Couldn't sleep last night, I 've been doing alot of thinking. Last year at Halloween I was so stressed I couldn't enjoy myself with so many people there and so much to do. I have forgotten that feeling with all my planning for the ghost town theme. My motto needs to be SIMPLE but SCARY. I watched "Dead Birds" and got carried away, and I believe my ideas would be great if I had someone here to help me throughout the year. But since DH hunts and fishes he doesn't have time on days off and won't help until October. SO with all of that, I am scratching the town theme and going for a haunted walk through the dark woods of our wooded trail. Now to figure out something to scare their hair white....hee hee hee...I am going to complete my Johnny Appleseed or might even do a PumpkinRot, they are just too cool. Will post new plans later.

Yesterday while researching some on an idea for a prop Deathtouch inspired I ended up on the PumpkinRot site. Here I found a couple of quotes from books and poetry I LOVED and am going to write them here to keep for motivation. (Next to my son and husband Halloween is what I mainly think about so I don't need much motivation!)

And it was the afternoon of Halloween,

And all the houses shut against a cold wind

And the town full of cold sunlight. But suddenly, the day was gone.

Night came out from under each tree and spread.

"The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury

Dark mystery and the smell of singeing pumkinflesh. Swirling dry leaves may be swept along in the wake of passing ghosts. The feeling that, on this one night, absolutely anything could happen.

"The Last Halloween" Poppy Z.Brite

I believe I am going to try my hand at making a Johnny Appleseed before long. I think it would be cool to have in my haunt. I am collecting clothes from thrift stores for costumes. It's January but October will be here before you know it!

Got Empress' book idea in yesterday, "Instant Period Costumes" and think I can make some from the Old West section. It tells you how to make costumes from time periods using thirft store clothes. It included civil war soldiers and cowboys...Wish I could sew better, but I am going to try best I can. I am probably going to get ole Kristie girl here at work to help out. We'll see how well the costume making goes for Halloween '06.

Looking out my top floor window the other day I realized I have the perfect set up for my "ghost town" theme. My father's old area where he raised pigs has many old buildings, etc. that can be transformed if I put my mind to it. Cousin Damon figured out the main problem which was cleaning out these buildings; I am for his suggestion of using them as props. The "town" will lead into a path in the woods that leads to an old shed I plan on creating, if the snakes will allow, into a haunted house (or something similar.) Took pics today to begin working on ideas. I am leaning towards a haunted town and house during the civil war era. That seems different and would be very scary. I rewatched "Dead Birds" and got many ideas. I am in great need of costume ideas and ideas on how to build the town. I know I want a jail included. Just a few ideas I am throwing around at the beginning of 2006...

Just got word my new dvd "Dead Birds" will be here shortly. I want to watch it again (and again) and see if I can gleam some ideas, 2006 Halloween will be here before we all know it! I did manage to upload some photos of my haunt on Photobucket.com and hopefully with help from Empress Nightshade I will be able to post them on the forum soon. More in 2006...

Finally had a chance to get this done, only a couple months late....lol!

Our Pirates will be getting a new ship for next year, I hope.

The guy was hanging arounf deep in the woods...

We added a bridge over our stream this year, we may have spilled some

bad stuff in there, not quite sure where the glow came from...

Our hall of doors, we had some surprises in and around these this year...

The graveyard out front, the Headless Horseman keeps an eye on the place...

The electric chair, this will get some upgrades for next year...

The "a frame" creature, he needs some real help for 2006, his eyes are about

the only thing that'll stay the same...

Julia's Banshee, he kept our guests on the right path deep in the woods...

The Badseed, he'll go back to a "live" gag in 2006, he just stood there this year...

I'm not quiet as large as my face appears in this pic!

I have been kicking around a few ideas and with the help of some forum buddies. I am definitely thinking about a haunted walk through or trail through woods. Ideas that have been given I bit on were confederate zombie ghosts still in battle, maybe "Dead Birds" theme or isn't there a story by S. King about Confederate ghosts? I have read a good short story not long ago about some but have forgotten who and what as I read so much. I am going to take inventory of what I have packed away and see if I can get my theme going. I have so many horror movie masks and I do not want to do that again this year. How to incorperate them...hmm...need to do research on Civil War and odd happenings during Civil War. Maybe forum friends might know of something if I send out a new thread.  I am also thinking of a "Bell Witch" idea since I am from TN. I find info about the Bell Witch interesting, I may try to pull a similar theme for my haunt and see if I can include witches, ghosts, etc. through a trail. More later...

What a year this has been! It flew by so fast and Halloween has came and gone. Ours was a huge success and I am happy to write I was able to pull it off without anyone getting hurt and everyone seeming to have fun. I was a little disappointed by a comment that was made to me, "not as scary as before but definitely creative." I wanted it to be scary as hell so this was a let down. 2006 I hope to find a happy medium, creative and scary.

A tornado has ripped through our County so I am having some problems focusing on what I want to do next Halloween. I want to think of other things than our county's loss so I am Halloween focused, toying with an idea of another trail walk, or maybe a "ghost walk" through woods. Need to get me a good theme. Forum members have a few good ideas when I posted I needed help, civil war ghosts, med-eval haunt, werewolves, just to name a few. I know I don't want a mish mash of things, I want a theme again and will stick to it.

I want to find a way to put a picture of me and my haunt from this year on here and on the forum. Maybe I can figure it out, not real good with computers. I will try and do better writing my ideas here for what I am planning and producing in the way of my "thoughts" for 2006. I know I enjoy reading other blogs, seeing what ideas I can get from other Halloweenie Freaks such as myself. Peace to All who might read this...

I'm so late posting this but here goes.  We had around 250 or so people come through our haunt over two nights, more or less the same as last year.  We raised about $145.00 for breast cancer research, not much but it's better than nothing.  We had a ton of people say they couldn't wait for us to run the haunt, said they'd been last year and will be back next year too.  It's great to hear that people like what we're doing.  We had a lot of help this year getting setup and running the haunt, that helped a ton!  Wasn't nearly as crazy getting ready for guests as last year was, hopefully it's even easier next year.

We extended the haunted woods further into the back yard.  The new path went out over a little stream that runs through our property.  My cousin and I built a bridge over it and most guests loved it, some turned around and didn't go any further...LOL!  We have a ton of plans for new gags for next year and have a few new people interested in helping out.  With any amount of luck Fitzy's Fright Fest 4 will be bigger and badder...

I will post pictures very soon...