October 2018 | Vol. 4 Iss. 10
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FEMALE-FRIENDLY FILMMAKERS FROM SLC show their group powers at FanX By Spencer W. Belnap | s.belnap@mycityjournals.com
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company of female filmmakers from Salt Lake City is starting to make a name for themselves in the world of YouTube and fan films. Apple Juice Productions strives to give women in Utah a shot at filmmaking and expand the community’s film scene. It was founded when a group of friends wanted to create a web series based on Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey.” Since 2016, they have produced dozens of videos, including that Jane Austen web adaptation, a series inspired by characters from “The Babysitter’s Club,” and also a “Harry Potter” series of fan films. They achieved a milestone this year with a screening and panel participations at Salt Lake’s popular FanX event. “I grew up in Sugar House and attended Highland High,” Creative Director and Founder Amanda Taylor said. “I was in drama and made films with friends. When two of my good friends came to me with the idea for a web series, we knew production in Utah would be easier than in Los Angeles and New York where they lived.” The friends formed Apple Juice Productions, or AJP, and their mission of “creating refreshing narrative stories for women, by women” was born. Their videos have gained thousands of followers on YouTube, and tallied more than half a million views. Dozens of people have participated in their productions, with 75 percent of them being female. “We need more women in the film industry to give us different stories and broader perspectives,” Technical Director Kailee Brown said. “If you want something, go out and make it happen for yourself. There are so many resources out there now. Use those resources and learn whatever you can so you can get better every day.” Taylor and Brown and others all wear multiple hats on a production. For the most part they shoot on nights and weekends, and work around the schedules of their volunteer actors. They’ll film at group member’s houses or local businesses. AJP shot the film, “Lily Evans and the Stroke of Midnight” around Labor Day weekend last year and released it in time for Halloween 2017. As “Harry Potter” fans will know, Halloween is the anniversary of James and Lily Potter’s deaths. It is the first of its kind of fan films to feature a female lead. This is the project that was screened at 2018’s FanX, the event formerly known as Salt Lake Comic Con. “All our content falls in the nerdy fan girl family,” Taylor said. “After years of waving our hands in the faces of the powers that be, we finally offered up ‘Stroke of Midnight’ and caught their attention. We’re honored for a screening, but also to rep-
Crew members Victoria Entenfellner, Cassandra Taylor and Kailee Brown during production. (Courtesy Amanda Taylor/Apple Juice Productions)
resent women on our two panels about feminism in the geek sphere.” The women hope to attract more fans and more filmmakers from their presence at FanX. The weekend in September provided ample opportunity to spread their mission and continue their progress in the film and fandom communities. The panels they participated on included themes such as “Comics for Girls Afraid to Comic” and “Feminism in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” With new doors opening up, and opportunities to show their films to a broader audience, AJP has no plans of slowing down. They will release the final installment of the Lily Evans series, “Lily Evans and the Magic Hour” on Halloween of this year. They also have some plans that are in the writing and pitching
phases. Wherever their imaginations take them next, they invite any young and female aspiring filmmakers to contact them. Some of them studied film in school or outside programs, but some are self-taught or gained most of their experience with the AJP group. They can be reached through their website, www.applejuicepro.com, or their YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/applejuiceproductions. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a supportive group around you,” Taylor said. “We’ve got the whole female-friendly thing on lock. It can be scary to jump in and start, but we’ve already done that, so come join us.” l
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A culturally responsive community holds Refugee Cultural Night By Nikki Crown | n.crown@mycityjournals.com The Sugar House City Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout Sugar House. For information about distribution please email circulation@mycityjournals. com or call our offices. Rack locations are also available on our website. For subscriptions please contact: circulation@mycityjournals.com The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner.
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n their website, Granite School District states it is a culturally responsive community with culturally responsive classrooms. That statement is beautifully supported in their Refugee Cultural Nights, a collaboration between Granite School District, Utah Refugee Connection, and the Salt Lake Mayor’s Office. The Refugee Cultural Night held on Sept. 5 focused on the cultures of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The presentation was highlighted with humorous videos and anecdotes making the evening not only educational, but entertaining. The night was spent learning that Ethiopia has 87 ethnic groups, 100 languages, their own number system and their own calendar. In Ethiopia, it’s actually 2011. At the end of the presentation the participants were treated to traditional Ethiopian dancing. Though the dancing was simple, the dancers radiated joy in each step. As they danced they encouraged members of the audience to join them. Among those who joined the dancers were Maria Hopkin and her two girls, 7-year-old Afifa and 10-year-old Delia, who both said their favorite part of the evening was the dancing. Hopkin and her family live in Eagle Mountain and attended the Cultural Night as part of their home schooling social studies. Hopkin appreciated how educational the evening was and said, “I thought it was really cool to see the refugee camps and learn how long term they are.” One of the event’s presenters, Rahwa Gebresilase, came from Eritrea, a country in Africa that borders Ethiopia to the north. Rahwa spent about six years in Shibelba, a refugee camp, before finally coming to America. About the refugee camp, she said, “It was too hot, I mean the only good thing was that you know a lot of people, they’re family and cousins. But it was actually a bit easier than America was at first because it was so hard to learn the language and culture here. Life in the camp was life in Eritrea. It was kind of the same, but it was just
hard, because we had nothing.” Another presenter was Yordanos Beyene, or Jojo as she likes to be called. She is originally from Ethiopia, her family came to the United States when she was about 14 on her dad’s work visa. Jojo mentioned how hard of a cultural adjustment it was. “Language, culture, pretty much I think everything was hard,” she said. In spite of the difficulties adjusting, Jojo went on to get a degree in sociology and human resources and then a master’s in educational leadership and policy. She currently works at the University of Utah as a college advisor for the College of Health. She got involved with the refugee program because she said, “It makes me happy to be Jojo Beyene leads participants in a traditional Ethiopian dance. (Nikki Crown/City around people that have Journals) the same experience as me. I like to get the Ethiopian to Logan, Utah. “I’m where I’m supposed to be community together.” because of her,” she said. To that end she runs a Saturday program Amy Harmer, the outreach coordinator at where she says her main roles involve “helping Utah Refugee Connection, encouraged particrefugee high school students with their applica- ipants to be that difference in someone else’s tions to go to college, financial aid, pretty much life. “Resilience is all around the world, but opeverything and anything they want or need.” portunities are not. We can help them,” she said. They meet at the refugee center at Salt Lake The evening ended with traditional EthioCommunity College’s Meadowbrook campus. pain food and encouragement to learn about She also wrote a grant from the mayor’s office your neighbors, be a friend, a mentor or a voland received enough money to put on an Ethi- unteer. opian New Year — Enkutatash. The event was The next Refugee Cultural Night will be held Sept. 9 at the International Peace Gardens. held at the Granite Education Center (2500 S. Jojo attributes her success to the mentor State St.) on Nov. 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. l assigned to their family when they first came
