Halloween 2015 by The Independent Collegian

THE INDEPENDENT OLLEGIAN

Halloween Special Edition

2 | The Independent Collegian | Halloween 2015 About this publication The Halloween Special Edition 2015 is a special tabloid produced by The Independent Collegian, the University of Toledo’s student newspaper. Editor-In-Chief Amanda Pitrof Special Projects Manager Joe Heidenescher Editors Colleen Anderson Copy Editors Lauren Gilbert and Jared Hightower Cover photo Abigail Sullivan Photo Department Abigail Sullivan and Savannah Joslin Adviser Danielle Gamble

About The Independent Collegian UT’s student newspaper was founded as The UniversiTeaser in 1919. For much of its life, the paper was simply called The Collegian and was funded in part by UT. But in 2000, facing attempts by then-president Vik Kapoor to exercise more control over the paper — including trying to install his own handpicked candidate for editor-inchief — the paper began the move toward organizational independence. Kapoor was forced to resign that spring, and in the fall, The Independent Collegian was born. With help from members of the faculty, board of trustees and local press, The Collegian severed legal and financial ties to the university and eventually moved off-campus. Although the IC now leases space in Carlson Library, it is still run independently by the Collegian Media Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The IC is committed to remaining a strong, independent voice for the UT community. IndependentCollegian.com

Local Fall Attractions MacQueen Orchards

7605 Garden Rd, Holland, OH 43528 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. every day of the week. MacQueens is a farm market open all year round. They have pick your own apples, bake goods, other fruits and vegetables and home goods.

Erie Orchards & Cider Mill

1235 E Erie Rd, Erie, MI 48133 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sundays Erie Orchards is a farm and market where you can pick your own apples as well get pumpkins and purchase things such as cider and doughnuts.

Bennetts Orchard

5647 Consear Rd, Ottawa Lake, MI 49267 Open through the end of October 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday –Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday Bennett’s Orchard is a market opened seasonally from August until the end of October. They offer multiple items in their country store ranging from fresh baked goods to their own homemade honey and maple syrup as well as having a “U-pick” option available for apples.

Fleitz Pumpkin Farm

7133 Seaman Rd, Oregon, OH 43616 Open through the end of October 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. every day of the week Fleitz Pumpkin Farm is open every day from September 12 until October 31. They offer corn mazes of multiple sizes, a Craft Barn and sell pumpkins.

Wheeler Farms

Open through end of October 5 p.m. – Midnight Friday 12 p.m. – Midnight Saturday 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday Wheeler Farms opens their corn maze every year in mid-September until Halloween. Their corn maze offers four regions ranging from easy to challenging. They also offer other attractions throughout the year including a butterfly house throughout Spring, then a Christmas tree farm starting in November.

Terror Town

1406 Key Street, Maumee Oh. 43537 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday Terror Town is the largest group of haunted houses and other haunted attractions in Northwest Ohio.

Halloween 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

Why Halloween will never be the same

s a kid, there was nothing like Halloween. Not only was it the one day I could walk out of the house dressed as a mermaid without my mom telling me to go back inside and put on “real clothes,” but it was the day I could drown myself in sugar and no one would think twice.

