Ocotober 2014 South Aurora Magazine

SOUTH AURORA’S PREMIER MONTHLY COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

SOUTH

AURORA e n i z a g Ma INSIDE THIS ISSUE HALLOWEEN HAUNTED SWIM PAGE 5

PUMPKIN CARVING TIPS PAGE 9

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October 2014

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CONTENTS SOUTH AURORA MAGAZINE

southauroramagazine.com

This Issue

Magazine

October 2014 Volume 6 Issue 10 PUBLISHER MIKE WAID

mike.waid@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 700

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER PAMELA WAID

pam.waid@mikewaid.com 303-805-9455 xt 704

AD SALES LESLIE JOHNSON

leslie@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 705

CREATIVE DIRECTOR ADRIENNE ZEAK BRUST

adrienne@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 701 South Aurora Magazine is published 12 times per year by Waid Publishing (www.

WaidPublishing.com), a division of Mike Waid & Associates, Inc. (www.MikeWaid.com), 19751 E. Mainstreet, Suite R-18, Parker, CO 80138, 303805-9455. South Aurora Magazine is available online at www.southauroramagazine.com.

South Aurora Magazines is a trademark of Waid Publishing. All rights reserved. The views, opinions and/or statements made or expressed by individuals and/or entities, are not necessarily reflective of the views and opinions of Waid Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced without explicit permission from South Aurora Magazine. Copyright 2014 South Aurora Magazine - All rights Reserved.

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Halloween-themed swim night with games, activities and prizes for children of all ages

SPOOKY AND FUN HALLOWEEN DECOR

Grab the kids for some fun in creating pumpkins and ghosts out of... balloons!

PUMPKIN CARVING TIPS

Cut too much off? Want more light shining through? Dual use for an air freshener?

BOOKENDS

The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande

LOCAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT Heirloom by Kate Muus

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October 2014

South Aurora

HAUNTED HALLOWEEN SWIM

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B October 2014

ring your family and friends in for a night of swimming like you’ve never experienced before! The Trails Recreation Center Aquatics area will be hosting a Halloween-themed swim night with games, activities and prizes for children of all ages. The pool area will be decorated with a Halloween theme. Games and activities include bobbing for apples, swim races, in-water activities and much more!

Children of all ages are welcome. This is an interactive event and appropriate swimwear is required to enter the pool (no costumes or make-up please). Pre-registration is not required. For more information, please contact The Trails Recreation Center at 303-269-8410 or ryanbai@aprd.org .

WHAT: Haunted Halloween WHERE: Trails Recreation Center WHEN: Friday, October 24, 4:30-6:30 PM

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H

alloween is just around the corner and who doesn’t like decorating with the family? Following are some very low cost and easy decorations that the whole family can make.

SPOOKY & FUN DECOR SUPPLIES 1. Orange Tissue Paper or Construction Paper, for the pumpkins

6. Water

2. White Tissue Paper or Construction Paper, for the ghosts

8. Scissors

3. Various Shaped Balloons 4. Small Paper Water Cups (for the pumpkins)

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5. All Purpose Flour

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7. Tempera Paint (black, brown & green) 9. String or Ribbon 10. Paperclips 11. A Large Plastic Tumbler Cup 12. A Large Flat Bowl

STEPS: 1. Cut the tissue paper or construction paper into various length strips 2. Mix ½ cup all purpose flour with 2 cups of water in the large bowl. Stir until flour is completely dissolved 3. Blow up several balloons into various sizes For Pumpkins 1. Start with one balloon and place it on top of the tumbler cup with the balloon knot facing down 2. Drag a strip of orange paper through the flour solution making sure the paper is coated (allow the excess to drip off into the bowl) 3. Place the coated strip on the balloon starting at the top center and draping it along the balloon towards the bottom 4. Repeat placing strips allowing them to overlap slightly 5. Once the balloon is covered in orange strips, turn the balloon over and place it back on top of the tumbler 6. Repeat placing strips starting at the knot end of the balloon. Be careful to NOT cover the knot with strips. You will need this hole to get the balloon out once dried.

