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It’s coming!

OK so just for the record, I am writing this at 11:45pm on October 31st, so I am extremely exhausted and somewhat delirious.  I will try to include some of my usual humour, and I will definitely try to make sense, but right now I am bruised and have cuts all over my hands from building and setting up.

 Usually I start by saying how, “this was my best year yet”, unfortunately this can’t be said this time around.  Wind and rain plagued the haunt, making it impossible for me to set up everything until the very last minute.  However, what really upset me was the lack of visitors.  I received half as many kids as last year and it was all because of the fear of H1N1.  I even had a neighbour put a sign on her door saying, “H1N1, come back next year!”  I mean really now!  Your children go to school every day where they are ten times more likely to catch something then they are on Halloween night.  Take precautions, but don’t shield your kids from the world around them.  There will most likely be many more serious illnesses to come around and you can’t just stop living your life people!

Ok, ranting aside, it was not all bad.  The new electric chair was a huge hit and kids were actually afraid to pull the switch!  The lighting worked out great.  Audio was amazing.  People loved my pumpkins, although I was sad to see just how many kids today have no idea who Count Von Count is!  Sesame Street anyone? 

While this was not my best year, it was definitely a learning year.  I picked up new tips and tricks and came up with new decisions for the future.  I also collected some money for charity and have new ideas about that as well.

I went into this year thinking it would be my last, but have since been talked out of that idea by my fiance, who I might add was never that into the whole, “my girlfriend is a weirdo” thing.  Now he wants me to take one more stab at it, and I agree.  If I end the haunt, I must end on a bang and this was not a bang, it was merely a whimper.

Pictures and video of the haunt will come in the coming weeks, but for now I would like to thank the following people:

• Pops – Even though you abandoned me to go to Mexico this Halloween, I forgive you.  You helped me hang the spider and you did all my math!
• Mommy -  You are truly there for me when I need you and you are also there when Bubbles the Vicious Spider needs you.  I could not have pulled any of this off without you.
• Mike – Lights, audio, beer.  What more could I say!  You helped me in so many ways and you will continue to do so for years to come because I am wearing your ring and you are stuck with me!  Mwahahaha!
• Marc – Relays for electric chairs don’t just happen on their own!
• Sam and Rosie – technically you two did nothing, actually I think Sam broke some things, but you are my nephew and niece and amuse me greatly!
• Most importantly I would like to thank my neighbours for all their years of continued support, except for that one kid who said there was a better haunt nearby.  I didn’t care much for him!

Oh and a big shout out to the kid with the curly blond hair.  I’m really sorry, but I don’t remember your name, but you visited my haunt at least 1001 times and you are the coolest kid in the neighbourhood!

Now, normally I spend the day after Halloween in bed, tired and depressed that the fun is all over, but alas, I am moving out of my parents’ house next month and will be spending my Sunday at Deblin’s picking out thread counts for bed sheets.  So, to all I bid adieu until next Halloween, when Haunt on the Hill will truly have its, “best year yet”, because I have already started plotting away!  New things to build, old things to make better!

Sleepy time for me!
Rachel “Wednesday” Brown

Last year I got to thinking.  Something just wasn’t right with the haunt, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.  Then it occurred to me.  Even though I have added some new things every year, there was no real big change, nothing to refresh some of the tired looking areas.  With that in mind this year I have focused a lot of my time and energy on the mad lab, as well as a few other big changes.

Behold, the list of new props for Halloween 2009!  Yes, it is on a Saturday this year! Read the rest of this entry »

Long time no talk.  I bet you thought that the annual list of new props would never come, but you would be wrong!  The list will be coming in a post right after this one.  First though, I would like to say that a lot of stuff has been going on in my life, both haunt wise and personally. 

 After my stint as a pro haunter at a big theme park, I am picking up the title again as I head to new haunting grounds where I will be working as a prop maker and set designer.  I will fill you in on this later.

As for my own haunt, I started early this year, like way early.  Like so early that even my mailman said, “I’m not ready for Halloween!  Summer  isn’t over yet!”  It had to be done though because my list was soooo big and time consuming that I had to get a head start.  So many things are already done and awaiting their one night of glory and man am I glad that I now have a compound miter saw!  Oh and I’m also glad to say that I still have my arms intact, so sucks to you parents of mine who were convinced I would loose a limb to The Beast!  My wonderful old man offered me the garage as my own personal workshop for the entirety of the summer and it is now full of props and saw dust!

Oh and in other news, I got engaged in June, but you know, that’s not nearly as exciting as coffins and tombstones!!!  Just kidding Mike! (My fiance).

Now, scroll up for the list!

Rachel