Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Did you know you that you can be frightened for a good cause? At least at Halloween you can. Most people love Halloween for the candy, the costumes, the make up and a good scare.
The best place for a good scare is a haunted house. There are haunted houses everywhere. They are big, small, professional or put on by neighborhoods or schools. They can range in intensity from ones that have clowns and things that go bump, to those that require you to sign a waiver before you enter. But only in Fort Worth, Texas, can you find the largest charity haunted house in the nation. All of the carpenters, concessions workers, actors, ticket takers, security guards, make up artists and costumers are volunteers. And all of the profit goes to local charities.
Hangman’s House of Horrors, located in Fort Worth on I-30 and Forest Park Boulevard, was started 22 years ago and has entertained over half a million visitors since its opening. Hangman’s has also contributed more than $1.5 million to local charities. The 2010 beneficiaries include the American Cancer Society, a Wish with Wings (for children with serious illnesses), Cenikor Foundation (assistance for people struggling with substance abuse), Rocky Top Therapy Center (equestrian therapy) and SafeHaven of Tarrant County (domestic violence).
If you’re interested in volunteering, Hangman’s needs more than 30,000 volunteer hours to build the house and run it through Halloween. There is a form to fill out on their website and an orientation for any new volunteers.
Emily Carter, sophomore Middle Eastern Studies major, volunteered at Hangman’s last year and loved the experience. She said, “The best part of Hangman’s was the makeup! It was so cool looking, dead and gory. I had this massive gash on my neck, and dead looking skin. It was awesome.” Carter talked about how it was “a little nerve racking going through the ‘house’ before the whole things started,” but that she loved “everyone’s faces when I did scare them.”
Senior history and economics major Jaclyn Fedors, when told about volunteering at Hangman’s says, “I am personally not a fan of haunted houses, however, I believe if I was, it would be an extremely entertaining way to get volunteer hours.
According to their website, “Hangman’s has been recently featured on the Travel Channel’s ‘America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions,’ a television special showcasing the nation’s top haunts. Additionally, Family Circle magazine named Hangman’s as one of the nation’s ‘Halloween Hot Spots!’ Most recently, the house was voted ‘Best Place to get Spooked’ by the readers of Fort Worth Magazine and named as a ‘Best of Fort Worth’ tourist attraction by the U.S. Local Business Association.”
It takes more than half an hour to go through the main house on the Hangman’s property, and this year they also have three side attractions. There is the Swinery, Obscurities and 3-D Wonderland. There are also live bands, concessions, midways rides and games, karaoke and much more. There is more information about ticket pricing and volunteering on their website. www.hangmans.com
The best place for a good scare is a haunted house. There are haunted houses everywhere. They are big, small, professional or put on by neighborhoods or schools. They can range in intensity from ones that have clowns and things that go bump, to those that require you to sign a waiver before you enter. But only in Fort Worth, Texas, can you find the largest charity haunted house in the nation. All of the carpenters, concessions workers, actors, ticket takers, security guards, make up artists and costumers are volunteers. And all of the profit goes to local charities.
Hangman’s House of Horrors, located in Fort Worth on I-30 and Forest Park Boulevard, was started 22 years ago and has entertained over half a million visitors since its opening. Hangman’s has also contributed more than $1.5 million to local charities. The 2010 beneficiaries include the American Cancer Society, a Wish with Wings (for children with serious illnesses), Cenikor Foundation (assistance for people struggling with substance abuse), Rocky Top Therapy Center (equestrian therapy) and SafeHaven of Tarrant County (domestic violence).
If you’re interested in volunteering, Hangman’s needs more than 30,000 volunteer hours to build the house and run it through Halloween. There is a form to fill out on their website and an orientation for any new volunteers.
Emily Carter, sophomore Middle Eastern Studies major, volunteered at Hangman’s last year and loved the experience. She said, “The best part of Hangman’s was the makeup! It was so cool looking, dead and gory. I had this massive gash on my neck, and dead looking skin. It was awesome.” Carter talked about how it was “a little nerve racking going through the ‘house’ before the whole things started,” but that she loved “everyone’s faces when I did scare them.”
Senior history and economics major Jaclyn Fedors, when told about volunteering at Hangman’s says, “I am personally not a fan of haunted houses, however, I believe if I was, it would be an extremely entertaining way to get volunteer hours.
According to their website, “Hangman’s has been recently featured on the Travel Channel’s ‘America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions,’ a television special showcasing the nation’s top haunts. Additionally, Family Circle magazine named Hangman’s as one of the nation’s ‘Halloween Hot Spots!’ Most recently, the house was voted ‘Best Place to get Spooked’ by the readers of Fort Worth Magazine and named as a ‘Best of Fort Worth’ tourist attraction by the U.S. Local Business Association.”
It takes more than half an hour to go through the main house on the Hangman’s property, and this year they also have three side attractions. There is the Swinery, Obscurities and 3-D Wonderland. There are also live bands, concessions, midways rides and games, karaoke and much more. There is more information about ticket pricing and volunteering on their website. www.hangmans.com
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| Volunteers at Hangman's House of Horrors. Photos by Page Grossman |
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| Emily Carter after make up |
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| Emily Carter before make up |
Sunday, September 5, 2010
After turning over the calendar page to September, I started thinking about my favorite season, which is autumn. I love all things associated with autumn. I adore everything from the changing leaves, picking Granny Smith apples at Appleberry Farms in Iowa, wearing colorful scarves, snuggly sweaters and the start of football season.
I love the warm hues of leaves, orange, gold and bronze, as they begin to fall from the trees; and the sounds and smells of the first OU home football game. There is nothing like the sound of “Boomer Sooner” rolling across the field.
As the air started to cool this week, my thoughts turned to the term, “Indian Summer.” I have always thought that the term referred to the phenomenon in autumn where a period of warm weather follows a period of cooler weather. I turned to an expert for the facts. Meteorology major, Stephen Jones, a sophomore from South Carolina, was happy to give me the details.
He said, “Indian summer is a Meteorology term that refers to a warmer than average fall. For example, in November if the temperatures are in the mid to upper 70's for an extended period of time, that is considered an Indian Summer.” Wikipedia was a bit more specific, describing it as “when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 21 °C (70 °F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S. Traditionally, Indian summer can only be a true Indian summer after the first frost, generally a killing frost, of the season.”
But how did the term get connected with Indians? Wikipedia lists three theories as to why it received this name. One possibility is that it came after the Indian raids on the colonists, which usually ended in autumn. Another thought is that it was named for the period when the Indians harvested their crops. The theory that I like best is that the term paralleled the term Indian giver referring to someone who takes back a present he has given. The phrase Indian summer may be a way of saying “false summer.”
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| Lightning from storm Thursday, 9/2/10. Photo taken by Stephen Jones |
If you want to see more of Stephen’s weather photos or get more information check out his Facebook page:
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