Halloween Fun Facts!

Debbie Roney Smith on

Happy Halloween everyone! How much do you know about the history of the now 2nd-highest grossing holiday in the U.S.A.?

Check out 3 fun facts about Halloween below!

  1. The infamous movie Halloween (1978) used the cheapest mask available for the character of Michael Meyers because they had a very tight budget. It was a William Shatner Star Trek mask! Do you think they look alike? Must have been an incredibly cheap mask!!! 
    Michael Myers, 1978
    Captain Kirk, Shatner’s character on Star Trek
  2. Trick-or-treating is a devolvement of an ancient Celtic tradition; treats and food were put out to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the year. That’s why trick-or-treaters now go door-to-door in search of candy! 
  3. Jack O’Lanterns were originally made from turnips, not pumpkins!

Rocky Horror Murder Mystery Dinner Show in Pensacola

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Seville Quarter in Pensacola, FL will be hosting its first-ever series of Murder Mystery Dinner Shows in Heritage Hall this October! Starting today, their last show, “Rocky Horror Murder Mystery,” will be running until Saturday. 

All shows run from 6 PM – 9:30 PM, and tickets cost $54. Tickets can be bought through Eventbrite and includes a choice of two entrees: (1) bacon-wrapped meatloaf or (2) curry’d chicken. Each entree comes with an opening course of a mixed green salad with toasted french bread, and a dessert of frozen chocolate mousse. 

Guests are encouraged to dress up and are reminded shows are 18yrs+ only. Visit their Facebook event page to view details and buy tickets! Click HERE!

Trick-or-Treat: Safety Tips

Debbie Roney Smith on

Amidst the current pandemic, many cities and towns are canceling Halloween celebrations. If you’re in an area that is allowing festivities and feel comfortable being out-and-about, follow the suggestions listed below to keep you, your family, and your community safe during celebrations:

  • The safest way to handle Halloween festivities falls in line with the best practices for COVID-19 — wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and wash hands often.
  • No loose candy; only sealed packages of sweets so that each piece of candy is individually wrapped.
  • Avoid indoor and/or close-quarters events like house parties, haunted houses, school dances, and even hayrides.
  • Consider holding a trick-or-treating event at home for your kids; create a scavenger hunt around the yard, lead them from bedroom-to-bedroom, watch movies, or carve pumpkins. 

PensaCon Halloween Fest

Debbie Roney Smith on

This coming Saturday, October 31 from 10 AM – 6 PM, Pensacon will be hosting their annual PensaCon Halloweenfest! Pensacon Halloweenfest will be a full day of spooky pop-culture fun in Museum Plaza. This year, the outdoor festival will be free and is located in downtown Pensacola. There will be vendors, live entertainment, celebrity guests such as Corin Nemec from “Stargate SG-1,” artists, panels, food trucks, trick-or-treating, costume contests, and other safe, family-friendly activities. Costumes are encouraged! 

Pensacon states that “Safety is of utmost concern, and in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, every precaution is being taken to ensure a safe event. Masks will be required at all times in Museum Plaza and associated venues and activities. Vendors will be spaced out across the plaza to encourage social distancing, and ample hand sanitizing stations will be made available. Attendees are encouraged to stay with their groups and maintain six feet of distance from those outside their bubbles.” 

See PensaCon’s Facebook event page for more information by clicking HERE! 

Halloween on Wintergreen

Debbie Roney Smith on

Looking for something to do this Saturday? Visit The Farms at Two Egg to see a drive-in movie. The movie being played is Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) and showtime starts at 8 PM. 

Prior to the showing, there will be a Spook Hour during which masks are mandatory during the various activities. There will be hayrides, a concession stand – and costumes are encouraged so you can visit the photo booth! Tickets are $10 per person and include a hayride, popcorn, soda, and candy.

Check out Two Egg’s promotional video by clicking HERE!

Visit their Facebook page for more information by clicking HERE!

 

Curfew for Blountstown Halloween

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This Halloween, on Saturday, October 31st, Blountstown Police Department will provide traffic control within the city limits from 5 – 8 PM. Additionally, there will be a trick or treating curfew of 8 PM for anyone within the city limits of Blountstown. The city asks that residents leave a porch light on if they want trick-or-treaters to stop at their homes. 

National Make a Difference Day

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An unofficial secular holiday that’s held annually on the fourth Saturday of October, National Make A Difference Day was founded in 1992 – just shy of three decades worth of service, kindness, and human goodness! It is a day inspired by the now-defunct USA Weekend, although at the time it was the second-largest national newspaper. 1992 was a leap year, so USA Weekend suggested to its readers that they should take the extra day to make a difference by doing something good for their communities or for those in need. Alongside Points of Light, USA Weekend helped sponsor the largest national day of community service for more than twenty years! Now, the ‘national holiday’ is celebrated by those communities, organizations, and individuals who remember the positive changes it fostered while it was actively sponsored and promoted. 

So continue this beautiful, giving day by offering kindness, your time, your services, or donate to those in need near you. Looking for a volunteer event near you? Be sure to try Facebook and other social media sites, as well as look into your local news sources or organizations. Or try one of the sites below:

United Way Volunteer Opportunities Search

AARP’s Create the Good Volunteer Search

Volunteer Match established in 1998

Torreya in Bloom

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Photo provided by local, @noahs.notions

Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Need to get out of the house or wear the kids down? Consider visiting the gorgeously-blooming Torreya State Park in Bristol! Only $3 per vehicle for park entry, there are multiple trails open now, the canoe/kayak launch spot is open, picnicking areas are open, AND the weather this weekend is supposed to be in the mid-80s with a pleasant blend of cloud coverage and wind.

Photo provided by local, @noahs.notions

Open from 8 AM to sunset, Torreya State Park is also home to the historic Gregory House. Tours are offered at 10 AM on weekdays and 10 AM, 2 PM, and 4 PM on weekends and state holidays. Masks mandatory while indoors. To get more information on the park before visiting, click HERE to visit their website!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

Scarecrows in the Dothan Botanical Gardens

Debbie Roney Smith on

Currently, the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens is having their 16th annual October event: Scarecrows in the Gardens!

During this event, community-created scarecrows take over the 46-acres that make up the Dothan Gardens for the month of October. This year, 2020, the scarecrow theme is Heroes & Villians. Open from 9 AM to 6 PM, admission to the gardens and the special scarecrow exhibit costs only $5 for adults over 16yrs old and FREE for those 15yrs old and younger (as well as Garden members). Masks are required to enter the building, visit the gift shop, and use the restroom: however, while walking the garden grounds, masks are encouraged but not mandatory. Please be sure to keep 6ft between yourself and other parties/people!

Want more information? Visit the Dothan Botanical Garden Facebook event site HERE! Or visit the Dothan Botanical Garden official website HERE!

20:20:20 in 2020: Internet Meme Debunked

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If you spend any time on social media, it’s likely that you’ve seen the post below (or some variation of it) in the last few days:

This blog is sad to report that this is FAKE NEWS! The original post (click here to see Psychedelic Hillbilly’s original Facebook post) has received tens of thousands of shares on social media, and goes to show the very real danger presented by misinformation. In the United States, 20:20:20 represents 8:20 PM in military time. For most countries outside the U.S., the 24-hour clock is the standard way to tell time, so it’s likely that U.S. citizens unfamiliarity with the system explains the widespread unawareness that this chronological phenomenon will actually occur every night of 2020. Actually, since it’s a Leap Year, it will occur 366 times in 2020!