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Pumpkin lovers invited to Pumpkin Nights at Utah State Fairpark By Spencer W. Belnap | s.belnap@mycityjournals.com
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ith the fall season officially here, many people will be flocking to haunted houses, corn mazes and various attractions across the Salt Lake Valley. Returning to the Utah State Fairpark this October will be Pumpkin Nights, a product of Bigsley Event House, a creator in experiential events. This immersive Halloween event is a unique experience that takes place in four cities in the western United States. Salt Lake’s kicks off Oct. 5 and runs until Nov. 4. Children and adults are invited back out to this part of the city shortly after the Utah State Fair wraps up. The grounds will be bustling once again with nightly entertainment and eight pumpkin-themed lands. Visitors, or “Pumpkinheads,” as the event hosts like to refer them as, will have a number of food and beverage options to choose from as well. “I had a great time at last year’s Pumpkin Nights,” Salt Lake City resident Mike Christian said. “It ended up being a group of us, and my girlfriend really liked it. It’s a fun walk.” Christian is referring to the half-mile or so dedicated to all the pumpkin displays and interactive exhibits. Over 3,000 handcarved pumpkins and foam pumpkins will be used, offering intricate and entertaining designs for folks to feast their eyes upon. “The first thing you need to get over is it’s not all real pumpkins,” Christian said. “After that, it’s pretty creative. I didn’t think it was overpriced either. And the hot chocolate was delicious.” “Pumpkinheads” can explore eight different themed pumpkin lands. Some of this year’s lands include Pumpkin Pirate Cove, an island where pumpkin pirates protect their pumpkin treasure by their ship. There’s Spider Alley, full of pumpkin spiders and bugs for kids to admire. Forbidden Pumpkin City is an Asian-inspired land featuring a lantern tunnel and a 40-foot-long dragon. Pumpkin Reef has some UV light and underwater pump-
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kins to show off, and Pumpkin Passage has visitors walking by more than 600 hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. In addition to the immersive lands, “Pumpkinheads” can check out Pumpkin Central to get even more into the autumn and Halloween spirit. This area of the event will have seasonal beverages like hot cocoa and cider, and a variety of treats. There will also be a screening of the Pixar movie “Coco,” a pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting, and the opportunity to interact with some of the pumpkin artists carving giant pumpkins each night. Pumpkin Central will also host performers such as fire dancers and offer activities for the family. This year’s event also features a contest where Salt Lake City artists were able to submit a design in hopes of it ending up carved into a pumpkin. Three local winners were selected in September. Their drawings will be hand-carved into pumpkins and placed on display throughout Pumpkin Nights. “We’re excited to bring the magic of Pumpkin Nights to Salt Lake City for a second time,” said Chelsea Kasen, Pumpkin Nights’ co-founder. “We are especially excited to give attendees a behind-the-scenes look on our social media accounts at how the Pumpkin Lands are created, and introduce the talented artists behind the installations.” “Pumpkinheads” can join the Facebook page, Pumpkin Nights Fest, for more insider details and videos. They can also follow @PumpkinNightsFest on Instagram. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.PumpkinNights.com. They are sold for specific dates and times. Children 3 and under are free, ages 4 to 12 are $16, and general adult admission is $20. Seniors at least 60 years old are also $16. Night Families are invited to walk along displays of real and foam pumpkins at owl specials are available nightly with timeslots from 8 p.m. to Pumpkin Nights. (Courtesy Valerie Hernandez/Olive Creative Strategies) close, and some discount family packs are also available. l
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Beginning teachers begin to see better salaries By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com Julie Slama | Julie@mycityjournals.com
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anice Voorhies began her teaching career in Alpine School District in 1969, a time when it was the lowest-paying school district in a state with the lowest teacher salary in the nation. “I arguably was—for a brief while—the lowest paid teacher in America,” she said. Voorhies is now Board of Education president for Jordan District and was thrilled to announce a pay increase for Utah teachers for the 2018-2019 school year. The raise includes an $875 step increase for every teacher and a $2,500 cost-of-living adjustment for every licensed employee for a total raise of $3,675. “We had a goal to retain quality teachers and attract new teachers,” Voorhies said. “This compensation is something I never could have dreamed of when I started my first-year salary at $4,800.” When the package was announced, some teachers argued the raise was unfair because, by percentages, new teachers got a bigger raise than experienced teachers. Others, like Jordan Ridge Elementary’s Laurie Christensen, thought it was a great package. With the announcement, she reminded her colleagues that it incentivizes college students to enter and remain in the profession.
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“We’ve got to shift our view,” she said. “We’ve got to look at what’s best for all of the educators out there.” West Hills Middle teacher Victor Neves has been teaching for 27 years. He said before the raise last year, he was making about twice as much as a first-year teacher. “I certainly don’t work twice as hard as first-year teachers,” he said. “I’d say I work about one-tenth as hard as first-year teachers. And because I know what I’m doing, I think I teach better than them — but not twice as well as them.” In Canyons District, first-year teacher Whitney Lott will be teaching Midvale Middle School eighth-graders. “My contract begins Aug. 17 and already I’ve been getting the room ready,” she said in late July, adding that she has read the core curriculum, a teaching strategy book and will have attended a teaching “base camp” before her contract begins. “Being a new teacher may be more work than a veteran as I’m learning everything and creating a curriculum while veteran teachers usually are not on the same learning curve. (But) I truly, truly believe this is the one of the most important jobs we can do.” Neves said the salary arms race among the
districts competing for new teachers is encouraging. “If we’re going to attract and retain new teachers, which we need to do, we have to pay them market rates,” he said. Voorhies said the board had beginning teachers in mind when they approved the raise. “It’s never easy for a first-year teacher — financially or with the workload—there’s a huge learning curve,” she said. “But anything we can do to allow teachers to earn more money—they’ll go someplace else if they can’t feed their family.” Emily Oscarson is a first-year teacher at Golden Fields Elementary in Jordan District, starting at $42,800 a year. She survived on her intern wage last year—50 percent of a teacher’s wage—even while she ran her classroom independently. “Like any career, you have to work your way up,” she said. “You’re not going to start fresh out of college making some huge salary.” Utah Education Association spokesman Mike Kelley said that school districts together worked to “set the mark above $40,000 in all school districts here in the valley,” but that starting salary is not across the state as rural school districts may not have the same resources.
