Do you know where the witches are?
As Paul Bowker points out in his Friday, 14 Sept. column, Halloween is already in the air - or at least in the candy aisles. Seeing signs of the holiday is not that surprising, with the eagerness of children and corporations alike anticipating October 31. But I started seeing talking pirate heads and spring-loaded skeletons in the second week of August. Even a major All Hallow's aficionado like myself has to admit that could be jumping the gun. But it did get me thinking: Where do the boys and ghouls in Clay County go come October 31? I want to work some magic and serious fun, photos and events into the My Clay Sun issues leading up to Halloween, provided Clay County bloggers can tell me where the good stuff is! Last year was my first Halloween in the First Coast, and I was what you call 'over-prepared' for the season. I stocked up at CostCo with giant-sized Pixie Sticks, bubble gum and Bottlecaps packets, ghost garland and glowing skeleton hands lining the walk to my door, and skull-faced ghouls with chains and mesh hanging from my trees. The lights were all on. Spooky movies from "Dawn of the Dead" to "Jeepers Creepers 2" were on the TV. I wore a costume for candy dispersal... and yes, so did the dogs. Total trick-or-treaters: 10. (Not counting the high-schoolers who nearly got a broom to the temple for banging on my door around midnight after the lights were out, the universal symbol for 'go treat elsewhere'.) I was surprised. I'd thought that here, with the history and notorious tales of hauntings, that there'd be some serious activities as we approached November. Where did I go wrong? Starting now, I'm going to be soliciting favorite Halloween memories, notices for events in the making, photographs of costumes both adorable and awful, ghost stories from your neck of the woods... anything and everything. E-mail me with your ideas, photos, etc. at chanel.martin@jacksonville.com, and of course, share them here! Trick or treat! Related: ChanelMartin's blog | login or register to post comments | printer friendly version | Tags: Clay County | community | events | Halloween
Submitted by mkelter on Sat, 09/15/2007 - 7:12am.
Green Cove Springs' "Gold Coast" is a must-see Halloween destination. The residential area on Magnolia Avenue, St. Johns Avenue, and Myrtle Avenue is a favorite haunt for hundreds (if not a thousand) ghosts, goblins, fairy princesses, spidermen, and Freddy Kruegers. The streets are canopied with very old (scary-looking) live oak trees, which offer a final hanging place for some halloween frights. Some of the neighbors put together a great haunted house. The Green Cove Springs Police Department brings on extra police officers for the evening. Our City's finest do an outstanding job of keeping the little Darth Vaders and Princess Leas safe. I've lived in the neighborhood for eleven years. Its a neat place to live on Halloween. It reminds me of my neighborhood forty years ago. Its nostalgic to remember that kids can still think of candy as a goodie produced by Mars, Inc. instead of a substance manufactured in a lab in Medellin, Columbia. When I bought the house on Myrtle Avenue, my neighbors told me that I needed to buy some candy for Halloween. That first year I bought about five pounds of candy, then found myself making two emergency resupply trips to the store. Last year we bought 35 pounds of Halloween goodies and still had to shut down early (9:15) because of a run on the supply. Halloween on the Green Cove Springs Gold Coast is a great tradition.
Submitted by Marsha on Mon, 09/17/2007 - 6:21pm.
Why is it called "Gold Coast"? Sounds like a great time, wish I could be there to take it all in. I love the little ones all dressed up and out for candy, and sad that mine are about to grown up to do it anymore though they're still little girls when it comes to putting on costumes and parading around. There isn't much trick or treating in my neighborhood at all. I miss the crowds of kids at OP South!
Submitted by ChanelMartin on Wed, 09/19/2007 - 11:25pm.
That sounds more like it in your neighborhood! Do you have any photos of the haunted house or trick-or-treaters from last year? When do they set it up? People are talking about ...Here are the recent blog postings with the most comments. |
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