Welcome! I hope I bring a spot of calm and happiness into these uncertain times. I blog about my photography adventures, flowers, gardening, the importance of chocolate in a well lived life, or anything else on my mind.
I don't know if I've shared Halloween memories from my childhood but, if not, here goes:
My childhood was in the late 50's and early 60's. I grew up in an apartment building in New York City, and we would come home from elementary school, change into our costumes, and trick or treat in our building. We didn't have to brave the cold.
I can still remember the joy of chocolate and lollipops (especially Tootsie Roll lollipops), and the disappointment of candy corn.
Fun fact, did you know that candy corn was originally called "chicken feed" and was marketed for Christmas? No, neither did I until earlier this year.
It's time for the nineth annual Otsiningo Park Scarecrow Contest, which runs this year from October 1 to October 23.
Per Broome County government, "Individuals,
families, businesses, clubs, groups, and organizations are encouraged
to create a friendly scarecrow to display at Otsiningo Park and for a
chance to win prizes. Entry is FREE of charge.
The public is invited to vote for their favorite of the almost 40 entries.
More and more, it seems non profits are the main participants and it's a good way to get their message out.
Like this one, for example, number seven, from ACHIEVE, a non profit that serves those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I have a feeling this one is in the running for winner. We'll see!
Or this one, from STIC (Southern Tier Independence Center). A developmentally developed family member gets services from both of these fine organizations.
Number 5 is from the NYPENN Pathways Girl Scouts, an Asian elephant to symbolize their Treats, Reads and More program. This one, I think, will also be in the running for best scarecrow.
Finally, this entry from Broome County DDSO (Broome Developmental Center), which serves individuals 21 and over with developmental disabilities. This is actually a state run agency but I am going to include it.
Did you have a favorite? If not, no worries, as I'll have more entries in the coming days.
Halloween is the season for spookiness. People turn their front yards into fake graveyards, hang plastic skeletons in trees, and carve grotesque faces into pumpkins.
A haunted corn maze would get a lot of delighted visitors.
In a recent scarecrow contents in a local park, a dog walker walked skeleton dogs.
This horror decorating can be a way to channel our fears. We live in times fraught with true terror, be it events in the Middle East or in our own country.
On October 25, that terror, true terror, not made up fake terror, hit the small city of Lewiston, Maine. That evening there was a horrendous double mass shooting (18 innocents died in two locations) at the hands (and gun) of a 40 year old man. It was followed by nearly 48 hours of lockdown for residents until it was established that the shooter had taken his own life.
As someone who worked in a community that experienced a mass shooting in 2009 I feel a connection of sorts with each of these communities. I also know that when the national news networks leave the scene, the community is left to deal with its grief.
Back in 2011, my spouse and I vacationed in Brunswick, Maine, which is about 20 miles from Lewiston. It was a beautiful, peaceful area.
The horror I felt on October 25 and the following days was mixed with the good memories I had of that area, including our walk across a bridge with a history tied to the city where I grew up.
I also think of Tampa and the Ybor City shooting of this weekend, a terrible end to a Halloween gathering. Thinking of Tampa also brings back memories of the two years I lived there years ago. Ybor City was where I discovered my beloved strawberry onions.
Gun violence. A national nightmare we aren't waking up from.
This Halloween we ask: Will this be our fate forevermore?
The annual scarecrow contest in Otsiningo Park, Binghamton, New York, is over. The votes have been cast. The winner will be chosen later this week.
Here are some more of the 48 entries. These are among several that had messages.
From OPWDD (New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities) "Together we can face challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky."
This is part of a scarecrow built by ACHIEVE, a "provider of services to individuals with intellectual, developmental & other disabilities in Broome, Tioga, and Chenango counties in New York". They bring people with these disabilities into the community and help them live meaningful, productive lives.
They advocate for their clients to improve the qualities of their lives. This exhibit caught my eye because of the amount of work it must have taken to build this. Part 1 is above.
Here is the other part of the exhibit.
Support for Ukraine.
Watch out for runners.
But this is the saddest one of all. 12 year old Aliza Spencer of Binghamton, New York was shot and killed in April of 2022 while walking with her father and brother one evening. There have never been any arrests. The case even made People magazine. What a nightmare this has been to the family and friends. This is the second year a scarecrow was erected in her honor.
I've featured more of the scarecrows in previous October posts.
Here is a collection of scarecrows from the 2023 Otsiningo Park Scarecrow contest in Binghamton, New York.
This is the eighth year for this contest,
where various nonprofits, service organizations, businesses and
individuals compete. This year, the
viewing dates are October 2 through the 23rd. A winner will be announced October 27.
Some entries are scary. Some are just plain fun. Let's check it out.
A picture and a lot of words. This is an anti-nicotine scarecrow.
Did you know it's a Barbie world for scarecrows, too?
I call this one a tribute to the late Bob Ross, a famous TV painter.
Here are more scarecrows from the 2023 Otsiningo Park Scarecrow contest for your viewing pleasure. This is the eighth year for this contest, where various nonprofits, service organizations, businesses and individuals compete. It's all in good, clean, scary fun. This year, the viewing dates are October 2 through the 23rd.
There is an onsite voting box where spectators can vote for their favorite.
The Headless Scarecrow.
This is the one I voted for. I don't think there is a cash prize; just bragging rights.
One more scary one - the haunted corn maze.
Super Mario Brothers.
I call this one the Little Mermaid on the Shell.
Let's Garden.
There were 48 entries this year, the most ever.