Murray Education Association President and Murray High School government teacher Mark Durfey is grateful for the pay raise. “Murray Education Association members are appreciative of the 2.75 percent raise,” he said, adding there won’t be an additional increase in insurance rates. “With this increase, added to the considerable adjustment from last year’s negotiations, we think Murray is a great place to work.” Utah teachers have always been quick to point out they are some of the lowest paid in the nation. According to statistics from EdBuild.org, a nonprofit organization in support of public schools, (see table), Utah’s salary ranking moved up from 35th to 31st when average teacher wages were adjusted for cost of living. However, the study used 2013 wages. The recent raises—nearly 12 percent last year and the additional bump from this year’s packages— may have moved Utah closer to the middle of the pack. However, there still is a need to make the pay scale equal to those of starting professionals, such as a computer programmer or a medical technician. (see table). In a recent article, the National Education
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Association states: “It is true that most educators decide to enter the teaching profession because of a desire to work with children, but to attract and retain a greater number of dedicated, committed professionals, educators need salaries that are literally ‘attractive.’” In a 2006 NEA study, half of new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within the first five years because of poor working conditions and low salaries. However, with salaries on the rise, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics study found in 2015 that after three years, only 17 percent of teachers leave their field. The determining factor was money. Their study of 1,900 teachers showed that 97 percent of teachers who earned more than $40,000 their first year returned the next year, compared with 87 percent who earned less than $40,000.
Utah teachers, like Neves, are hopeful additional funding for education will be approved by the state legislature. He said it’s important to ease the burden of the high rent many young teachers are facing. “The raise is big and it’s great but the legislature needs to step up,” he said. “If we are going to get teachers, we have to pay new teachers enough to pay their rent.” Voorhies said those employed by taxpayers—police, fire fighters and teachers—have traditionally been underpaid and undervalued by the community. “I don’t think they have to be rich, but they should be able to make a living so we can encourage good people—people that really care about the community—to work in the fields that will influence our children for better and keep us safe,” she said. l
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Whitney Lott, a first-year teacher stands outside her classroom at Midvale Middle School a week before school starts. (Photo/Daniel Davis)
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October 2018 | Page 7
Garfield Academy settles into Sugar House neighborhood By Allison A. Moore | amoore@mycityjoiurnals.com
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arfield Academy, located at 1818 S. 1500 East, recently opened its doors in the Sugar House neighborhood. Garfield is an inclusive Montessori school and part of the Elizabeth Academy in Millcreek. Elizabeth offers early childhood development, elementary and middle school and Garfield Academy continues through grades nine and ten. Executive Director Gail Williamson said the school will add additional grades through twelfth in the coming years. Garfield already offers early childhood and toddler classes and will offer infant care in the future. “We don’t have an infant class yet, because we are still developing the program,” Williamson said. “As we develop a program, we need to develop competent people to serve that program and we’re not there yet and the facility isn’t there yet.” The two campus programs would offer an elementary education through high school. Built in 1921, Garfield Elementary was part of the Salt Lake City School District, until being sold in the 1970s. The school was bought by the city in 2006 and then by Westminster College who sold it in 2016 to Elizabeth Academy. The school, in partnership with Westminster, has plans on become a lab school offering
training and education for Montessori teachers and students. Williamson explained, “Montessori training currently happens at Westminster, a college accredited program where you can get a degree and a certificate is a really great and reputable program that people come from out of state to attend.” Steve Morgan, the recently retired president of Westminster and current board member of Elizabeth Academy, has been instrumental in the development of the program, Williamson said. “The purpose of the school is to be a model of inclusive education for public schools. We would like to create sustainability as a model, so we are always innovating, but not for the purpose to grow ourselves. It’s to get better as a model so this type of inclusive education can be replicated,” she said. By offering an inclusive education the school has completely integrated classrooms; students remain together for three-year terms and special needs students make up 15-20 percent of the enrollment, consistent with society as a whole. This offers a community-based learning environment with small classes and study programs tailored to the individual. Field trips are held around the local community with students taking learning walks, visiting businesses or colleges to learn about
The new playground in the front of Garfield Academy. (Allison A. Moore/City Journals)
economy and employment. The students often go behind the school or gully and collect water samples and other samples for science and have even talked with Westminster about working with them in the future. The area is their playground, their hiking spot and nature trail. Garfield Academy has worked to keep the old school charm. Evidenced by the original
brick facade of the building which maintains the familiar feel of the neighborhood. The interior, although primarily new, has a style consistent with the 1920s. Bright, colorful and warm with tons of natural sunlight, the refinished school is an inviting place and a welcome addition to the neighborhood. l
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Snoozefest 2018 raises funds for Highland High’s music and dance departments By Spencer W. Belnap | s.belnap@mycityjournals.com
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n Saturday, Sept. 8, a dozen or so Highland High School students dressed in body suits resembling beds danced along 2100 South. No, this was not a promotion of a theatre or dance performance, but rather an attention grabber for their “Snoozefest 2018 Mattress Fundraiser.” The fundraiser helps to raise funds for the band, orchestra, choir, and dance departments. They are going on tour to Anaheim, California next spring and the proceeds earned from the discounted mattress sale will help with costs to get there. Katie Houston has been teaching choir at Highland for eight years and was busy signing students in and greeting people the day of the fundraiser. “In April, we’re bussing down through SUU,” Houston said about the tour. “We’ll do a workshop there with the professors in Cedar City, and then go onto Anaheim. We will do some exchanges with a couple of local schools, a middle and a high school, while we’re there.” Houston and her students will also spend some downtime at the beach and at Disneyland while in California. Highland High and other schools across the valley partner with Custom Fundraising Solutions of Utah for these “Snoozefests” held on Saturdays throughout autumn. They typically hold them every other year, as that is how often the music and dance departments go on tour. The fundraisers are held at specific schools, but they are interchangeable as far as which school people want to support. “There are a ton of high schools that do this sale because it makes a lot of money,” Houston said. “If people in Utah County want to buy mattresses down there and have them go towards us, they can. They can buy them from those schools and then have
