Things Begin To Stir At Highbury Cemetery...

An eternity of cold, lifeless slumber is abruptly shattered. Movement stirs within the undead crypt as frantic reanimation courses through once stagnant flesh. A distant bell beckons from the darkness, tolling the seasons’ metamorphosis. The tomb’s stone slab lid slides ever so slightly releasing a fiery amber glow. This awakening cannot be stopped, will not be stopped! A withered hand jolts skyward, breaking the silence of eternal rest. Blood red eyes cast a manic gaze into the blackened depths of a cold autumn night. And locked in the incessant grip of insatiable voracity… I rise from my grave.

I took another extended break from all things Halloween (just for the sake of my sanity) and had planned on making my triumphant return just in time for TransWorld. And Half Way To Halloween. And again for the Midwest Haunters Convention. And then again for the 4th of July...

But it kept getting pushed back because I just didn't feel "ready." The full commitment wasn't there, so I just kept kicking the can down the road. And now the "100 Days 'Til Halloween" posts are coming. Damn. The alarm bells began ringing and the decrepit old voice buried deep in the back of my rotting brain whispered, "It's time..."

A small but fiery glow from a single candle cracked the darkness of the Cemetery and reanimation began the yearning toward those chilled nights of Autumn.

The planning begins again as I revisit the long list of new ideas and old repairs. The full transition will continue over the next few weeks as the stream of all things Halloween begins to flow again, but for now the seal of the grave has been broken and things are once again stirring at Highbury Cemetery...

102 days until Halloween. Are you ready?

  

The OTHER Scary Dream

Well, it happened again. It's Halloween night and Trick-or-Treat is only a few hours away. And I have nothing set up. Complete panic sets in as I realize that there's not enough time to get the display up. Only this time, there's an added, more harrowing twist... I only have a handful of my props with me and I'm supposed to set up at someone else's house all together.

And then I'm awakened with a jolt only to realize that it's 3 am and Halloween is still 2 months away. The dreaded Halloween nightmare has visited me again, leaving me sweaty and shaken in the darkness of my bed.

I've had this dream before, but having to set up a few props at someone else's house is new and more off-putting. Yuck! I can laugh about it now, but deep down I know that my conscience is telling me it's time to get moving!

The project list is almost complete and there's a lot of work to do, so it's time to get at it. Stick around and see what's on tap for Highbury Cemetery, 2025.

Pleasant dreams!

  

ARISE!!! (The 2025 Redux)

An eternity of cold, lifeless slumber is abruptly shattered. Movement stirs within the undead crypt as frantic reanimation courses through once stagnant flesh. A distant bell beckons from the darkness, tolling the seasons’ metamorphosis. The tomb’s stone slab lid slides ever so slightly releasing a fiery amber glow. This awakening cannot be stopped, will not be stopped! A withered hand jolts skyward, breaking the silence of eternal rest. Blood red eyes cast a manic gaze into the blackened depths of a cold autumn night. And locked in the incessant grip of insatiable voracity… I rise from my grave.

I originally posted this in 2022, but it's more relevant now than ever. I took another extended break from all things Halloween (just for the sake of my sanity) and had planned on making my triumphant return just in time for TransWorld. And Half Way To Halloween. And again for the Midwest Haunters Convention. And then again for the 4th of July...

But it kept getting pushed back because I just didn't feel "ready." The full commitment wasn't there, so I just kept kicking the can down the road. Until the "100 Days 'Til Halloween" posts appeared. Damn. The alarm bells began ringing and the decrepit old voice buried deep in the back of my rotting brain whispered, "It's time..."

A small but fiery glow from a single candle cracked the darkness of the Cemetery and reanimation began the yearning toward those chilled nights of Autumn.

The planning begins again as I revisit the long list of new ideas and old repairs. The full transition will continue over the next few weeks as the stream of all things Halloween begins to flow, but for now the seal of the grave has been broken and things are once again stirring at Highbury Cemetery...

100 days until Halloween. Are you ready?

  

The Nightmare

 

So here I am, enjoying these warm summer days when it hits. Out of nowhere...

It's October 31st, roughly 5:00 pm and dusk is approaching fast. And there I am, caught completely off-guard. Completely oblivious to the sudden realization that nothing has been set up in the front yard. Not one prop lit, not one tombstone placed, not one jack-o-lantern carved. The paralyzing panic is real. It's too late now. There's no way I can make it. I'm going to miss Halloween... 

I jolt violently from a deep sleep, sitting up in a sweat, trying to make sense of the completely dark room around me. After a few quick, shallow breaths it all becomes clearer. Sitting in the darkness of my bedroom on a summer July morning, I realize that I just had "my Halloween nightmare." Again.

It's been a few years since I've experienced my nightmare, but the thoughts of the upcoming haunt season (buried deep in the back of my brain while I take time away to enjoy the summer) have finally boiled back to the top. A warning that it is time to get back to work. Especially with the added pressure of haunt season number twenty and a need to do something really big.

I decided to take the summer off completely to prevent mental and physical haunt fatigue, and it was working rather well, but the internal alarm has sounded. Time to get back to it. Three months until the big night. It's now time to start planning, time to start sketching, time to start creating again.

It's time to fire up this old blog for another run in to the Halloween season. I have been sitting on a handful of posts, so I'll be dropping them shortly. It's the perfect way to get things going again. Come hang out for the annual black-and-orange transformation, I think it's going to be a great one! So much to do, so much to share.

102 days to go until All Hallow's Eve. Let's do this...

  

2020 Starts Today...

So there I was, enjoying another much-needed clean break from all things Halloween. October thoughts had been relegated to the back burner, allowing other life passions to get some much needed attention.

And then it happened.

This past weekend, we were at a neighbor's surprise birthday party having a great time. The neighbor was introducing me to some of his other friends, when out of nowhere he started telling them about my crazy/incredible Halloween display. And a few of the friends became very interested, asking all about it. By the end of the conversation, a few of them were really excited and very intent on coming over to check it out this year...

Ding. Break over. 

Looks like it's time to bring those simmering October thoughts off of the back burner and get it over some high heat right up front. The light switch has been thrown and it's now time to start thinking about Highbury Cemetery, 2020.

Last year turned out to be surprisingly good for our first display in our new location. We really shocked the neighborhood (in a good way) and got the attention of the neighbors.

So it looks like I'll be doing it again this year, and as always, adding a bit more to this year's show. And I can't wait.

In thinking about this all, the new ideas are already starting to flow. There's a lot to organize and plan, and eight months may seem like a long time, but those days will fly by and it won't be long until we're again sitting at October's door.

It's time to jump back in and get things moving. There's a lot to get to in the upcoming months, so let's get the Halloween vibe going again.


And stop back tomorrow, as I'll have a special announcement for all you haunter lovebirds out there!