how smeared the makeup all over my face. Although I left the local costume contest emptyhanded that night, I was still the cutest Chiquita Banana Lady to roam the streets of Woodville. All of the costumes my mom made were thoughtful and well planned, but it all went downhill when I decided it was time to make a decision on my own. I didn’t want a one-size-fits-all 1950s Pink Lady costume from one of those cheap Halloween stores, I wanted a costume that embodied true strength and power. After many nights spent online looking for a costume, it came to me: what is more powerful than the force of nature? In 2007, I decided to be a tornado. Once a disaster, always a disaster. First, I stuffed pillow filling into white mesh tubing and sewed the ends by hand. I strategically placed and glued various debris around the outline of the funnel. I was an unemployed 13-year-old at the time and I was working with a small budget. The buckDIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY eye tree in my side yard graciously provided the sticks and leaves, and my aunt’s basement providMy mom would hand-make my costumes every ed the toy cars, army men and farm animals. fall. She would drag me and my sister to the nearest After wrapping the mesh around me and teasing craft store and fill up the cart with various sewing pat- my hair to look like a modern day Ke$ha, I was an terns and obnoxious fabrics. F-5 waiting to do some damage. For hours, she would slave over her Singer sewing That year I went from house to house with my sequins and hot-glue felt circles like she was a pageant closest friends and begged for candy. mom on TLC. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sport the From Humpty Dumpty to a cupcake with a cherry typical, glow-in-the-dark, plastic pumpkin on top, my mom knew how to go above and bearound my wrist. I was a classy lady and I backyond the typical witch and princess costumes. packed a pillowcase, Tom Sawyer-style, and When I was five, she dressed me as the Chiqyou can bet your ass that at the end of the uita Banana Lady. The costume consisted of a night, it was full. ruffled, cream-colored pirate shirt; a long, Unfortunately, there’s always a time in your Reese’s, black, ruffled skirt; purple-ruffled wrist life when you do something for the last time. Snickers, cuffs; large clip-on hoop earrings and an 2007 was my last year trick-or-treating. assortment of fake fruit hot-glued to a The years after that were spent collectMilky Way hat on my head. ing money for UNICEF and helping My mom was pretty much a Pinmy parents pass out candy on the M&Ms, Kit Kat, terest board. front porch, and till this day nothI distinctly remember standing comes close to the feeling of Pay Day, Baby Ruth, ing over the bathroom sink sitting down after a long, sweaty Butterfinger, as my mom applied eyeliner trip around town, grabbing Three Musketeers, Rolos to complete the costume. the bottom corners of my She gave me strict inpillowcase and watching structions to not open my night’s accomplishmy eyes until the ments spill before me. Tootsie Rolls, Nerds, Lollypops, black liquid had Although Halloween bubble gum, Jolly Ranchers, Almond Joy, dried, but like any now lacks candy and Air Heads, Smarties, Laffy Taffy child, I did the well thought-out complete oppocostumes, it will site of what forever remind my mother me of my caretold me free childPencils, small comic books, hugs, candy corn, and hood and anything “gluten free,” fresh fruit, old fruit, coupons someendless imagination.

“In 2007, I decided to be a tornado. Once a disaster, always a disaster.... After wrapping the mesh around me and teasing my hair to look like a modern day Ke$ha, I was an F-5 waiting to do some damage.”

ABIGAIL SULLIVAN

This is Abigail Sullivan’s hierarchy of Halloween candy.

COURTESY OF ABIGAIL SULLIVAN

Abigail Sullivan dresses up as a tornado in 2007. That was her last year trick-or-treating and her first year making her very own costume.

4 | The Independent Collegian | Halloween 2015

5 costumes in under 30 min.

Rosie the Riveter

By Emily Modrowski, Fashion Columnist

Unleash your strong and confident female self with this option. This costume is super easy to accomplish and is a really cute look. All you need is a jean or plain blue button-down shirt and a red bandana. Throw your hair up in a ponytail or bun, tie on the bandana and maybe add some red lipstick to make more of a statement. Flex your bicep in midair and yell, “We can do it!” for the full effect.

It’s 8:30 p.m. on Halloween night. You’re in your pajamas watching “Hocus Pocus” when your best friend texts you: “Hey. We’re going to a Halloween party. I’ll pick you up at 9.” You only have half an hour to get ready, but you don’t have a costume! Don’t freak out; here are five costume ideas that I picked out of my closet and threw on in only 30 minutes.

4. The Greek Goddess This is probably the simplest option to accomplish, but also the prettiest. All you need is a plain sheet to wrap around you and something to tie around your waist. Put your hair up in wavy curls or braids and you’ll look fresh out of Olympus. Make sure to wear some leggings under the sheet — just in case.

2. The 1950’s Greaser It may just be my bias over the best movie adaptation ever created (“The Outsiders”), but a greaser is a perfect costume choice. You’ll look cool, you’ll be stylish and you’ll be festive all at the same time. You’ll need a plain white T-shirt or tank top, a leather jacket, blue jeans rolled up at the bottom and Converse. Sunglasses and snapping your fingers while calling people “daddy-o!” are optional.

