NEW CKPOTTERY 2019
HALLOWEEN 2015
by Wayne Watson
November 3, 2015

This year Lightning’s Spook House was held in front of my shop across from City Hall on Second Street.  We drew quite a crowd this year.  Halloween is always better on the weekend because more of the parents come too.  My volunteers and I worked real hard to put on the show.  We ran out of candy about 8:15, but we started with around 400 pounds.  We were probably too generous with portions.  I apologize to anyone that didn’t get candy, but sure hope you enjoyed the show.

I made a video and posted it to You Tube:     https://youtu.be/A_bcG4LSoK0

Thank you to all who gave money, as it was expensive to move locations this year.  I took in about $600, and spent about $850.  My largest contributions came from Dr. Jim Peck, Melvyn Lauderdale, Steven Priessman, and Jim Hedges.  I got $75 from the Drummond Bank donation box.  I surely would consider business sponsors next year, were they so inclined.

Most of the candy was donated by you all through the Rosewood Dollar Store. 140 pounds of chocolate candy came from the good folks at the Cedar Key Food Bank. Many bags were brought to me personally. Thank you for contributing.

Marina Hardware provided the plastic sheeting and gave me special pricing for many of the items that I needed at the store.

Jan Allen donated all of her Halloween decorations, which doubled our supply.

Billy Robinson (Broccoli Billy) created a headless horseman machine for this year’s performance. His ‘opening coffin’ and ‘witches stirring a pot’ from previous years were there and operating. Billy wants to thank those that helped him monetarily, but I know that he footed most of the expense. I want to thank Billy for the enormous amount of time that it takes to create and make his machines.

Michelle Beckham’s decorating and organizational skills are necessary for our performance. She made my life a lot easier. She does a heck of a job.

Sally (formally of Rosewood Iron) spent more than a week making props. She had some help from other drop-in volunteers. Sally put in a lot of effort and energy. She was responsible for the graveyard scene and the shark teeth.

Gordon Burrows and his girlfriend Kaye provided the upstairs light show and all the equipment. It really added a new dimension. We even had a bat signal.

Joseph Kasco’s labor was crucial in the erection and demolition of the structure. He also built the shark mouth entrance. His little girl, Michelle, helped with props. The ‘Old Man Boatclub” were an enormous help in the erection process.

Batman, Mike Proctor, portrays the character superbly. He had to build his own cave Saturday.

Mike Lanier made us a 7’ wide painting of a spooky house bordering a grave yard.

Eileen Bowers, Larry Feldman, Bob Treat,  and Chuck (the glassman) helped in set up and tear down. There were more volunteers in set up, but I don’t remember their names.

Characters included my wife Nysie, Molly Jubitz, Lonna, Donnie Beckham, Cherrie and her family.

Pat Hibits was my savior this year. He worked on anything and everything, morning to near dark, for the last seven days.

Most of all, I want to thank the whole community for their participation and support. We now have a Halloween block party. Lots of people came to Second Street to give candy to the kids and play.

Next year Halloween falls on a Monday. That’s a lousy day for trick-or-treat and a party. The kids have to go to school the next day all hyped up. We don’t get as many parents during week days. Please join me in convincing the Cedar Key City Council to make Halloween a Saturday event, unless Oct. 31 is on a Friday.

 

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