You can take my word on that because I've seen the movie Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers - um, hundreds of times more than anybody should probably watch the fifth installment of a horror film franchise.
In other words, I'm a Halloween junkie. It's my favorite time of the year. Pumpkin carving, costume buying, trick-or-treat candy procuring, cable horror movie marathon watching - I have a different Halloween-themed screen saver for every week this month. I've been known to listen to AOL Radio's all-Halloween station. I'm a geek for this holiday.
And Chemung County certainly doesn't disappoint in its offerings. Last year, I went to one of the longest-running events in Elmira, the Holiday Inn Riverview's Monster Bash. This year, it's being held on Friday, October 26th beginning at 7:00 p.m. at 760 East Water Street. (Admission's only $8 in advance or $10 at the door, for ages 21 and older.)
(A little mood music?)
Here's what I liked most about the Monster Bash. One, it's just a pretty cool atmosphere, being in a hotel for a huge party like this one. They dedicate Anthony's Lounge downstairs and a giant open space upstairs to the festivities, and deck the place out with lots of fun Halloween inflatables to boot.
Two, the costumes. Some were fun, some were frightening, some were vintage, some were risqué, the whole gamut was represented, and the most impressive part for me was seeing how much work some people put into their ensembles. These were some of my favorites:
Pretty sure that's Jason carrying Freddy Krueger in a cage.
The party also features a good ol' fashioned costume contest, with prizes for funniest, scariest, sexiest and most original costumes, for which there were plenty of contenders.
Points if you can identify that gentleman's film homage.
It's billed as the region's ultimate costume party and more than lived up to the name as far as I was concerned - if you've never been, it's well-worth a Friday night and certain to put you in the Halloween spirit.
A few other fantastic Halloween events have already occurred locally (Tangle With Zombies 5K at Tanglewood Nature Center, psychic Phil Jordan at The Starlite Room), but make sure to be on the lookout for them next Halloween season.
Some of the other great offerings in the coming weeks?
• Haunted Happenings at Tanglewood Nature Center - Head up to Tanglewood tomorrow for an afternoon full of apple launching, gourd and skeleton hunting, guided hikes, face and pumpkin painting, scary story telling and a chili cook-off.
• Chemung Valley History Museum Ghost Walk - Being held tonight and tomorrow night in partnership with Elmira Little Theatre and Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery. You'll be transported from the museum to Woodlawn to go on a guided evening tour and meet several "ghosts" from Elmira's past. Call (607) 734-4167 for reservations.
• Flashlight Cemetery Tours at Mark Twain's Gravesite - Twilight tales of Twain and his family at his final resting place. Offered Monday evenings throughout the rest of the month. Call The Christmas House at (607) 734-9547 for more information and reservations.
• Charlie's Cafe's Blind Harvest Dinner on November 5th, featuring a gourmet meal served in complete darkness. Call (607) 733-0440 for reservations.
Plus, for the non-Halloween fanatics, there are a number of fall events continuing in the community this month:
In conclusion, in the opinion of this blogger, this is a particularly wonderful time of year to be living in or visiting Twain Country.
Happy Halloween!
Holiday Inn Riverview
760 East Water Street, Elmira, NY 14901
(607) 734-4211
Great post. Chemung County sure "owns" Halloween in our region. So much to do!
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