Halloween Experts

Nestled in the hills of southern Illinois, at the confluence of the Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers, lies the small town of Alton, Illinois. It’s rich history includes prehistoric settlement by Native American peoples, whose cliff paintings of a monstrous bird, the Piasa bird, have become the town’s symbol. It was home to musician Miles Davis, author Phyllis Schafley, and the tallest man in the world, Robert P Wadlow, who stood 8′ 11.5″. Alton, with its quaint, Victorian, and Queen Anne style homes, fine stone churches, and panoramic views of the Mississippi River, has a reputation. It is widely believed to be the most haunted small town in America.

Because of its location, Alton was a hub for the Underground Railroad, a network of homes with hiding places and tunnels to aid slaves escaping to freedom in the North. Alton was also the site of the seventh Lincoln-Douglas debate. It was the site of the first penitentiary in the state of Illinois, and during the Civil War, housed some 12,000 Confederate prisoners of war. During the smallpox epidemic of 1863-1864, thousands of prisoners died, and a memorial marks the site of a mass Confederate grave of over 1,300 casualties.

The Mansion House on State Street in Alton was once a hotel. In the 1830′s an old Indian fighter named Tom Boothby retired to the back downstairs apartment in the house. He had lost an arm and an eye in his adventures, and lived as a recluse, never leaving the hotel. The screams from his nightmares about the Indians coming to get him frequently woke his neighbors. Finally, after 2 years of uncomfortable retirement, Tom died in the night, still tormented by dreams of vengeful Indians. His screams and footsteps are still heard by visitors and residents of the Mansion.

The First Unitarian Church, built on the burned out ruins of a Catholic Cathedral, may still be the home to the spirit of a pastor who committed suicide there. The old Cracker Factory, which has been operated as an office building and antique store for many years, is supposedly occupied by several prankster spirits, who whistle, change radio stations and move objects around.

The Milton School in Alton was built in 1904, and in the 1930′s may have been the scene of the brutal murder of a little girl. The janitor, who was believed to be the culprit, committed suicide shortly thereafter. Both spirits are still said to haunt the school, which is now used as a factory which makes decorative glass objects.

Residents and visitors to Alton have experienced encounters with spirits and ghostly presences in many other locations in and around the city. A bus and walking tour of haunted locations is offered during the spring and summer, and special tours run during October for Halloween season. These tours are hosted by the author of “Haunted Alton” and are reportedly the only historically accurate tours of the many haunted sites in the city.

Masks have been used for protection, disguise, religious ceremony, sign of rank, punishment, and entertainment since the Stone Age.

Ancient Egyptians used masks in their burial ceremonies, often painted gold and adorned with gems. The death masks were believed to be imbued with spells that would protect the deceased on the trip to the spirit world.

In Asia, masks were influenced by Hindu, Buddhist, and Indian tradition and were used in both religious ceremonies and in traditional theater. Japan’s ancient art form of Kabuki combines dance and theater. The performers wear elaborately painted masks to represent specific characters.

The Comedy and Tragedy masks that have come to symbolize theater, were developed by ancient Greeks for both religious and theatrical purposes. The masked fool was also introduced by the Greeks. This character would distract and entertain children in the audience to keep them from disrupting the performance.

Native American cultures used masks not only for religious ceremonies, but also for medicinal purposes. Some tribes also used masks for entertainment.

During the Middle Ages, masks, called “branks” were often used as punishment for crimes committed. A man who mistreated a woman might be forced to wear a metal “swine mask”. A student who failed to learn might be required to wear the “hood of shame”. A woman could be forced to wear a mask if she was a nag or a gossip. The masks had to be worn on public display, and sometimes contained a sort of bit in the mouth that made talking painful.

The association of masks with Halloween began in the Celtic celebration of Samhain. During this festival, humans would wear masks to confuse the spirits of the dead who were thought to walk the earth at this time of year. Frightening masks were worn in an attempt to scare away malicious spirits.

Every Halloween party needs a little creepiness. This game is especially good for children’s parties and 8-10 year-olds will really get into the spirit of it!

The Grisly Tale of Hal O’Ween

Object of this Halloween Game:
While telling a spooky Halloween story, pass around cups of simulated body parts made from food. Guests will guess what substance is really in each cup.

Materials Needed:
Paper cups. Peeled grapes or olives, peeled stewed tomatoes, piece of uncooked liver or similar raw meat, wet corn silk or yarn, catsup, latex glove, gelatin, cold spaghetti, pickle, chicken gristle or hotdog end. Papers and pencils and a box of hand wipes around for guests to clean their hands off with when you are done with the game.

Directions:
Ahead of time, prepare the cups that are described below. Have everyone sit in a circle, then shut off most of the lights and start the story. You need to have the room fairly dark so that people can’tt see what’s inside of the cups. Pass out paper and pencil at the beginning of the game and let your guests write down their guesses between each cup or wait until the end of the story, and have them try to remember. After all guesses have been written down, bring the cups back out and reveal the contents of each one.

Here’s The Story:

Tell the story, slowly and very dramatically, as you pass around each cup.

“Once in this town there lived a man named Hal O’ Ween.
T’was years ago, on this very night,
that he was murdered out of spite.
They say these are his remains.

“Here is his brain, which now feels no pain.”
(use a peeled squishy tomato or stewed tomatoes)

“Here are his eyes, still swollen with surprise.”
(use two frozen, peeled grapes or black olives)

“Here is his heart. Be careful lest it start!”
(use a large lump of uncooked liver or other raw meat)

“Now we have his hair, which once was so fair!”
(use a handful of corn silk or wet fur or yarn)

“Feel these drops of his blood. All the rest turned to mud.”
(use a little catsup thinned with warm water)

“One hand all alone, just rotting flesh and bone.”
(use a wet latex glove filled with red gelatin)

“Here is his ear. Nevermore will he hear!”
(use a dried apricot or similar dried fruit)

“This is his nose. Now to never smell a rose.”
(use the end of a pickle, a hot dog or a soft chicken bone or gristle)

“These worms are all that’s left to feel. For them Hal O’Ween was a lovely meal!”
(use cold, wet, cooked spaghetti)

Give a prize to the guest with the most correct guesses of what was really in the cups.

Pizza Mummies

Looking for a perfect Halloween party meal? These little guys are so easy to make, and make great appetizers for adults or main dishes for a kids’ party!

Ingredients
English muffins
Pizza sauce
Black olives
Scallions
Red or green pepper
Cheese sticks or slices

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350º F. For each mummy, spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin (toast it first, if you like).
Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils.
Lay strips of cheese (you can use a pulled-apart cheese stick) across the muffin for the mummy?s wrappings.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.

Apple Bites

These snacks are both healthy and scary! Don’t just make them for Halloween!

Ingredients

Apples
Slivered almonds

Instructions
Just quarter and core an apple, cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter, then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.

Tips: If you’re not going to serve them right away, baste the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.