them credited towards a student here, and vice versa. It’s pretty cool.” The cafeteria at Highland was dedicated as the fundraiser showroom. Tables and chairs were stacked away to make room for the 25 various mattress models, as well as pillows and other accessories. Holding the event in there eliminates the cost of overhead and space for rental, allowing for those savings to be passed directly to the student departments. Rick Dooley was roaming the cafeteria floor that day, leading a team of friendly and knowledgeable employees from Custom Fundraising Solutions of Utah. He’s been involved with the organization for quite some time and loves to see the “Snoozefests” raise funds for students. “These programs, especially music, are expensive,” Dooley said. “We’ve found a lot of success with our mattress fundraisers because we’re only selling something people need. One of 10 people will buy a new mattress this year. Instead of buying one from a store, they can buy one from here and save even more money while helping a student out.” The showroom had many well-known brands on display. Simmons, Beautyrest, Wellsville, and Southerland were there, as well as the latest gel foam technology from Intelli-Bed. Just like any furniture store, customers were encouraged to sprawl out on the beds and try their comfort levels. But unlike any furniture store, there were no commissions being sought from showroom employees. The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, bringing students and parents and neighbors together for a good cause. “A couple years ago, an elderly woman came across the street and bought a mattress,” Dooley recalled. “Come to find out as we’re ringing her up, that was the first mattress in her whole life that was brand new that she’d ever bought. She was in
tears when she found out how much of the sale would be going towards the students.” Most schools raise at least several thousand dollars each. People leave with a new mattress and the knowledge that they helped a student go on tour. Visit www.facebook.com/cfsutah to find out more dates and schools if you missed the one at Highland. l
Highland’s cafeteria was converted to a mattress showroom to raise funds for the music and dance departments. (Spencer W. Belnap/City Journals)
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October 2018 | Page 9
Highland High parent creates food pantry to help students By Lori Gillespie | l.gillespie@mycityjournals.com
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ighland High is in the heart of Sugar House, but the school has a diverse community. With its boundaries stretching all along 2100 South into the west side and even into sections of the central city and downtown, students from all socio-economic backgrounds attend school here. Highland students speak many different languages, many families have recently come to Utah from other countries, and many students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Last year, Mindy Smith, a parent and alumna of the school, recognized the need for many of these kids to have access to a food pantry, so she set out to create one at the school. With the help of her husband and son, also Highland High School graduates, they spend hours each month picking up donated items. It started when she noticed how much food was being discarded at the elementary schools. “I worked at one of the local elementary schools, and I noticed that there was so much food being thrown away. I thought that we could reroute that food to some of the kids who needed it. So now I pick up the packaged parts of lunches from five eastside schools that would otherwise be thrown out and bring those items to Highland.” These items include things like string cheese and Smith was surprised how quickly those items got into the hand of the kids who needed it. It wasn’t long before she realized that this program needed to grow, so she started asking her community. “It started with my friends dropping off cans of food and hygiene products on my porch,” Smith said. Then this past Christmas, with the help of her church, they conducted a food drive and started the food pantry at Highland High School. In January, A Fresh Market, a store in the Sugar House area, started donating food to the school food pantry. “We pick up food from A Fresh Market twice a week, and when school is out, the kids can come to the pantry and take what they need. I have had kids tell me that this is all the food they have for the weekend. I try to send as much as I can home with them. And I’ve had kids so humbly ask if they can take some food home for their siblings,” she said. Since its inception early last school year, the pantry has grown, but it still does not fill the need. They consistently need to resupply. “The items we always need are the staples — cooking oil, flour, sugar, tuna and peanut butter. There is also always a need for hygiene products like toothpaste, deodorant and feminine hygiene products,” Smith said. Smith is amazed at people’s generosity. She says she has received gifts of cash as well as gifts as small as a few cans of food. “There is nothing too big or too small,” she said. “Every-
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Highland High Food Pantry is always in need of food donations to help serve the Highland High students. (Photo by Mindy Smith)
thing is so appreciated.” With school just starting back, there is a big need to fill the pantry. “I feel like sometimes teenagers are forgotten,” Smith said. “They are not ones to tell their teachers that they are hungry. A younger child would do that, but most teenagers don’t want to share that aspect of their lives.” The Sugar House Chamber of Commerce and the Sugar House Community Council will be conducting food drives in the hopes to fill the Highland High School Food Pantry. If you would like to help directly donations can be made at Highland High School. l
Items the pantry always needs:
Bags of flour Bags of sugar Bags of masa Small containers of rice Cooking oil Peanut Butter Canned tuna/ chicken Canned fruit Cereal Granola Bars
Hygiene Supplies Shampoo Deodarant Feminine hygiene supplies School supplies Pencils Paper Binders Gently used clothes Gift cards (any amount) S ugar House City Journal
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Hello Sugar House: A Welcome from the New Dean of Westminster’s Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business By Örn B. Bodvarsson, Ph.D. Greetings from the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business at Westminster College. As the new dean of the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business — and a new resident of the Sugar House neighborhood — I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead an excellent business school at a high-quality, private liberal arts college that makes its home in a prime neighborhood. I moved here from Sacramento, where I served as dean of the College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies and a professor of economics at CSU-Sacramento. I have loved the first three months on the job and living in Sugar House. It is especially nice to experience the Utah climate — a very pleasant and temperate compromise to the extremes of the upper Midwest and California. My commute to work is just a 10-minute walk, so I get to enjoy the vibe and charm of Sugar House every day on foot. The Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business is a unique training ground for future business leaders. Westminster is the only private liberal arts college in Utah, and the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business is the only business school at a private liberal arts college in the Utah-Idaho-Nevada re-
S ugar HouseJournal .com
gion. In addition, we are only one of six business schools in the entire intermountain region (running from Eastern Washington down to Northwestern Oklahoma). An education in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business is unique because of our small classes, student-centered faculty who have come from successful careers in the industry, a hands-on and experiential learning approach, an international experience and three centers of excellence that help to enrich our students. The business school’s history and culture have been significantly influenced by the area it has grown up in. Many of our students, as well as many of the people and organizations who have supported us, are from the greater Salt Lake City metro area, including Sugar House. I am a very strong fan of higher educational institutions engaging with the community. It’s important for an institution to give back to the place that has helped it grow and, in that spirit, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business stands ready to be a truly engaged partner with the Sugar House neighborhood. Many of our students and employees live in the area and patronize many of its businesses. In addition, we have faculty, staff and students who are available to volunteer, work with neighborhood leaders to facilitate economic development, share expertise and be a caring and engaged neighbor. We’re happy to be part of the great ongoing development in Sugar House.