A winner will be announced October 27.
Thank you for all those who commented on my first scarecrow post Saturday. I hope you are enjoying this series.
Each year, Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, New York holds a Scarecrow contest. This year's contest is the eighth and runs from October 2 to 23. It's open to anyone in our community.
Here's a sample of the entries. I'll have more next week.
A lot of these are put up by non profits, some by area businesses, and some by individuals.
Scarecrow Shrek.
But this is a scarecrow contest....
Ross Park Zoo. Our local zoo is one of the oldest in the United States.
And finally (for today), this exhibit asks "what is a scarecrow's favorite dish?" (the answer: stuffing). Entry #13.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite?
Love flowers? Join me tomorrow for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
From October 28, some strange signs at a local farm stand.
Clearance on classic pumpkins? Wow! Who knew there was such a thing as a classic orange pumpkin?
Decorative fall grass. No, tall decorative fall grass. Maybe it was perfect for Halloween because it was all dead. Well, dead but still decorative. And tall. And the sign didn't say "still alive". So no false advertising claims, please. RIP.
The winners of the 2022 Scarecrow contest have been announced. I've blogged about the contest several times over the years, and this year there were more entrants than ever. I'd like to ask that you scroll to the end before you go because one of these winners has a backstory.
The Winner - Face the Sunshine. Broome DDSO Riverside Art Program
Second Place - Venus "Crow" Trap. Team DSS
Third Place - Bubble Bubble I'm in Trouble. Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth
Fourth Place - America’s Past Time. Smith
Almost all of these were entered by non-profit groups. But, for the fifth place prize, this never should have been an entry. Aliza Spencer should be alive and well and enjoying life as a 7th grader at East Middle School in Binghamton instead of being a victim of violence being paid tribute to by a scarecrow erected by friends.
This display is called " Friends of Aliza Spencer" and it calls out for justice for a then 12 year old girl who was shot while walking in a Binghamton neighborhood on April 21, 2022. She died at the hospital.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music
each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most
welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video,
please!) Our head hostess is Cathyfrom Curious as a Cathy, and she is joined by the knowledgeable Stacy ofStacy Uncorked and (last but not least) me.
Why not join our music loving folks? It's so easy. All you have to do is
join the linky above with a music post that contains at least one music
video (there must be a music video or your post will be subject to removal or labeling "No Music").That's all it takes!
Each
month, except December, we have a guest host. This month, we are
following a format that we will most probably be following for next year
- we will continue to alternate "free to choose your music" weeks with a
theme, but instead of having a guest host picking themes for a full
month, we will have a guest host for each week, choosing that theme for
the theme week. The hope is more fun for everyone who participates in
this fun musical blog hop.
Today is Halloween and our guest host, Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, invites us to explore the history of All Hallows Eve and put our spin on Halloween inspired songs.
Let's get started! As many of us may know, Halloween originated with an ancient Celtic observance called Samhein, where people would dress in costumes and light bonfires to scare away ghosts. When the Romans conquered the Celtic lands, some Roman observances were intermixed. Later, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saints Day (it was formerly held on May 13). The day before, October 31, became All Hallows Eve, later shortened to Halloween. Some of the Samhein observances made their way into Halloween.
The holiday wasn't universally popular in the United States until after the large Irish migration into the United States in the 1850's. Trick or treating really became popular in the 1950's.
There are many people in the United States that have turned Halloween into a major decorating/party/drinking/watching horror movies/candy eating holiday. There are also those following various major religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam among them) who will not participate in Halloween for various reasons. Personally, I am in it for the candy (chocolate only-no candy corn, please!)
Today, I'm going to go a little vintage for these songs. Some of these were paired with vintage cartoons from the 1920's and beyond, for a double vintage vibe. Not all are specifically about Halloween, but incorporate some Halloween themes (the Devil, evil, witchcraft).
1954's Spooks, from Louis Armstrong.
Punky Punkin from Rosemary Clooney, one of my Mom's favorite singers.
From 1961 "That Old Black Magic" covered by Frank Sinatra. This song was originally a hit for Glenn Miller in 1942 and has been covered by countless artists.
Brian Wilson wrote this 1964 song sung by the Ghouls - Be True to Your Ghoul.
I Want to Be Evil - Eartha Kitt, from 1953. I love those lyrics!
From 1959, Graveyard Rock - Tarantula Ghoul and Her Gravediggers
One more - I Put a Spell on You, from Credence Clearwater Revival.
And that's a (mummy) wrap!
You know what to do - join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me!
This was a free contest open to anyone. Park goers would vote for their favorite.
Voting ended Sunday, and the winners will be announced on Friday.
Here are some more of the 50 some entries. I had so many (and I'm not even going to show all of them) I had to split this into several posts. Enjoy!
The minions were featured in a couple of the scarecrow entries. My autistic brother in law gets services from ACHIEVE.
Animal Adventure Park, which went viral in 2017 over a webcam they installed to track the pregnancy of the late April the Giraffe, enters every year. Here's one angle of their entry for 2022.
Another angle.
Family Enrichment, with an important message.
I hope the crocheted blanket on the table of Broome County senior centers survived the weather.
These last two might be the most scary one of all. First, I may need to explain that this entry was submitted by an income tax preparer.
Finally...clowns.
The one thing that saddens me is that some of these entries have become so elaborate, that entries that are plainer (for whatever reason) have no chance to win. That's one reason why I wanted to include some plainer ones, like the Broome County Senior Center entry a few photos above. All of these take time, effort, and resources, and I applaud them all.