3. The Lumberjack Lumberjack plaid is one of those things that never go out of style. It’s a staple in any wardrobe. And let’s just admit it to ourselves: we’ve all had lumberjack fantasies. Whether it’s being one or being with one, that’s your business, but take this night as an opportunity to live out your wildest dreams. For this costume you’ll need a plaid flannel, blue jeans and boots. Bonus points if you wear a white T-shirt and suspenders with the flannel.

Ginger bread person I had to include a special option just for my people. This one only works if you’re a redhead, because if you have red hair, congratulations; you’re already halfway done with this costume. You’ll need string and bread. What you have to do is put bread on the string (by the slice or loaf, whichever you prefer) like a beaded bread necklace, then tie it around your neck and ta da: a gingerbread person. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMILY MODROWSKI

Halloween 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

By Joe Heidenescher Features Editor

Pumpkin Bread Cupcakes

Maybe you’re not a costume person, but you still love going to Halloween parties. Instead of spending time making a costume, you could put together festive foods that’ll still make you a hit at the party. Here are five super-simple treats that are affordable on almost any college budget.

Pumpkin treats are a fall staple. Simply go buy a box of pumpkin bread mix, follow the instructions and mix with the correct amount of water, eggs and other ingredients. The cooking is simple: dish the batter into cups and cook for about a half hour. Since pumpkin bread isn’t exactly as sweet as cupcakes, you can add frosting if you would like, but the bread will be great by itself too. In total, a box of mix and cupcake liners will cost around $10 and make about a dozen cupcake-sized goodies.

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COURTESY OF MINIMALISTBAKER.COM

S’mores Hot Chocolate

In addition to food, hot chocolate is perfect this time of the year. To add some Halloween pizazz, it’s easy to turn it into a hot chocolate s’more. Mix your hot chocolate packet with hot water or hot milk. Then roast some marshmallows to add to the drink. Serve the treat with a graham cracker stirrer. If you want some additional haunting spirits, add a splash of Baileys Irish Cream. The hot chocolate and additives will only cost you $8, and the bottle of Baileys is about $20.

Dirt Pudding

Even if you don’t have an oven, you can still make cookies. You will need sugar, milk, a stick of butter, cocoa powder, oats, peanut butter, vanilla extract and kosher salt. For an exact recipe, look one up in a cookbook or Google one. All you will need to do is heat the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa in a pan. Next, remove the mixture from the heat and mix all the ingredients together. Then just scoop them out into cookie-sized globs and put them onto wax paper. Allow them to cool and harden, and then they are ready to eat. To make them more festive, you can add candy corn or other Halloween candy favorites. Because of the number of ingredients, these cookies might cost closer to $20, but you will be able to make way more than just a dozen.

COURTESY OF VERONICA THOMPSON

No-bake Cookies

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This is a classic recipe from childhood. Get some chocolate pudding; you can make your own or even buy the easy snack packs. Once you get the pudding, pour it into a bowl or little cups. Now take half a pack of Oreos and smash them up and sprinkle them on top of the pudding. For added effect, add gummy worms and bone candies to turn the dirt pudding into one tasty dessert. You’re looking to spend $15 for pudding, Oreos and candy.

Chocolate Popcorn

For this simple treat, you will need plain white popcorn, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and orange food coloring. Take your popcorn and pop about two to three bags and spread it evenly out onto wax paper. Next, pour your chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals because chocolate burns easily. Once it is melted, drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn with a spoon. Repeat this step with the white chocolate and add the orange food coloring to make it festive. Let the chocolate cool before eating. In total, this recipe costs less than $10.

