Make no mistake, it’s been 364 days since the celebration of Halloween and the monster parade begins at midnight with all the pomp spooks can muster up.
It’s only fitting that tomorrow’s neighborhood Grand March is being led by Halloween’s FAB FOUR: FRANKENSTEIN, THE WOLFMAN, DRACULA AND THE MUMMY.
It’s for sure these guys will invade your neighborhood tomorrow night with all their friends looking for Halloween Treats at your house.
Will you be ready?
Leading the parade could be the lead spook from 1962 – Bobby Pickett and his Halloween Smash Hit – THE MONSTER MASH.
Never heard of it? Well, here are the words so you can get in the mood:
“It’s now the Mash, it’s the Monster Mash, it’s a graveyard smash! It’s the Monster Mash – it caught on in a flash, it’s the Monster Mash! Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist? It’s the Monster Mash.”
Be sure and check your local times for the ghosts and their buddies visit to your house. It’s generally 6-8 p.m. Be sure and turn on your porch light if you want the monsters to visit.
History says that once upon at time during the 20th Century the night before Halloween was indeed called: Trick or Treat Night.
When they visited your neighborhood and the porch light was off, and you didn’t answer the door, you could be “tricked.”
However, thank goodness, over the years that practice got lost in the Halloween fog.
Today, it’s known as “Beggar’s Night” and is observed tomorrow night on Halloween.
Sometimes, if you’re lucky you may be invited to a neighborhood Halloween party nearby and that’s always a lot of fun.
The Halloween movies for the past weeks have dominated the TV grids. The Grand Daddy of them all seems to be the 1978 original movie simply entitled “Halloween.”
It featured the trials and tribulations of those who lived in Haddonfield, Illinois back in 1963 and were stalked by Michael Myers – an escapee from a sanitarium.
There were 12 sequels to the original movie which in itself is incredible. Thus – the legacy of it all.
Speaking of fright and movies, especially here on Halloween Eve, what was the scariest movie you ever watched?
For me, it was during a time when movies were king and kids across America made their way to the silver screen. Most of the time it was cowboy movies that kept us entertained.
Sure the “Fab Four” made their indelible mark on me once upon a time. I remember them well.
Frankenstein got my attention – Wolf Man, Dracula and the Mummy not so much.
However, the scariest movie for me was released in December 1946 and was entitled – “The Beast with Five Fingers” starring a strange little guy named Peter Lorre.
I had just turned 8 years old that Christmas season and had no idea as to what the movie was about.
It turned out it was about a murder with the victim losing his right hand and somehow it came to life and took revenge. It didn’t take much to scare an 8 year old back then while sitting in the theater munching on a candy bar. Movies were not rated. That would come 22 years later in 1968.
The rating system was simple: G – General audiences, M – for mature audiences, R – Restricted, under 17 if accompanied by an adult and X- Adults only.
Seemingly as soon as October officially enters our lives with all the beauty that is autumn, we know it.
It was October 1954 and downtown Ashland held artists competition for high school students to showcase their drawing skills in regard to Halloween. The contest also coincided with the City of Ashland’s Centennial celebration that spanned from 1854-1954. The contest took place in the Mayo Arcade downtown which covered Winchester Avenue to Carter. Here the students could paint their entries on the windows of the merchants within the arcade.
Winning it all that October were three very talented Ashland Holy Family High students – John David Meyers, George Gallion, and Eddie Smith. There was no question there was lots of great competition with all the entries worthy of a very nice prize.
So, on this Halloween Eve it’s likely the family is gearing up for the Big March tomorrow night through the neighborhoods.
Be sure and have plenty of treats to pass out to the little goblins because if you don’t – watch out. One may just bestow on you a “Hocus Pocus.”
If you’re wondering, the extended weather forecast for tonight’s Halloween Eve is set for a sunny with a warm 79 degrees. As for tomorrow’s Grand March on Halloween, look for a 50% chance of showers with a high of 76.
You might even want to bake a pumpkin pie and if your cat is black, trust me, you may hear his MEOW.
So, on behalf of this wonderful month of October, I wish you and all your Ghosts and Spooks – a super haunting time. From my Apple Butter to your Pumpkin – BOO!
Mike Tussey has “retired” from a 60-plus-year career as a legendary play-by-play announcer for over 2000 football, baseball, and basketball games, including most recently for ESPN+. His career also includes a stint in law enforcement, teaching and coaching, and writing books, including the “Touchdown Saints.” He grew up in Eastern Kentucky and now lives in Florence with his wife, Jo. He has opened another “Door of Opportunity” and is now a regular columnist for the NKyTribune.