October 2018 | Page 11
Ghosts, goblins and monsters…Oh my! The not-so-scary Halloween activities in the area By Christy Jepson | Christy@mycityjournals.com
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hile most children look forward to Halloween, some are scared by the creepy masks that hang on hooks in the local stores or the zombies that are placed on front doorsteps. Younger children, in particular, may not like the scary aspect of Halloween but still want to participate in the activities. The good thing is the Salt Lake area has a lot of activities for families that are not-so-scary, so everyone can participate. Here is a list of some of those activities. WitchFest at Gardner Village: The notso-spooky witches have flown into Gardner Village and will be on display until Oct. 31. There is no cost to walk around the village and look at the witches and go on the witch scavenger hunt. The “Six Hags Witches Adventure” is $6 per person (ages 1 and older) and includes: a giant jumping pillow, an area where kids can climb through spider webs, and a place to test their skills at the Maze of Mayhem. This adventure begins Sept. 28 and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Halloween from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (weather permitting). This is located in the lot west of Archibald’s Restaurant. Gardner Village also offers select dates where visitors can eat breakfast with witches. Enjoy a warm breakfast buffet and have your picture taken with the Gardner Village witches and watch as they perform some fun witchy spells. Ticket prices are $16 for the breakfast. Check their website at www.gardnervillage.com for specific dates and information. Gardner Village is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is located at 1100 W. 7800 South in West Jordan. Herriman Howl: Herriman City hosts this fun free event for kids of all ages on Monday, Oct. 15 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the J. Lynn Crane Park. There will be prizes, activities and games. Trunk or Treat begins at 6 p.m. and prizes will be awarded for the best decorated trunk. There will also be a mad science show starting at 6:45 p.m. Other activities and areas include: a pumpkin patch (pumpkins for sale), food trucks, Restless Acres, Treasures of the Sea, Hocus Pocus, Wizarding World and Stella Live Fortunes. The food truck lineup for that night will be: Corndog Commander, Kona Ice, and South of the Border Tacos. The J. Lynn Crane Park is located at 5355 W. Herriman Main Street, just south of City Hall. Trick or Treat Street at The Utah Olympic Oval: On Friday Oct. 19, the Utah Olympic Oval will host Trick or Treat Street, a huge, free indoor trick-or-treating event. Treats and prizes will be distributed from sports clubs, local vendors and other community groups. In addition to trick-or-treating, children (12 and younger) can also ice skate for free that night (skate rental not included). Rates are $6 for adults (13 years and older) and $3 for skate rentals. The Utah Olympic Oval is located at 5662 Cougar Lane in Kearns. Haunted Hollow in Draper: Get your little ones in their costumes and bring them to the
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A witch from Gardner Village’s WitchFest. (Photo credit Gardner Village)
Galena Hills Park in Draper on Monday, Oct. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. for some free Halloween family fun. There will be carnival games, prizes, a pumpkin patch, live entertainment, candy, and more. Galena Hills Park is located at 12452 S. Vista Station Blvd. in Draper. Halloween Bash in Riverton: For two nights, Oct. 29 and 30, Riverton City hosts an outdoor family friendly Halloween event. Activities include: scavenger hunts, the Troll Stroll where you can get candy and prizes around the park, a mini-spook alley, spooky stores and the annual search for The Great Pumpkin. The event begins each night at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. The Search for The Great Pumpkin begins at 8:30 p.m. each night. This free event is held at the Riverton City Park, 1452 W. 12600 South. Little Haunts at This is the Place Heritage Park: During Little Haunts, little boys and ghouls can visit This is the Place in their costumes and go trick-or-treating, hear stories from the Story Telling Witch, go on pony rides or train rides, and make crafts. Ticket prices are: $12.95 for adults, $8.95 for children 3-11 and children 2 and under are free. The Little Haunts
event is held Oct. 13, 18-20 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the Place Heritage Park is located at 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave. in Salt Lake City. Garden After Dark at Red Butte Garden: The theme for this year’s Garden After Dark event is Oaklore Academy of Magic. Come be a part of this magic academy where guests will learn about the magical properties of real-life plants from around the world, select a magic wand, learn all about magical creatures, and dig into herbology. After picking up an Oaklore student manual at the amphitheater, visitors will be given a school map, class schedule and extra credit activities they can do between classes. Class subjects include: Wand Theory 101, Potions Lab 202, Charms 303, Magical Creatures Studies 404, Herbology 505, and even a final exam that has something to do with trying to ban the mischievous Myrtle Spurge who seeks to cause trouble all around the Academy. Ticket prices are $14 or $11 if you are a Red Butte Garden member. This event is Oct. 18-20 and Oct. 25-27 from 6 to 9 p.m. Red Butte Garden is located at 300 Wakara Way in Salt Lake City.