7. Once the balloon is covered in several layers of orange strips, tie the string or ribbon to the knot and hang the balloon in your bathroom or garage to dry overnight.

For Ghosts 1. Start with one balloon and place it on top of the tumbler cup with the balloon knot facing down 2. Drag several strips of white paper through flower solution making sure the paper is coated (allow the excess to drip off into the bowl) 3. Place the coated strips on the balloon starting at the top center and draping it down the balloon. Only cover ¾ of the balloon from top to bottom. You don’t want the strips to go all the way to the bottom 4. Repeat placing strips around the entire balloon. It is OK if the strips are different lengths and have ragged edges. This will make your ghost look more “spooky” 5. Once the balloon is covered in several layers of white strips, turn it over and tie the string or ribbon to the knot and hang the balloon in your bathroom or garage to dry overnight.

FINISHING TOUCHES: 1. Once the pumpkins and ghosts are dry, you will need to remove the balloons. NOTE: MAKE SURE THEY ARE COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE YOU DO THIS. 2. To remove the balloon, hold onto the knot and poke the balloon with a needle right next to the knot 3. Carefully remove the popped balloon from the pumpkin or ghost. NOTE: THEY WILL BE FRAGILE, SO HANDLE WITH CARE For the Pumpkin: 1. Paint a small water cup green. This will be the stem of the pumpkin.

Poke two small holes in the bottom of the water cup and thread a paper clip through it. Then glue the cup to the top of the pumpkin covering up the hole. Paint thin vertical lines with brown paint around the entire pumpkin, starting in the top center and overlapping the bottom center. To make the face of your pumpkin, use black paint and add spooky eyes, a nose and mouth.

For the Ghost: 1. Use black paint to make round eyes and an open mouth along the front of your ghost. Poke two small holes on the top of your ghost and thread the paper clip through them.

2. Tie a string to the paper clip in each of your ghosts and pumpkins and hang them around the house for great Halloween decorations. v

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PUMPKIN CARVING

TIPS & TRICKS

T

he time honored tradition of turning pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns is one many families enjoy each year.

Nothing says “Halloween” more than a house with amazing jack-o-lanterns peeking out on October 31.

Here are some tips and tricks for you to use this year when carving your creation.

• Draw your design on the pumpkin with a waterbased marker beforehand. Mistakes are erased easily with a damp sponge • Draw your lid to be an odd shape so you know exactly how to replace it for a tight fit

October 2014

• Cut a hole on the back of the lid AND on the bottom of the back of your pumpkin to allow air to circulate through. With good air flow your candle will be bright • Serrated metal saws, now widely available in carving kits, are a safer alternative to knives and allow younger children to get in on the action. KIDS SHOULD CARVE ONLY UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION • Use an X-Acto knife for details and the tip of a potato peeler to make small circles and curves 9 SOUTH AURORA MAGAZINE

•R e-attach a section that is accidentally removed by using a toothpick to pin it back in place • S prinkle the bottom side of the pumpkin lid with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cloves to let your jack-o’-lantern do double duty as an air freshener.

•P lace the jack-o’-lantern in a plastic bag and refrigerate when not in use.

• Try making an uncarved jack-o’-lantern by painting designs with royal icing. You can enjoy a decorated jack-o’-lantern but still use the pumpkin when Halloween has come and gone.

• To prolong the life of the jack-o’-lantern, cover it with a damp towel when not on display •C onsider giving smaller children stickers, tempera paint, or markers to decorate their own pumpkins v

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BOOKENDS The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande

Reyna Grande takes us on a journey into her childhood which started in a very poor area in Mexico. The memoir begins in 1980 when she is four years old. Her father had already left Mexico and was living in the United States. She was two when he left and he is a distant memory for this little girl.

