the rifles and must commission endless construction on her home to prevent further misfortunes. Workers built onto the house
nonstop for 38 years, until she died. Many aspects of the strange house defy logic, such as the stairway that leads to the
ceiling and a door that opens up high on the kitchen wall. Two tours of the home are offered, each taking about one hour.
Mingle with your favorite B-movie horror stars.
At the end of the nineteenth century, a young Emma Crawford moved to the mountain town
of Manitou Springs, CO. She loved it dearly, and her fiance soon joined her. Unfortunately, Emma died of consumption
before the wedding. For her final wish, Emma asked to be buried at the top of Red Mountain, where she rested in
peace for two decades. It came to pass that the relentless rains one year uprooted her and washed her coffin down
the mountain and into a canyon below. Now, in her memory, the town hosts a macabre festival every weekend before Halloween.
The highlight of this festival is the annual coffin race. Teams build a coffin on wheels and appoint one ''Emma,"
who rides inside while four team members push the casket down Main Street. Creative construction as well as speed determine
which team is crowned the Coffin Race champion.
Here she comes, Miss A-scare-ica! Check out The Midwest Haunter's Convention, complete with
a scary pageant and midnight masquerade ball.
Visit a 1870's lunatic asylum housing a plethora of psychiatric paraphernalia.
Displays include treatment devices, patient oddities and old hospital furnishings. The crowning glory of the Glore Museum
is a strange assembly of mannequins demonstrating all manner of psychiatric treatment -- such as hydrotherapy and electroshock therapy.
Visitors have access to the actual morgue and patient cemetery.
I was unable to access the website, but here is the address:
3406 Frederick Ave.
St. Joseph, MO 64506
Good news for axe-murderer buffs! Lizzie Borden's childhood home, where she gave her mother
and father forty whacks, is now a charming bed and breakfast. It's alleged that the family -- parents, sister Emma, and
Lizzie herself -- haunt the home to this day. Guests have their choice of rooms for $150 a night and up. As a capper, a breakfast
of the Bordens' last meal (bananas, sugar cookies, jonny cakes and coffee) is served. For those who with a weaker constitution
for ghosts, guided tours are offered daily. Be sure to pick up a bottle of haunted brick dust from the B&B's basement
-- while supplies last.
Once a thriving boomtown, Elkhorn, Montana is now mostly populated by ghosts from the local
cemetery. Think Silent Hill without the creepy little girl. The ghost town has been turned into a state park and is very well
preserved.
Take a gander at N'awlins' voodoo queen, Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo.
I've actually visited this place, and it was pretty interesting. Check out the rest of the site for more creepy fun!
http://www.bloodymarystours.com/
Explore Bachelor's Grove cemetery. With well over 100 varied sightings, it's the
most haunted resting ground in the Chicago area. Page 6 of the website is especially shiver-inducing.
Crafts
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Decorating
More to come
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More to come
Shopping links:
Oriental trading
Nightmare pumpkin carving kit
costume sites
etc.
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