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6 | The Independent Collegian | Halloween 2015

Daring to scare :

By Samantha Rhodes Staff Reporter

During the day, Desiree Baird is a sign language interpreter. But at night, she transforms into something entirely different — a childish, cannibalistic girl seeking patients in a hospital ward. Her name is Mae Hemm. And she’s obsessed with socks. “She can often be found chewing on a sock, licking it and jumping at people trying to show them her sock ‘Socko,’ or the larger one ‘Socky,’” Baird said of her character. Baird, a 2012 University of Toledo astronomy graduate, is a first-time ‘screamster’ for Cedar Point’s Halloweekends, the amusement park’s seasonal haunted attraction. The 25-year-old developed her own character persona — Mae Hemm — to mesh perfectly with the haunted house she works in, Eternity Infirmary. This house-maze is one of six seasonal attractions at Cedar Point, including the Slaughter House and Eden Musee, along with six other outer scare zones and numerous haunted shows and experiences. According to Baird, nearly 300 screamsters from all over the country were hired for the season along with makeup artists, costume designers, help staff and security guards. Another of these new hires is Jill Jablonski, a 2014 UT English grad with a passion for folklore and situational acting. As a “hillbilly Victorian zombie girl,” Jablonski can be found in the Blood on the Bayou zone, either practicing mannequinlike scare tactics from the ground or swinging wildly from tombstones with her long, dark hair dangled over her gruesome mask. “Being a screamster has been on my bucket list since I was 15,” the 24-year-old said. “My uncle always used to take me for my birthday, and now that I was done with college, I was like ‘yeah, I’m doing this.’” Though Halloweekends only runs weekends from mid-September through November 1, Jablonski and Baird both agree that clocking in around 30 hours of screamster work in only three days is exhausting. Loosely-scheduled makeup appointments begin around 3 p.m. and after standing stock-still all night, shivering while waiting for the perfect scare, it’s not uncommon to clock out around 1:30 a.m. When it comes to training their staff, Cedar Point doesn’t skimp. Though new hires don’t need prior scare experience, all screamsters must complete a pre-season extensive training program, memorize the monster parade dance and attend all dress rehearsals. For Jablonski,

COURTESY OF DOUG AXE

Desiree Baird, dressed as her sock-obsessed character Mae Hemm, lurks within Eternity Infirmary, one of Cedar Point’s six haunted house mazes. Baird works as a screamster for the amusement park’s seasonal Halloweekends, which runs mid-September through Nov. 1.

“It’s the one time of the year when people suddenly stop caring if you’re able to match up to the standards of beauty. The whole point is to become something spooky, bloody or crazy. You get to be something very different from yourself, which is very freeing.” DESIREE BAIRD Cedar Point Halloweekends Screamster and sign language interpreter

that means she’s worked seven consecutive weekends with two still left to go. Bruises, sore feet and throats, grumbling stomachs, layers upon layers of clothing and Advilpopping — all are common in this line of work. Baird said the makeup can take anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes to put on and even longer to wash off — especially if you have a mask glued to your face. “A lot of people still have makeup stuck on them the next day,” Jablonski said. “It’s all over your neck and when you wash that off, it peels and flakes and goes down you. And with the sprayers, they’ll get it in your ears so you need Qtips. Glues hurt to get off, red paint is the worst and black isn’t easy either because it’s oil-based.” The only things screamsters can take with them into zones are water bottles and cough drops — phones are a big no-no. Using the bathroom isn’t easy either since two people have to be in each zone at all times; if not, it’s a safety hazard. Though Cedar Point has a ‘we don’t touch you, you don’t touch us’ policy for screamsters, Jablonski said it doesn’t always work out that way. “In training, they teach you how to quickly get away from people if you scare them so much they throw a punch at you,” Jablonski said. “But we actually had one person blow their whistle ‘cause they got elbowed in the face just a couple weeks ago.” Regardless, Baird said it’s all worth it for the sake of Halloween — her favorite holiday. “It’s the one time of the year when people suddenly stop caring if you’re able to match up to the standards of beauty,” she said. “The whole point is to become something spooky, bloody or crazy. You get to be something very different from yourself, which is very freeing.” Plus, the gig has other appealing incentives, according to Jablonski. Making $8.50 an hour isn’t so bad when Cedar Point also gives out free food, hoodies, screamster shirts, admission to a local festival and the chance to ride the rides free of charge in your off time, she said. Anyone who lives more than 30 minutes from the park also qualifies for free housing in Cedar Point’s dormitories. But above all else, both Baird and Jablonski agree that getting a good scare is the biggest perk of the job. According to Baird, the “mental scares” are a ton of fun. “I really like getting in their personal bubble and putting my face just beside their ear and whispering ‘Hi there,’” she said. “Finding out their names is fantastic, too. Many people wear hoodies with their names on it and forget it’s there.”