Boo at the Zoo at Hogle Zoo: Boo at the Zoo is where children (12 and younger) come to the zoo and go trick-or-treating in their costumes at booths scattered throughout the zoo. They provide trick-or-treating bags or you can bring one from home. This popular event is included with regular zoo admission (or free with a zoo membership) and is on Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regular zoo admission for adults (13 to 64 years old) is $16.95, seniors (65 and older) $14.95, children (3 to 12) $12.95, and 2 and younger are free. BooLights at Hogle Zoo is on Oct. 5-6, 11-13, 17-20, and 26 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. BooLights includes a train ride at night, not-soscary light displays of a graveyard, pirates’ lair, the land of spiders, walk through Bat Cave, and a labyrinth-themed maze with puppets. Also included is the performance “Spiderella.” Prices are $12.95 for adults (13 and older), children ages 3-12 are $9.95 and toddlers 2 and under are free. Papa Murphy’s Pizza offers a discount coupon (while supplies last) when you buy any size pizza you will receive a coupon for a buy one regularly priced adult ticket to BooLights and receive one child ticket free. l
S ugar House City Journal
Region action is here; Highland football aiming for top By Josh McFadden | josh@mycityjournals.com
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ith little margin for error, the Highland football team has started its quest for a region championship. The Rams’ first Region 6 contest took place Sept. 14 at Murray in a game held after our press deadline. It was the first of five league games for the Rams, who figure to compete for the region title with Olympus, which was undefeated through four weeks of play. Highland, meanwhile, had just one blemish on its record in non-region action, going 3-1 during that span. Take a way a 45-30 loss to Pine View on Aug. 24, and the Highland defense has been virtually impenetrable. Pine View, one of the highest-scoring teams in the state, did far more damage than the other opponents did during the first four games. In Highland’s first three victories, it surrendered just 16 total points. Game one against Desert Hills on Aug. 17 was a low-scoring contest. Highland scored touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters. The first came on a 5-yard run by Colton White. With five minutes to play in the game, Ousmane Doumbia broke a 7-7 tie and ran one in from 14 yards out. The Rams held Desert Hills to just 62 yards of offense. On Aug. 31, Highland destroyed a struggling Hillcrest team 58-0. The game was decided by halftime when the Rams were leading 51-0. Several players got into the act for Highland, including quarterback Matthew Lloyd, who tossed a pair of touchdowns on just four total pass attempts. Meanwhile, Highland controlled the line of scrimmage by running the ball 53 times. A staggering 17 players carried the ball for Highland, with Lingi Latu, Don Aisea Mahina, Colton White, Floyd Nau, Siope Tenifa, Bronson Olevao and Ammon Sofele registering touchdowns. Highland also recorded a huge victory on Sept. 7 by taking down traditional state power Lone Peak 21-9 at home in front of an excit-
The Highland defensive line gets a goal line stop on fourth down against Murray. (Travis Barton/City Journals)
ed crowd. The Rams used a big fourth quarter in which they scored a pair of touchdowns— on a 5-yard run from Trajan Benson, and one on a 64-yard pass from Benson to Bronson Olevao—to stretch a 7-3 lead out to 21-3. Lone Peak scored an inconsequential touchdown on the final play of the game. Following their 24-0 victory at Mur-
ray on Sept. 14, Highland plays at Skyline on Sept. 21. The first region home game is Sept. 28 against Olympus, the favorite to win Region 6. Highland must finish in the top four of the sixteam region to secure a state tournament berth. It must also place first or second to earn a firstround home game at state. The second-round state tournament games are also held at home
team sites; the semifinals and finals will be held Nov. 9 and 16 at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah. l
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Highland girls tennis off to good start By Josh McFadden | josh@mycityjournals.com
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f the early part of the season is any indication of how the rest of the 2018 campaign will go, the Highland girls tennis team should be in good shape. The Rams have turned heads with their play at all positions and as a team collectively. Highland won the Salem Hills tournament, winning 115 of the possible 122 games they could have won. They also captured first place in the St. George Tournament, finishing 19-1 and defeating some excellent competition. As of the second week of September, the Rams had gone 20-0, sweeping the four teams they had played in duel matches. Head coach Jeanine Elsholz couldn’t be more excited about her team’s performance and effort. “I love how hard the girls are working and their desire to perform well at a high level,” she said. “Our doubles teams have had some very close matches and have played well under pressure so far this year. Our singles players have been the anchor of the team and are playing with a lot of poise and confidence. I love that the players give their best and stay with each point; they never give up or ease up. They don’t ever panic when they get in tight situations; they keep their heads and play through it. That is definitely a strength of this team.” First singles competitor Dylan Lolofie,
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second singles player Sophie Hastings and third singles standout Isapeli Huhane have dominated the opposition this season. In many of their matches, they haven’t lost a single game. “They are skilled and confident, and it is so much fun to watch them play,” Elsholz said. “We are seeing a high level of tennis played at Highland this year.” None of this surprises Elsholz. She knew at the beginning of the season that her team could compete with every team it faced. Nothing proved this more than the St. George Tournament earlier in the season. There, her team swept its first three foes 5-0 and then secured the tournament championship by upending region rival East 4-1. Of course, Elsholz knows there’s a long way to go with some challenging matches. She’s counting on the girls to not let up and display the talent and hard work they’ve been showing all season. “I am hoping to see the girls continue on with their focus and discipline on each point during their matches,” she said. “This team always gives good effort on the court—that is one thing I have appreciated about them this year.” Elsholz believes the girls have what it takes to vie for the highest prize at region and state. “We have the skill level to compete for the
The Highland girls tennis team has been impressive on court and a tight-knit group off. The Rams hope to make some noise in the postseason. Back row (l-r): Kate Creamer, Shannon Maughan, Dylan Lolofie, Abby Bradford, Sophie Hastings, Shania Vargas. Kneeling (l-r): Lauren Mayeda, Isapeli Huhane. (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Elsholz)
region and state championships; we just need to maintain our focus and discipline on the court. Every point counts, especially when you are chasing championships. I am proud of these girls and what they have done so far this year; their love of the game shows when they are on
the court, and it has been a joy to watch them play.” The Class 5A state tournament will take place Oct. 4 and Oct. 6 at Liberty Park in Salt Lake. l
S ugar House City Journal
Enkutatash – the Ethiopian New Year celebration By Nikki Crown | n.crown@mycityjournals.com
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he Ethiopian community in the Salt Lake area celebrated the ushering in of a new year on Sept. 8. According to the Ethiopian calendar, Sept. 11 is the start of a new year. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar which uses the calculations of Annius, a 5th-century monk, who placed the Annuciation of Christ eight years later than our calendar. Meaning, at their celebration, they were welcoming in the year 2011. The celebration was free to the public and held at the Sugar Beet Pavilion in Sugar House Park. The program included many of the traditional things an Ethiopian New Year would typically hold including a coffee ceremony, dancing, games for the children and lots of yellow daisies. The yellow daisies are a symbol of a new life for the Ethiopian people. Talile who came to America from Ethiopia when she was 12 said, “Mid-September is when the heavy rain finally stopped and the sun finally shines lighting up the yellow daisies in the hills and meadows of the Ethiopia.” The celebration went from 3-9 p.m. showcasing all the beautiful food, dress and entertainment of Ethiopia. Jojo, the organizer of the
event said, “Our culture in unique, you’re not going to find it anywhere else.” This was especially true in both the food and the dress. The dancing was highlighted by the beautiful habesha kemis or Ethiopian dress all of the dancers wore, many adorned with yellow daisies. The buffet held, among other things, their traditional flat bread, injera, along with hambasha. Dibabe Hope Newman, one of the dancers said, “We love our culture and want everyone to be a part of it.” Newman works for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a refugee resettlement agency here in Utah. She said, “I started college not knowing what I wanted to do. My second year I realized I needed help, and someone to guide me, and I didn’t really have anyone. That’s when I realized I wanted to be that someone.” The feeling of community and a desire to help each other permeated the event. Nowhere was that more evident than in a dance performance put on by the Utah native mothers and their adoptive Ethiopian daughters. l
Mothers and their adoptive Ethiopian daughters pose for a picture prior to their dance performance. (Nikki Crown/ City Journals)
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October 2018 | Page 15
Thank You! The Sugar House Chamber would like to thank our hole sponsors for the 1st Annual Sugar House Chamber Gold Tournament held on Sept 6, 2018 at Forest Dale Golf Course. Also a big thank you to all of our participants and other individuals and business who supported this event. Nikko Denis- Loan Star Home Loans SLC Med Spa The RUIN The Dodo Restaurant Salt Lake City Emergency Management Zippy Shell of Utah
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For information regarding membership, visit our website or email admin@sugarhousechamber.org
Questions?
