Any great holiday deserves a little
adventure, an event that helps us bust out of our standard routines.
Appropriately all of the late year celebrations offer plenty of
opportunities for such outings be they intentional or not and
wouldn't ya know that yours truly was lucky enough to bookend an
otherwise standard work weekend with two such trips. So if you're in
the mood for tales of back roads scenery, spooky attractions, and
celebrity tombstones then please read on.
Waking up on Friday I had no major
plans other than a quick trip to Lansing in order to hunt down a few
items and fix a mistaken charge from Barnes and Noble. The initial
portion of the trip worked out largely fine with even the
disappointments (Target being out of heavy resin tombstones) being
made up for in other departments (Target's Stranger Things box set).
After a few stops we took in delicious Turkish food at a placed
called, Chupli where lamb kofta and bulgur wheat renewed my energy.
It was the next choice that changed
the course of the night as my brother wanted to visit Whole Foods, a
store that not only makes me shudder but exits on the other side of
MSU which unbeknownst to us was kickstarting homecoming that night
making for a deliriously complicated trip. Whole Foods was as usual a
thorn in my side made up for slightly by the presence of Boo-Dah
Gouda Halloween cheese. While hardly a slam dunk of a find and
overpriced at that, I'll take victories where I can find them.
Leaving the realm of man-buns behind we ventured forth to the Okemos
Kroger and Target which I found to both be significantly lamer than
their West Lansing counterparts.
Having endured enough traffic for the
time being we set for home via the back roads. It was a beautiful
evening with gloaming light granting a spooky atmosphere for country
homes and farm land. Eventually our route was disrupted by a downed
bridge, forcing us to improves and become briefly lost among farmers
working night harvests, the lights of their combines adding another
interesting touch to our travels.
As we lurched home I couldn't help but
realize the good number of country dwellers who really go all out
decorating. Some of these people could put me to shame and I'm
working for a fanbase of eager trick-or-treaters, these folks barely
have neighbors which means they're doing it largely for themselves. I
salute you fine scary folk.
Arriving back in town in need of
hydration for the upcoming workdays we came across a blockade for a
fatal accident, forcing us back down more back roads to finally reach
the comforts of home where we found most everyone to be in remarkably
high spirits. To go from such a serious scene to a jovial one was odd
but no one could be blamed as it was a gorgeous night.
After a couple mornings of dull work
with a creamy middle of horror flicks and Halloween specials, it was
time for a trek to a haunted attraction. Last year had provided quite
the find in Awaken located in the small town of Leslie, Michigan.
Eager to return and see their improvements this year my
brother-in-law and I set forth down another set of byways.
Knowing in advance that we'd be
returning I made sure to encourage an extra stop that we'd failed to
make last year. Within the city limits lies Woodlawn cemetery, a
peaceful rest spot with a tiny car dealership across the street. This
hallowed ground plays host to a small celebrity named Frank L. White.
While that name may not jump out at you most likely know his face.
The quick story is that Frank was born
in Barbados, immigrated to the states, and became a moderately famous
chef who once modeled for a breakfast item called Cream of Wheat.
That's right, we took a few minutes to visit the Cream of Wheat guy.
While not a fan of the product baring his likeness, I am intrigued
how a mans life took him from the islands to cooking in Chicago
before finishing out his life in a tiny town south of Lansing.
If you're ever in the area and wish to
pay respects, Frank's not very hard to find. There are two main
entrances into Woodlawn, one paved, the other dirt. Take the dirt
path, head right at the first fork and there he is. Currently he's
the first stone on the right with a planter making his marker more
visible.
We looked around the cemetery a little
longer, reading the historical marker for the towns first settler who
was both an atheist and spiritualist, and I even took the time to
climb to the top of the nearest crypt. No disrespect intended, fairly
sure it was empty. Just felt like the thing to do.
Our graveside visitation complete we
worked our way through the town which has once again allowed people
to decorate the light posts for a Halloween competition. Some were
simple and whimsical while others such as a giant pumpkin faced
scarecrow or a Ghostbuster themed display were positively
outstanding. Leslie really is a very small town but they endeavor to
do something more and have their own little charm thanks to locations
like Spanky Clean Coin Laundry.
At last we arrived at Awaken just a
few minutes past opening. A good move as people soon filed in behind
us. The word seems to have gotten out and brought in far more
business than what they had in their first year. I'd like to think
this is all thanks to the CosmicSparky bump though my lacking ego
knows that to be a lie. Once again it was a mere twenty bucks to get
in (cheap for a haunted house) and from what I knew, they'd expanded
this year.
Right from the start I was reminded of
one of the most unique features of this particular spot, the
lighting. Most haunted attractions I've visited are crazy dark
affairs to the extent that walking can be a little dangerous. There's
been such an effort to create scenes and atmosphere here that
everything is dim but still light enough for visitors to take in the
craftsmanship without losing the spooky feeling. There was a proper
mixture of quiet and loud moments combined with misdirection and a
good combo of both props and actors. At one point I heard a loud
oncoming noise that I felt assured most be an animatronic until I
turned to find an actor charging at us. I'll admit it got me good.
Even with the expansions, it's still
not the longest spook house I've been to but the combo of value and
quality can't be denied. However, I will say I'm not sure if it was
as good as last year, mostly because the final wasn't as dramatic.
Still ranks as one of my favorite haunts and I'd like to visit again,
plus they gave us free hats. Have I ever mentioned I don't wear hats?
Aw, hell, it's still nice to get one.
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| and mummies love em. |
On the way home, something was
missing. Any grand adventure should include a proper food stop, and
so we found ourselves at New China Buffet in Eaton Rapids. Can't tell
you how many times I've passed by this place without much thought but
it turned out to be not so bad. Obviously it's Chinese buffet so
there's enough sodium to drop a bull and no one would accuse it of
being healthy. That being said it lasted longer than most buffet
food, digested pretty well, and we had the lovely entertainment of
the cooks yelling at each other in their native tongue.
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| The door to nowhere is a nice touch. |
Now here we are just a week away from
the big event. Currently I'm working in all manner of last minute
projects and picking up discounted decorations to make sure we offer
one hell of a show to the kiddies. There's also the chance of more
fun at a local event as our historical courthouse is having a
Halloween event lead by another holiday addict like myself who over
the years has served as both an inspiration and a rival even if he
doesn't know it. There's still time enough to get at least one more
post up here before the month is out so look out for a a big post to
send Halloween out in style.
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