What it takes to be a screamster

Halloween 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

COURTESY OF DOUG AXE

Zombie girl Jill Jablonski lies motionless on the ground, waiting for the perfect moment to scare a visitor passing through the Blood on the Bayou scare zone. Working as a Cedar Point Halloweekends screamster, Jablonski lives in Erie, Michigan, and commutes to Sandusky every weekend, taking advantage of Cedar Point’s free dorms for those who live more than 30 minutes away from the park.

COURTESY OF DOUG AXE

A screamster sits patiently while waiting for his makeup to be completed. This process can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on whether a mask is glued to the face. Cedar Point hired nearly 300 screamsters for this year’s Halloweekends, according to Baird.

Scaring certain types of people is also all Millennials, or those born between more satisfying. For Baird, the thrill 1981 and 1997, will visit a haunted comes from terrifying dads and house this year, according to the Nationboyfriends. al Retail Federation’s Halloween Con“They’re usually the sumer Spending Survey. ones who are trying to But why? act tough, and when I Jablonski vouches that it’s “There’s a rush of get them scared, the kids a safe way to experience teradrenaline you and girlfriends start ror, so in an oxymoronic laughing at them,” she way, people are enticed by get when you’re said. “But my favorite the opportunity to feel fear scared, and that part is when I scare safely. But in Baird’s opinion, fight-or-flight someone so much they people are fixated on the fun, fall to the ground. These out-of-control element. reaction kicks are fairly rare, but even “There’s a rush of adrenain, too,” she said. rarer are those who get line you get when you’re “I’ve noticed so scared they wet themscared, and that fight-orselves. It’s just flat-out flight reaction kicks in, that many times hilarious to watch their too,” she said. “I’ve noticed after I get a good reactions. These are the that many times after I get scream out of moments that tell me I’m a good scream out of peodoing my job, and I’m people, they start ple, they start laughing.” doing it well.” However, Baird said laughing.” Jablonski has experithere’s one thing she can’t JILL JABLONSKI enced everything from stress enough for visitors to Cedar Point Halloweekterrifying an old man remember: the actors are ends Screamster with a cane to scaring people with feelings, too. the living daylights out “For some reason, when of twelve-year-old girls we put on makeup and cospoking her to see if she’s real. She even tumes, we lose our humanity in the eyes won the “Rookie of the Week” award and of the visitors. They think it’s cool to get has had visitors compliment her acting all cocky and point us out when in realitalent and take selfies with her. ty, it makes us really mad and makes our It’s a fact: people are willing to pay See Scare / 8 » money to feel scared. Nearly one-third of

8 | The Independent Collegian | Halloween 2015 Scare

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job that much harder.” If you think the scare industry might be for you, both screamsters urge you to try it, even if you don’t consider yourself a good actor or have an outgoing personality. “It feels good to know you’re doing a job that directly affects someone and you’re creating a feeling inside them,” Jablonski said. “I mean how many jobs can you think of where you actually create an emotion in someone? And even better yet, you can actually see and hear it.” According to Baird, physical fitness is an important part of the application process, and though you can choose what kind of character you want, sometimes you are assigned one based on your physical appearance or size. “I’d say if you can enjoy making a fool of yourself and think it’d be a blast to scare people, go for it,” Baird said. “But don’t think it’s a cake walk. There are some crazy things that can happen, and you need to be on your toes to keep you and the visitors safe. I was

once told that if you can’t scare them, at least try to make them laugh. Go big or go home — that’s how this works.” For more information about Cedar Point’s Halloweekends or the screamster application process, visit www.cedarpoint.com/haunt. To locate other haunted attractions in America, check out www. HauntedHouseOnline.com or www. HauntWorld.com.

“It feels good to know you’re doing a job that directly affects someone and you’re creating a feeling inside them. I mean how many jobs can you think of where you actually create an emotion in someone? And even better yet, you can actually see and hear it.” JILL JABLONSKI Cedar Point Halloweekends Screamster