An Unorthodox Halloween – Page 43

The Laboratory 2010…

A big thank you to all who came out to see the Laboratory this year.

We hope you all had as much fun as we did putting it on.

Various things that went wrong THIS year…as the curse of the Laboratory continues…

Bob broke about halfway through. This was a complete and utter failure on the part of Locktite Power Grab glue. DO NOT ever use the stuff for construction adhesive….it makes fine paper mache, though.

Fortunately I had packed heavy this year and had good ole fashioned wood screws to fix Bob up with but a short delay.

Prior to the show, the new product I was trying out for my makeup suffered a catastrophic failure. More on that in a right and proper review to come later.

But…Talia REALLY did not like that makeup, and judging by the number of kids that left the room early as it was…maybe the more adventurous makeup would have been too much anyway.

So, we pulled experiment 2 out of the bag, and it went over pretty well.

3rd annual showing of The Laboratory.

From Lab

I’ve spoken before how the lab has a special place in my heart.

As it sits packed up in the truck, ready to head out tomorrow night, I am filled with both excitement and nerves.

The Lab has never had a smooth launch.

When I was 8, EVERYTHING…and I DO mean EVERYTHING went wrong. Friend ditching me, leaving me with no monster, crappy fake blacklight false advertising, lousy cardboard cutout skeleton. It just sucked, my first attempt at haunting. It left me more determined than ever to get this whole haunti

3 years ago when my Mother-in-law asked me to help her make a spook alley…little did she realize…in her mind was the old peeled grapes eyeballs and spaghetti intestines. I had a SHOW in mind. After all, it was a similar show in school that got me started. Best thing I can do is get more kids hooked. But, when I suggested either a Witch or Laboratory idea, she liked the lab…and I drew upon that failed run when I was 8. With only 20 days to prepare, however, that first year was rushed and incomplete.

Last year was the first “real” attempt at a full blown show. Weather conspired against us to destroy half my work. The Jacob’s ladder dead in the water (literally), flicker circuits on the fritz, lights breaking, and setup taking a lot longer than planned leaving me too hot and wet to allow proper makeup.

This year, we have focused on correcting what went wrong last year. New Jacob’s ladder can be disassembled for transit, allowing me to dry all components in the case of weather. Flicker circuits re-designed and spares in hand. New floor lamps…actual…REAL floor lamps, not my attempt at making some. The Tanks have been finished, leaks plugged. Everything simplified and retooled to make setup easier. And, we shaved my head this year, no need to worry about a bald cap.

That’s not to say everything is smooth sailing. We’ve been moved to an out-building. I’m not sure if the power will be sufficient, the door wide enough, or how far from the rest of the carnival this puts us.

There I go making myself nervous again….

Wish me luck. And, if you local, we’ld love to see ya at H Guy Child Elementary tomorrow night.

A new direction for 2010.

Well, we were planning for 2010 to be the unveiling of the whole spider woman theme. However, as the year has progressed and things have been delayed, damaged, and destroyed that has become increasingly impossible.

So, we have circled the wagons, taking in what I do have up and ready to go, and are heading in another direction.

Still not wanting to repeat the witch doctor from past years (which would also be easy), and motivated by some folks who claim that fall/harvest decorations are by definition boring…I present the theme for 2010.

And, the first in a series of test subjects has been sacrificed. Those of us who have been around this Halloween stuff for a while will recognize where this is going, as I have seen this done with fake pumpkins before…to my knowledge this is the first trying a real pumpkin. I needed to see if the small EMT would hold it, and see how well the whole idea works with real pumpkins. (I don’t have room to store fakes)

From 2010 Buildup

I was not completely thrilled with the initial carve, and was questioning the whole idea of using real pumpkins, or wondering if a differing shape or bifurcating them horizontally instead of vertically would help…but a pleasant surprise awaited me a few days later as they dried out. They gained considerable character.

From 2010 Buildup

Question becomes, how far in advance do they need to be carved?

Santa has been butchered.

It’s been a day.

A very rough day.

From no one coming to assist in the morning duties to people who showed up for other reasons being down right rude. On through saying good bye to the old stand-bye that was destroyed with the recent winds, to finding the kids have broken the basement shower. Well…it would have helped if whoever installed it did it correctly to begin with.

Long…bad…day.

However, I was baffled by a side trip to the grocer for dinner.

There was Santa.

From 2010 Buildup

Never heard of such a thing.

“This variety is similar to the canary melon except the rind of the Santa Claus variety is a mottled green and yellow.
The attractive green and gold-to-bright yellow striped Santa Claus melon somewhat resembles a small watermelon. Inside is a mellow and mildly flavored pale greenish flesh very similar to that of a honeydew but much sweeter. The color of the characteristic stripes on its hard shell is a sign of this melon’s ripeness. The brighter the yellow, the riper and sweeter it is. The ripest Santa Claus melon will have soft blossom ends that yield to gentle pressure and a vibrant yellow hue. Because of its thick skin, this melon doesn’t release a telltale aroma when ripe.

This melon was named in recognition of its long keeping qualities…until Christmas.”

According to Wikipedia anyway.

Well, Santa….This is for all that Christmas in July crap….

From 2010 Buildup

(yes, I’m easily amused)

Alec’s new toys…

Getting a quick test video of the remaining lab equipment, and Alec decided he wanted to come help.

Donning the lab coat, he gave his best evil laugh…

Don’t know where he get’s it from…

He’s back to wanting to be a mad scientist today. It’ll change again tomorrow…

Sorting through some photos, some inspiration for you all.

I never really was one to fully understand the whole idea of clowns being scary.

Talia insists this clown is scary, however.

From 2010 Buildup

Browsing the other posters, however. I find myself at a loss. There is little I can find to interpret this particular poster as anything BUT scary. That middle clown is coming for YOU.

From 2010 Buildup

In fact, I think I saw him over here.

A whole carnival setup would be awful fun to do one of these years. And, as we went to the Zoo last weekend, this little plaza gave me a great idea if we ever go that route.

From 2010 Buildup

I wonder 1: what kind of cloth those flags are made of and 2: how long it took them to fade….

Of course, they were featuring some of ‘natures nightmares’.

Not that I claim to fear spiders in the least. My brother had one of these for a pet.

From 2010 Buildup

Still, spiders are a ‘thing’ for so many out there. And, there’s even Spiderfest going on at the Davis Graveyard in honor of that. Who knows…I might just get around to making a spider for that. Have a week business trip coming up, nothing to do for 4 nights, and the wife wouldn’t let me build a spider HERE. If I can’t find a suitable activity around town for early October, I’m sure housekeeping would LOVE having someone making spiders…

And, of course, the bats.

From 2010 Buildup

Such sweet little things…what’s there to be afraid of?

Of course, I WANTED to tap that particular fear before, but my wife has stated that it’s grounds for divorce if I ever make some of the bat people.

And, of course the vulture.

From 2010 Buildup

We LOVE our little vulture buddy. “The mean bird” as Talia says.