Halloween 2004

Halloween 2004 was yet again record attendance with 38 guests! Unfortunately the webcams did not save any images, and the broadcast stopped working halfway through the party, so there are only photos this year. Keep reading for the full scoop...and you can even read some of the Halloween party preparation progress from my LiveJournal weblog if you like...

Party Photos
Costume Gallery
Decorations

Most Original Costume
Nathania the Kelp Forest

Scariest Costume
Juanita in Blackface
tied with Cowboy Galt & Officer Lyle

Ultimate Costume
Roger Rabbit Ben

Name that Tune
(Spooky TV Themes)
Daniel

Genuine Gravestones
Nathania with 13/13!

Since I had already made 13 gravestones in 2003 when I first had my yard, but I had photographed a LOT of real gravestones on our choir tour of the UK Summer 2004, I made 6 more stones, inspired by specific real stones I had photographed, plus I had acquired a foam coffin, so that was adapted to look like a stone coffin I had photographed in Baslow, Derbyshire, England. The new epitaphs were still characters from my favorite stories, but they were the ones I had considered but not used for the 2003 quiz since they would have been much too obvious, like Dorian Gray and Dr Jekyll.

Since I had already done the Haunted Headstones quiz about the physical gravestones I had made in 2003, I found real epitaphs of famous people throughout history and made a Genuine Gravestones matching quiz to guess whose epitaphs belonged to whom. Nathania got them ALL - good job!

Daniel was the winner of the Name that Spooky TV Theme Quiz this year with 12 out of 13, but Nat and Angie were a tie for a close second with 11 - I guess this crowd knows their TV themes more than their spooky movies from 2003? ;) Thank goodness it was a nice warm evening, since we needed all the space we could get due to being a new record with 38 total in attendance! There were only 7 non-Choral Project guests at the party, so I guess the Choral Project is officially taking over my parties!

I was very disappointed that at the last minute before the party I had computer issues, so the webcams, one inside and the other for the graveyard, did not save any images. They at least seemed to broadcast fine for awhile, but I had reports that by 8pm they were no longer working...the wonders of technology? :/ Maybe next year...however both fog machines worked so well I was told it looked like a fog bank on the entire street! Since I paid close attention to the time and refilled both tanks every hour, no motors burnt out this year - hooray!

Now on with the photos...enjoy!

Party Photos
Costume Gallery
Decorations

Party Photos

Roger Rabbit waves hi...Spooky Spread 2004...The Phantom posing at the pipe organ...

Ben, Juanita, Jen

Ben, John & Jen, with Juanita sneaking behind them...Dastardly Desserts...

Next Door Neighbor Ram

Kathy and Jim basking in the heavenly glow

Next-Door Neighbor Ram...Kathy & Jim basking in the heavenly glow...

Party1

Random party photos...like the ghosting effect? ;)

Doug in character on his knees

Doug in G'Kar character...Genie Kristin sitting on her magic carpet husband...

Fairy and Gnome through the Window

Fairy Audene & Jeff the Gnome through the front window..Garden Gnome Jeff posing in the garden by the wishing well...

Bud and Kevin

Cuties Bud & Kevin...Britta drinking a Zombie in a skeleton flute...

Party 5

More random party photos...

Doug with his feet up

Doug was having too much fun posing! Hep Daddy-O Dan...

Maureen and Robert inspecting the graveyard

Maureen & Robert inspecting the graveyard...Kevin & Bud investigating the fridge...

Super Chair! Nathania & Timir...tallying the votes...

Party 7

Yes, more random party fun!

The Carving of the Heart

The Carving & Serving of the Haunted Human Heart...

Cutey Binty...Tres Chicas...Silly Timir!

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Costume Gallery

Witchy Angie...Snow White Ashlyn...

Doug and Tracia

Doug & Tracia as their D&D characters G'Kar & Lyta...Hippies Michaela & Nat...

Jeff and Audene

Garden Gnome Jeff and Fairy Princess Audene...Baseball Johnathon & Jack...

John in dwarf battle gear...Warrior Melanie...

Tying for Scariest Costume were Juanita in Blackface...and Officer Lyle and Cowboy Galt...

Kathy and Jim

Courtesan Kathy with her escort Jim...Victorian Keith and Hepcat Dan...

Most Creative Costume winner Nathania the Kelp Forest...Eyeball Lilly...

Lori and Rod

Tacky Tourists Lori & Rod...Genie Kristin on Magic Carpet Kevin..

Maureen and Robert

Maureen & Robert as the Owl & Pussycat, complete with Ł5 note...Allan as the Phantom of the Opera...

Robin and Timir

Robin & Timir in uniform...Christopher & Lisa - The Super Patnoes!...

Wolverine Kevin

Kevin as Wolverine...and last but not least, Jessica & Roger Rabbit with Edwina "Eddie" Valiant (Britta, Ben & Jen)...Roger Rabbit Ben won Ultimate Costume...

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More Decorations

When you arrive, you see a sign that says "Caution - Masks and/or Costumes Must Be Worn In This Area!" Following the path around the bend, you see a previous visitor who wasn't as lucky as you sitting under the tree, but kindly pointing the way for you nonetheless. As you approach the front door, you see that it is blocked by the Webmistress of the Dark, who says "Noooo...you cannot enter here...to find your way, you must Follow the Fog..." just as you see a trickle of fog coming from the open side gate down the pathway to your left...

Front 1

As you walk through the foggy gate past the giant spiderweb behind the cornstalks, you see the misty graveyard, lit by the Victorian-style lightpost, as you walk into the backyard and onto the patio. Black cat luminaria light the way for the ghosts and skeletons keeping guard in the trees behind the angel fountain...

Graveyard in Fog

Turning onto the patio, next to the tissue paper stained glass windows, you see the stone archway with the wooden door leading into the castle...do you dare to enter?

Patio 1

Going through the arched door, the witch with her cauldron full of bubbling brew greets you next to the pipe organ. As you move into the living room, the piano is on your left with spellbooks, an owl, black roses, and a black cat, then Gargoyle Corner (can you spot the webcam?) and the fireplace, with the Mad Scientist display on the coffeetable. You notice since last year this room has become a spooky portrait gallery, including the Blue Lady, the Moaning Lisa, Haunted Boy in Blue, Halloween Gothic, and even two ghouls from the Disneyland Haunted Mansion have paid a visit...

Witch and her Brew

Yes, even the guest bathroom was decorated! The Eerie Eyeballs turned out well for 2004, and I don't know why I didn't think of doing better lettering in 2003 when I was using a food pen anyway...I like these new gravestone cookies SO much better! Mix Your Own Zombies and Butterbeer were served in cool skeleton hand flutes if you were quick enough to grab one. Finally, here is Kylie the Kitty in her Halloween costume! :)

Downstairs Bathroom

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