Creepy Crawly Party Time

Photography by Paparazzi Paul.

The 2^nd Annual Halloween on Main event took place along the Main Street of Stroudsburg, PA on Saturday October 29^th. The day consisted of trick or treating throughout the town, a “Find the Ghost” game, and Spooky Storytelling in the Courthouse square. I arrived at the event as the last words of a story was being read at the town's Courthouse square. It was soon after this did The Gigi Dance Company www.gigicompanydance.com perform an excellently choreographed dance routine that culminated with the “Thriller” dance which was inspired by Michael Jackson's song titled, “Thriller” which is the title track from his 1982 album.

The dance performance was followed by a Monster Crawl which was led by The Juggernaut String Band www.facebook.com/JuggernautStringBand down Main Street until it reached The Origins Gallery. Once there, the crawl participants were invited to partake of a Monster Ball the gallery hosted. The Juggernaut String Band performed throughout the evening a variety of songs which inspired many of the numerous denizens to dance the night away. The band consisted of Pete Taney, Theresa Ratcliff, Bryan Bramcamp, Vid Ryan, and Cat Burbage.

The party reached its Zenith with a costume competition with the first place prize given to a family who were dressed like zombies, the second place prize given to a young lady who was dressed as the Queen of the Broken Hearts, and the third place prize went to Paul Adam Smeltz (yeah that's me) who was dressed as a Paparazzo. It was a pleasure to receive a large jar of cheese balls for my efforts. It was soon after this did the company begin to share their farewells before leaving the venue. It was a great day filled with trick or treat excursions, dance performances, and a party to boot. You'll find more photographs taken during the 2^nd Annual Halloween on Main event in the Creepy Crawly Party Time Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155412491403761.1073742029.91146283760&type=3.

The Origins Gallery is a contemporary arts gallery located on the lower level of The Gamers Edge Comics and Games Store at 580 Main Street in Stroudsburg, PA. In addition to special events such as A Monster's Ball, the venue offers a number of classes and exhibitions. The next class scheduled for the gallery will be an acrylic painting workshop led by Maria Ferreris on Friday November 18^th. The current the exhibition is titled, “Ghosts, Ghouls, and Girls” and will be on display until November 2^nd. Their next exhibit will be their Collaborations Exhibition with an Artists' Reception scheduled for Saturday November 5^th beginning at 6pm. The exhibition will be on display until November 16^th. All artists are welcomed to place their work in the show. The drop off dates are November 2^nd and 3^rd. You can learn more about The Origins Gallery and all they have to offer by exploring their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/OriginsGalleryStroudsburg.

The 2^nd Annual Halloween on Main event was put together by ST'ART (Stroudsburg Art) which seeks opportunities to pursue new projects and form new partnerships throughout the community. Past projects include a number of Murals painted among the businesses located in Stroudsburg, PA. You can learn more about ST'ART and how to become involved with their endeavors by exploring their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/startstroudsburg/?fref=ts.

According to Wikipedia, Halloween (or Hallow e'en) is a celebration observed in a number of countries on the 31st of October which is the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day which is dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all those faithful to the Christian Deity who had departed. All Hallows' Eve is, according to some views, a Christianized observance influenced by Celtic harvest festivals particularly the Gaelic festival known as Samhain. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. The word Halloween dates back to about 1745 meaning “hallowed evening” or “holy evening.”