Local Haunts and Creepy Costumes

It is almost here the creepiest day of the year.  After the costumed kiddies retreat to bed with  bellies full of candy. After the teens on the prowl have settled to tell of all the bravado they showed that night. Late when only the brave dare visit the streets then do the spirits of past Halloween's cruise the streets of town and the hallways of some of our scare inducing landmarks! Welcome to Halloween 2011, where will you hide?

                                        The Ghostly Tavern and Fiddlers, Coventry (CT) Historical Society
                                                   Haunted Tours Open again Friday Oct 29

                                                                                 
If you make it out of the woods stop by the fireside for Storytelling with Carolyn Stearns Storyteller. www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com  I grew up in Coventry and live nearby, I know what haunts the forest there, do you?

                                            Not Scared Yet? Want More Fun?
Halloween Night the Willimantic Brewing Company is  host  to VoiceMail a special edition of the monthly storytelling open mic. This month, on Halloween night at 7 p.m. Spooky Stories all open mic!  www.willibrew.com  Come early for dinner stay for the stories. 967 Main St. Willimantic, CT. Your host for the evening Carolyn Stearns Storyteller.

                                                            Carolyn Stearns Storyteller

 Don't think you are safe when the calendar changes to November for there are places that will always be thought of as haunted. Here are a few  if you dare look farther down the page!

                  Does the spirit of Nathan Hale still wander the family homestead in search of his hunting buddy and best friend Asa? Will the patriot who was hung by the British as a spy find peace in the forest that is his namesake?    Come to Coventry Connecticut to find out more.  Parking for the Historical Society Haunted Lantern Tours is here.

                                                                                                                                   
       Eastern Connecticut's Rail Trail through several remote areas and forests ( no rails and ties there it is a hiking trail) is home to a haunting by the Ghost Train. Listen for its whistle!

                                                                            
  Yes indeed this state forest is inhabited by a ghost of Mary E. Ask me about her visits when you come to  VoiceMail at WilliBrew on Halloween!

                                                                 
                          This is the second time I have captured a photo of her orb in the forest there!

Lastly a event coming up this winter inspired a day of video at the Old Tolland Jail Museum on Tolland (CT) Green. What fun creating these videos to promote out winter Campus Slammer.

                                                                            and another view

                                                                               
                               Wishing you all a Happy Halloween filled with fun and great stories!
for a previous blog on VoiceMail see: www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/07/willimantic-brewing-company-and.html

4th of July

Imagine now if those fireworks we stay up late to watch were really the 'Bombs bursting in air". Can we stop a minute and be thankful that the ooo's and ahhh's are the response, not the screams as people flee the whistle of an incoming threat. It is a rare day in America when we have had to take cover.

Imagine if you will as the grill flares up and the smell of juicy burgers and steaks wafts across the neighborhood, the fires at Valley Forge in winter when General Washington was running out of food to feed his freedom army. Each day a crew went foraging further afield to secure firewood to keep frost bite away. One pair of boots to six men, taking shifts to wear them.

Imagine for just a minute the women as they parade arm in arm through the street for a right to vote, just to have a chance to have her voice counted. It is hard to imagine when so few turn out at the polls to vote for the local representatives. Where were the other 10,000 voters the last vote, they stayed home and will expect to have their complaints heard later.

Imagine a mother with 6 sons gone off to the Revolution. 6 Hale boys went, and son Nathan was hung in New York where people go about their day shopping and doing business now. They don't even realize they may walk past the spot he said his famous words. " I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country!" His body was never recovered but a few of his personal items were returned to his family. A small measure of gratitude, but one that lasted, the items still are in the family home in Coventry Ct. they remember!

Imagine if you would hearing a voice call from the battlefield in the Civil War. Wounded and under fire he lay calling for help for hours but it is constantly under the barrage of attack. Finally an officer under cover of darkness crawls out to the dieing voice, it is his son!

Imagine if you will a submarine in New London Ct. slipping away from the dock and slowly dropping down into the cool depths as the very pregnant woman on the docks waves goodbye until not even a ripple remains. Finally upon its return to home port, she is there once more on the dock and her son walks out to greet the father he has never met.

We have so much to be thankful for and to celebrate this 4th of July. Every 4th of July is special, but the freedom we enjoy comes with the highest price tag. So as we venture into the day with parades, music, picnics and of course fireworks, take a moment and imagine how it might be, or may have been. Celebrate our Independance Day with all the American traditions. We are the land of the Free and the home of the brave! Happy 4th of July America!