events@sugarhousechamber.org | finance@sugarhousechamber.org marketing@sugarhousechamber.org | membership@sugarhousechamber.org
20 safety tips for trick-or-treaters
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ou’re never too old to trick-or-treat (unless you are 35 and going by yourself, then yes, you are too old to trick-or-treat). But being safe knows no age limits, especially on a night when most people are wearing disguises. While it’s time to get your costume and candy bag ready, preparation of another kind is required for kid and adult alike. Here are some tips to stay safe this Halloween. 1. Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult. 2. Costume accessories such as swords and knives should be short, soft and flexible. 3. Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. And as difficult as it may be, limit the amount of treats you eat. 4. Beware the homemade treats made by strangers. Better to eat only factory-wrapped treats. 5. Walk from house to house, don’t run. Doing so with a flashlight will help you see and others to see you. 6. Test makeup in a small area before applying. Then remove it before sleeping to prevent possible skin or eye irritation. 7. Look both ways before crossing the street. Do we even need to say this one? 8. Only visit well-lit houses. 9. Do not enter a home without a trusted adult.
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10. Never accept rides from strangers. Stranger danger is a real thing. 11. By not wearing decorative contact lenses, you lower the risk for serious eye injury. 12. Wear well-fitted costumes, masks and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, falls and relentless mockery from your peers. 13. Drive extra safely on Halloween. Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert during those hours. Slow down in residential neighborhoods. We all know how excited kids can be. Enter and exit driveways slowly and carefully. 14. Remind children to watch for cars turning or backing up and to not dart into the street or between parked cars. 15. Put your electronic devices down as you walk around. 16. Keep costumes bright, or add reflective tape, to ensure kids are easier to spot. 17. Be careful next to candles or Jack-o’lanterns. 18. Keep an eye for allergies. If someone has serious allergies or food sensitivities, read any unfamiliar labels before handing over the candy. 19. Brush your teeth. Candy is sticky and cavities will scare you. 20. You can maximize your candy intake by planning your route. Stick to places you are familiar with so you can also circle back around
to Halloween headquarters. l
S ugar House City Journal
Fall break is the perfect time to discover new places By Christy Jepson | Christy@mycityjournals.com
Guests enjoying the Halloween Cruise down the Provo River. (Photo courtesy CLAS Ropes Course)
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all is officially here and with fall break coming up, it is a perfect time to get out and explore new places while the weather is still good. If you’re in town for the two-day break, explore some places that are not in your backyard, but are close enough to make a fun family outing. Here are a few places all about an hour’s drive or less from the Salt Lake area. Ogden’s George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park: Step back into time at a prehistoric dinosaur park where more than 100 dinosaur sculptures inhabit the grounds of this eight-acre outdoor dinosaur park. Hours at the park are Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket prices are $7 for adults (18 years and older), $6 for seniors (ages 62 and older), students (ages 13-17) are $6, and children (2-12 years old) are $5. Dinosaur Park is located at 1544 E. Park Blvd. in Ogden. Visit www.dinosaurpark.org for more information. Treehouse Children’s Museum: Fun and learning go hand in hand at this great children’s museum in Ogden. The center of the museum is a giant 30-foothigh treehouse kids can climb and explore. Some of the other exhibits and play areas include: the big red barn workshop, a large map of Utah, adventure tower, king and queen thrones, an American map, and the Oval Office. The museum is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday night they stay open until 8 p.m. They close at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission prices are $8 for children ages 1 to 12; $5 for children 13 to 17; and 18 and older are $5. The Treehouse Children’s Museum is located at 347 22nd Street in
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Ogden. Visit their website at www.treehousemuseum.org for more information. Heber Valley Railroad: About an hour’s drive from Salt Lake County, families can be in the clear, mountain air in Heber. Not only is Heber a great small town to explore, the Heber Valley Railroad is a perfect outdoor activity for fall break. The Pumpkin Train runs from October 4-29. Ticket prices include a 40-minute train ride on the Heber Valley Railroad. While enjoying the scenery, guests will be entertained by costumed characters who ride along on the train. In addition to the train ride, guests can select a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, get a Halloween sticker, a pumpkin cookie and a trip through the notso-scary haunted train car. Ticket prices are $15 for children 3 and up (including a pumpkin), and $3 for those 2 and under (including a pumpkin) or free for toddlers who do not want a pumpkin. To reserve your ticket for a train ride, visit www.hebervalleyrr.org. Cornbelly’s: Located in north Utah County is the “The Greatest Maze on Earth.” Known as Utah’s first corn maze, Cornbelly’s is filled with activities for all ages. New this year are two additional corn mazes. The main maze will take guests about 30 to 45 minutes to navigate through the circus themed eight-acres of pathways. New this year is a ride on the grain train which takes guests through Candy Corn Acres maze. And for those children who want to try a corn maze but aren’t brave enough to try the main maze, the Kiddie Maze is a perfect five-minute adventure where kids try to find the gummy bear interactive game inside. Other
activities at Cornbelly’s include: the corn cob beach, princess playland, hayride, rat rollers, gemstone mining, giant jumping pillow, giant slide, animal band and a rat maze. Cornbelly’s also has other haunted attractions for an additional cost. Cornbelly’s is located at Thanksgiving Point and opens on Sept. 28 and runs through Nov. 3. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight. Ticket prices (not including tax) are $12.95 per person for weekdays and $16.95 for weekend. They are located at 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way in Lehi. Visit mwww.cornbelly’s.co for more information. Halloween Cruise: Where can you take a cruise not too far from home during fall break? Only about 45 minutes from Salt Lake is CLAS Ropes Course in Provo where families can take a Halloween cruise down the Provo River and see over 100 carved pumpkins along the river banks along with spooky holiday decorations. Each 25-minute round-trip cruise ride is hosted by a pirate who tells spooky stories. Watch out because guests might even encounter a pirate attack on their boat. Ticket prices are $8 per person ages 3 and older. CLAS Ropes Course is located at 3606 W. Center in Provo by Utah Lake. The first boat leaves each night starting at 6:30 p.m. and then about every 30 minutes. The last boat ride leaves at 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. They are closed on Sunday. Visit www.clasropes. com for more information. l
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Trick (free but timely) or Treat (expensive but quick)