Her mother has decided to join him and leaves her three children at her mother-in-laws house. Reyna and her siblings move in with this strict grandmother that is not happy to take on this responsibility. This is a memoir of those that are left behind when the American dream is pursued.

BECKY: Normally, I am not a huge fan of memoirs because I feel like they tend to jump around to different memories and it feels like a compilation of short stories. However, while shopping, I was drawn to the cover of this book and picked it up to flip through the pages. I noticed a handful of pictures that drew me further in. After reading the first few pages I decided that this was something different and I wanted to share it with you.

Did you like the flow of this story?

PAM: I also find it challenging to be drawn completely into a memoir, but I loved this story! The author had a great flow and I found myself immediately engaged with the characters and the story. Was there a character that you felt a connection to (or simply enjoyed)?

BECKY: That is a hard question to answer as all three children have different personalities and I enjoyed them all. There were times when I wanted to rescue them, ground them or laugh at some of their antics. The oldest sister reminds me of someone that I know so I was probably drawn to her the most. Who touched your heart and let’s explore the other side of that coin - what did you think about the adults in this story?

PAM: I was definitely touched by Reyna the most, although drawn to all of the children in the story. They were left with their paternal grandmother, whom favored a different grandchild and neglected Reyna and her siblings. My heart went out to these children, as they wanted so much to be taken care of, cherished, and loved. I loved Reyna’s maternal grandmother. Although she did not have much money to take care of the children, she had plenty of love to share. Did you feel that the children had a special relationship with their maternal grandmother?

BECKY: Absolutely, she made them feel special when everyone else had turned away. It’s unfortunate that the children were unable to live with her. Immigration is a controversial subject and regardless of how you feel about that topic, this story will give you a glimpse on the effect it can have on the innocent children that are left behind. The children faced many obstacles. What do you think was most harmful or difficult to endure? Both parents leaving, the hostile home they were left in or how the local children teased them about being orphans?

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PAM: That is a hard question to answer. All of the obstacles the children faced certainly made them feel unwanted and undermined their feeling of self worth. I think the hardest for the children (especially Reyna) was when their mother left to join their father; more importantly, when she did not return to reunite the family at the time she had promised. This set the stage for numerous times their mother left the children, which Reyna struggled with throughout her childhood. The children depended upon each other during this time when the adults in their lives were not there (or willing) to give support. Did you feel this created a strong bond between the siblings?

BECKY: They had a strong bond and depended on each other, but they also had individual struggles and that led to some separation during parts of the story. I think that it was a matter of survival that caused some of the rifts between the siblings. This was an interesting and enjoyable journey from beginning to end. Please tell us where we are headed next month.

PAM: Next month we will visit San Francisco during 1938 when we explore China Dolls by Lisa See.v

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LOCAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT Heirloom by Kate Muus

C

eres only choice was to show up on the farm. Her uncle walked towards her, spit, stumbled, put down his bag, and then glared. She knew she was there to help her aunt, but Cane would come with the territory. She didn’t know that a gift, a mysterious heirloom, was part of the deal as well. If she knew it would send her on a harrowing chase from The Foundation, a company with its hands everywhere, would she have made the same decision? It was too late to say. Fugitives, she and a new friend live on the run until they are forced to face the evils of the company that would do anything to stop them.

Heirloom is a dystopian novel about seeds and what would happen if one company bought, sold, and patented every strand. It is for young adults, and it is also for people who remember what it was like when their dad owned the only grocery store in town. It is 55,000 words of science-y fiction that could happen tomorrow, or ten years from tomorrow. Maybe it happened yesterday.

Kate Muus is a Colorado native with a BA in English-Creative Writing from the University of Colorado, Denver and an MFA in English-Creative Writing from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Kate has several poems published in various literary magazines. She currently lives in Castle Rock with her husband and son.

Heirloom is available locally at the Tattered Cover or online at www.tatteredcover.com/tcpress/heirloom.

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