The primo option for Halloween Haunt Trick or Treating this year will offer literally hundreds of scary-but-not-too-much-so creatures at a place new to the whole scene, and they are only getting started, with new waves of monsters being erected literally as we speak. This will be done through Saturday Night (Live, or rather Dead, you choose). So now re-read this post (details at its bottom) as you and your host can plan for it being bigger and better next year. Same bat time, same bat channel.
The drive-through, Big Time candy giveaway is at BOH Electronics, (standing for Boatloads Of Haunts?), for a full three hours, for you late-goers. They are at 230 Monroe Street North, in what has been known even prior to this foray in an Ancient Netherworld, as The Old Car Shops, and their huge red-brick building, looks a trifle scary to boot. But only to the point where the kiddies won’t be too frightened going into the monster mix, and adults with more of a fear tolerance will love it, as well. That well-revamped-from-the-old-days plant the size of a football field and also high as many a pro punt, gives plenty of wall space for hanging creatures — such as the ones put up right away, skeletons that is. They are seen hanging out creepily while draped around what could be a mongo cage, on fire escapes on the second-floor level. They are in various states of head-detached-ness, although the skull was never far away, just like mother deer and Bambi in the woods — is that an appropriate reference in this post? And soon they were seen literally climbing the three-story walls, (Think the cover art in Houses of The Holy by Led Zeppelin. Or unholy?) Or pasted to them, like so many other creatures, even “living” Screaming Trees, come big and come small, but in that case we’re talking Very Big. How many All Hallows displays take it to that height, as this place in North Hudson?
The employees are well behind that aspect and others also, bringing their “gifts” to a spacious back room, the size of seven, where all kinds of cryptic clowns and others are waiting for final assembly, which is being done hourly and on the fly between now at 5 p.m. Saturday. (This might be tricky, since there is wind advisory issued, meaning erection of a few things is being held off on until the very end, or things might fly away on their own accord, not be grounded like the creatures who are humans for a day job and plan to act up for you). That’s when the fun starts for trick or treaters and their candy search, which continues all the way through 8 p.m. So if you are one of those young boys, or others, who comes When The End Is Near and tries not to look scared, you have leeway from the zombies, at least where timing is concerned.
The decked-out building is located just a whip around the entry to the industrial park in North Hudson, bending to the north right after passing by the dance academy (and its thusly scared little girls?) The neighbor To The Near East was asked if the sign that is all over town could be put in her yard and she said that of course is OK, but could she head on over a bit ahead of time. Couldn’t wait for the goings-on to start, she said, both for this year and the version of the show coming next year. The signs were up in more and more places around the village as The End Was Near for Halloween to be come and gone, the efforts to place them at intersections all around increased, since this whole idea was hatched only the previous month. They show Motor Madness, drive-through reference, with a logo of a Grim Reaper with Black Flag riding what looked to be a combo of a Harley and a flattened out golf cart. Since the idea is only a few weeks old, and the many other businesses around the industrial park said they really want to get involved and erect similar displays, making it an All In The Family Affair, so to speak, that part of it will have to wait until the next go-around. There is plenty of gravel space between the various Old Car Shops, and the mind melts when thinking about the various ways that they could team up and fill it with fun next year. After all, what this is all about after Sunday arrives, is that building of community has taken place, to take something that is indeed a bit ghoulish and turn it into something positive. And hey, lets face it, this too is just a good way to do business.
And if you’re busy with other trick-or-treating endeavors and hurry, you can still catch a glimpse of all the creepies stayed-put after the deed is done and still hanging out to greet you, before they disappear into the night … Otherwise, see you next year!
(And for the adults, the only Game in Town heading northward is at T-Buckets in rural Somerset, and see a description of the show and its followup with pro football on Sunday, in this web site’s Picks of the Week department).