It's the age-old question: Did I buy enough candy or way too much?
Happy Day After Halloween, Geneva! So, how did it go? We ended up with about 45 kids, ranging in age from under a year to high school. Numbers were probably a little down from previous years, I'd say. A few of the early birds are pictured here. Let us know with comments in the comments field and by answering these Patch polls.
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Inspired by movies, books and TV, the undead are big costumes this Halloween.
Harry Potter is out. Zombies are in. As far as the most popular getups for Halloween 2011, “the trendiest costume is—literally—coming back from the dead,” according to the National Retail Federation (NRF)'s website. The NRF, which has surveyed Halloween trends for the past nine years, says more than 2.6 million men, women and children are dressing up as zombies this Halloween. “Due to the popularity of the characters in recent books, television shows and video games, zombie costumes jumped from number 22 last year to number nine on children's top costume list and from number seven to four on the adult list,” according to the NRF. Julane Sullivan of All Dressed Up, 901 N. Batavia Ave., Batavia, agrees. The 20-year owner of one of the …
English was never this fun when I was a seventh grader!
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call the Twilight Zone.” Though they varied the opening monologue throughout the series, if that particular preamble doesn’t give you goose bumps, then nothing will. Rod Serling was a genius who wasn’t only ahead of his own time, but light years ahead of ours. “But Jeff,” you ask, “other than living in that warped mind of yours, what the heck does the Twilight Zone have to do with Geneva?" That’s a very …
8:52 am on Monday, October 31, 2011
A great series with so many cautionary tales. I still remember "A Stop at Willoughby" about the guy on the train trip back and forth to work at a job he despised, battling his own personal demons, and dreaming of living a more peaceful life in a tranquil little town. more ›
Workers at Abyss Haunted House, which is in the old Mule Barn, have reported hauntings they did not design.
Dresden Cemetery, on Hansel Road in Channahon, dates back to 1847. The cemetery is full of stories, surrounding the move of graves to the new St. Mary's Cemetery in Minooka. In some versions, the ground was spoiled, in others, a giant flood blew out the side of the mountain and bodies and coffins were everywhere. In each version, though, a child's grave or a child's body was unable to be located and it is he or she who haunts the area. Historically speaking, there is some truth to the flood story. Thomas Comerford, one of the early settlers of the area, was trying to bury his wife, but could not so because of a rainstorm. "There was this huge rainstorm when they were trying to bury her and the grave kept filling up with water," Michelle …
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Additional trains and cars will be added for mid-afternoon travel on Monday, Oct. 31.
If you take Metra to work and want to leave early on Monday, Oct. 31 so you can get home for trick-or-treating, then a revised train schedule may help you. Here in Geneva, the Union Pacific West Line will add extra cars to mid-afternoon trains from Chicago to Elburn starting with the 1:40 p.m. departure. Elsewhere, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe route will run four extra trains: Train No. 1241 (3:22 p.m.) will terminate at the Downers Grove Main Street station and inbound Train No. 1274 will depart from Downers Grove, Main Street and will not stop at Aurora.
Garlic might keep a scary Halloween vampire away, but how do you escape the 24/7 news cycle?
What is wrong with you people? Please allow me to suggest five simple rules that will make all of our pumpkin fests more pleasurable.
As my lovely wife and I were enjoying a lovely evening stroll, I caught a bright orange glow out of the corner of my left eye. Turning to face the abomination, I sneered, “Would you look at that! Some overzealous Genevan already has their blanking Christmas lights up! Why, there oughtta be a law ... ” But before I could finish my inspired rant, my sainted spouse interrupted it with something even more terrifying than Christmas in October. When she said, “Those aren’t Christmas lights, you idiot. Those are Halloween lights,” I almost ran home to hide in the crawlspace. “Halloween lights!?” I exclaimed. “They can’t be Halloween lights because there’s no such thing as Halloween lights. Why, when I was a carefree young lad in Evanston, no one…
7:33 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
Jeff I can't believe you did it. You got 33 comments on a Halloween opinion column. How many did you think you would get? Fifty is in reach but you won't reach your record from the fire pit tirade. more ›
A Chicago area restaurant is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who died after an affair gone wrong.
The Country House in Clarendon Hills is known in the Chicago area for its burgers, but it’s also known for something else. “I took a ghost tour once, many years ago, and one of the stops was this restaurant,” said Diana LaPointe, who has been a longtime patron of the restaurant. Lynn Banks, the restaurant's manager, has worked there for 29 years. She said in that time she's frequently felt the sensation of being watched. "I've seen shadows go by, and you go look and nobody’s there besides you," said Banks. "We’ve had customers that have made comments, especially about the women’s bathroom. They’ll be in one stall then they’ll hear the other one open and close, and they’ll see a shadow or something, but nobody else is in there.” Because of …
Patch’s Little Pumpkin Costume Challenge with Heidi Klum needs your entries now.
Which kid in America has the most creative Halloween costume in the pumpkin patch? That's what we intend to find out with your photos and the help of celebrity judge Heidi Klum, who will select the grand prize winner. The grand prize? Patch will whisk the winner to New York or Los Angeles for a two-day, three-night trip for two that includes a meet-and-greet with Heidi, plus a donation of $1,031 to a local charity of the winner's choice. Nine runners-up will also get a $1,031 donation from Patch to a local charity of their choice. Entering is easy. Just upload a photo of your kid, 12 years of age or younger, in his or her Halloween costume, to this post (hit submit your photos above the video here). Include your child’s name, your name, …
Take our Patch poll and leave a comment!
There's a delightful and funny article on mommyshorts.com titled, What Does Your Kid's Halloween Costumes Say About You? Basically, says mommyshorts mom Ilana, there are four types of moms when it comes to choosing Halloween costumes for kids who are either looking for ideas or too young to choose for themselves. What kind of mom are you? (1) The Crafty Mom — Hand-made all the way. (2) The Clever Mom — This is the mom with the sense of humor. The toddler as Elvis, Sarah Palin or Nacho Libre. If done just right, they're the most adorable trick-or-treaters you see on Halloween night. If not, they can be in almost-painful poor taste. (3) The Store Bought Mom — Straight to the party-outlet store, do not pass Go but be prepared to spend $30. (4…
Jan
12:54 pm on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Well, I get no kids at all - as I am in the downtown, but do have trick or treat as a downtown merchant - and this year, for whatever reason, during the downtown merchant trick or treat, I only saw three groups of kids for a total of about 6 kids. A huge dropoff from prior years. I know the folks on third street don't really enjoy getting besieged during the downtown trick or treat, but those of … more ›