t’s the most won-der-ful time of the year! It’s spooky time! Halloween is my favorite holiday. In my opinion, we don’t have nearly enough occasions to dress up in costume and eat candy. Almost every year, I start planning my costume early. I’m one of those people that need my costume exact to every last detail. I’ve even bleached my hair to make sure the long blonde hair I needed for my costume was accurate. Wigs are way too expensive. Unfortunately, not spending $50 to $200 on costumes at the pop-up Halloween stores can only be off-set by time. Spending the time to create your own unique costumes can save loads of cash. Head to your local Michaels craft store or JoAnn’s fabric store for all the knickknacks and fabric you will need for your costume. Coupons are always available for Michaels, make sure to visit their website and download that coupon before you head to the store. JoAnn’s usually has coupons available on their website as well. I wouldn’t say I have a talent for sewing, which is why I love visiting JoAnn’s. In the middle of the store, an entire table of pattern books and file cabinets full of patterns to choose from awaits. My suggested process is to spend some time looking through multiple books to find the perfect pattern, pick the pattern from the corresponding cabinet, and then go look for the appropriate fabric. For accessories, like bracelets, hats, shoes, facewear, etc., shop around early. I generally like to go online and screen-shop through sites like Amazon and eBay for the perfect iteration of the accessory I’m looking for. I have two different extensions on my Chrome browser that automatically compare prices throughout the internet. If I’m lucky, they will
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pop up before I check-out with coupons or websites that offer the same product at a lower price. (The two I use are Best Price and Honey.) Not surprisingly, I adore hosting Halloween parties. Pinterest is my ultimate go-to for fun Halloween-themed treats, drinks, and decorations. One of my favorite treats to make is Ghost Pretzels. Pick up a bag of long pretzels from the grocery store, dip them in melted white chocolate, throw some small googly-eyes on there, and they’re done! Some other simple recipes include Halloween popcorn or trail mix, ghost bananas, pumpkin clementines, spider cookies, blood-splattered Oreos, Jell-O worms, mummy hotdogs, and Halloween spaghetti. Decorations require a balancing act between time and money as well. Buying decorations from a store (my favorites are Michaels and Spirit Halloween) is quick, but can be expensive. Homemade decorations are inexpensive, but they require a fair amount of time. One of the most inexpensive decorations is a front-yard spider web. All it requires is a long spool of thick thread. If you have trees and other plants in the front-yard, this can be pretty painless; just walk through your yard and hook the thread over some branches to create the outer perimeter of the web, then keep walking in circles, making the perimeter smaller and smaller each time. Tie a few perpendicular thread pieces throughout the circle, and that’s it! Don’t forget the spider made out of a black bag full of fallen leaves and some pipe cleaners. Witches brooms can also be simple to make, depending on how fancy the witch is. If you have an old dusty broom lying around, that’s perfect. Wrap the handle with some fabric, preferably black, orange, or
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purple, splatter some green spray paint across the rest of the handle, and jostle up the brush on the end of the broom. Easy-peasy. There are many other decoration ideas easily googleable that I have yet to try, including floating candles, glowing eyes, wicked witch feet, packing tape ghosts, potion bottles, bats, stacked pumpkins and whimsical grave stones. Need more? Spoox Bootique (3453 S. State St.) is open all year and they have fantastic Halloween-themed decorations, collectables, apparel, homeware, accessories, furniture, and trick or treat buckets. l
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S ugar House City Journal
Life and Laughter—Dressed to Kill
Life
Laughter AND
by
PERI KINDER
SUGAR HOUSE
E
very autumn, as I reconstructed our home after three months of child infestation, my daughters settled into their school classes and thoughts turned to Halloween. More specifically, thoughts turned to Halloween costumes. I’d load my girls into the minivan and we’d attack the pattern books at Joann fabric, looking for the perfect costumes. (These pattern books weighed approximately 450 lbs. and had to be moved carefully or they would fall off the narrow perch and crush your hip bones.) Costumes ranged from Disney princesses to Death, and each outfit had to last for decades because they were worn all the time and handed down for generations. (For example, one daughter, dressed as Snow White, shredded the hem of her gown under the plastic tires of her Big Wheel. Her dress looked like Snow White had been attacked by a pack of very short raccoons. She still wore it every day.) After finding the right pattern, we’d roam the aisles, looking for fabric that didn’t cost the equivalent of an actual Disney movie. During my costume-making tenure, I created all of the Disney princesses, a
cheerleader, Super Girl, a lion, a pumpkin and several witches. (Sidenote: A witch costume in 1990 consisted of a long black dress, a long black cape, long black hair, a black hat and a broomstick. Now a witch costume is a black miniskirt, fishnet stockings and a push-up bra. I have no idea how to fly a broom in that outfit.) Speaking of slutty clothes, my daughters were often pushing the envelope when it came to modesty. According to my daughter, her belly dancer’s shirt was too long, so (when I wasn’t around) she rolled it up several times to display her 10-year-old abs, and the gypsy Esmeralda’s blouse kept “accidentally” falling off her shoulders. Daughter number three used her Cinderella costume as a method of seduction as she walked up and down our driveway in her slappy plastic high heels, flirting with the men building the garage. Did I mention she was four? During another Halloween, she wanted to be Darth Maul. I made her costume, painted her face, but refused to put horns on her head. She grew her own devil horns a few years later. By Oct. 20, all my intentions to create the perfect Halloween costume for each daughter devolved into madness
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S ugar HouseJournal .com
as I frantically sewed to have everything done for the school’s Halloween parade (which is now the Fall Festival). My Singer sewing machine would be thrumming 24-hours a day as I slowly lost my mind. I’d throw boxes of cold cereal at them for dinner, while I shrieked, “I’m making these costumes because I love you. Now shut the hell up!” Once Halloween was over, costumes went into a big box and were worn by my daughters and their friends all year. At any given moment, a girl wearing Beauty’s voluminous yellow ball gown would be chasing Super Girl through the living room, with a toddler-sized Jack-o’-lantern nipping at
their heels. My daughters have carried on the costume tradition. My grandchildren have been garden gnomes, Austin Powers, a unicorn, and even an 18-month-old Betty Boop. It makes my black Halloween heart smile. Now, my Singer gathers dust and I haven’t looked through pattern books for years, but every October my fingers twitch and I fight the urge to take my girls to browse fabric aisles. I wonder what my husband is doing this weekend. He’d make a beautiful Disney princess. l
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October 2018 | Page 19