Spooky Tales: Around Central Illinois

For the final entry of Spooky Tales, here are a few places that are reportedly haunted around central Illinois according to hauntedplaces.org.   Enjoy and have a safe and happy Halloween!

Decatur, IL – The Lincoln

This historic 1916 theater building was built atop the fire-ravaged Priest Hotel that once stood here. It is said that the ghosts of the fire victims still linger in the theater. Red, a former theater worker, is a friendly ghost here. Witnesses have heard his whispers, seen his shadowy form, and caught glimpses of him walking about the stage area. A female ghost has been reported here as well.

Spooky Tales: Haunted Chapters

We like to joke that our chapter in Peoria is haunted, as evident through our completely goofy/lame Halloween movies each year, but some chapters are reportedly haunted for real.

Anaheim, CA

The former caretaker is said to haunt this historic Red Cross house in Anaheim. I guess people feel uncomfortable in the room where the children lived and the eyes of a portrait are said to follow you.  Also, according to legend, when a man and a woman walk up the steps to the second floor, the ghost of the house’s original caretaker will push them together if he considers them to be a perfect couple.

Red Cross House (Historically the Residence of John G. Woelke)

Spooky Tales: Was it Clara Barton?

This week’s spooky story comes from yourghoststories.com and Iowa State University. Was it Clara?

“Along time ago when I was 7 I went to Clara Barton’s house near D.C. I was with my mom, my brother, my godmother, and her boyfriend.

When we got to the house we knocked on the door and a lady came and opened the door. Of course since I was only 7 I could see under the lady’s elbow, and while the lady was still holding the door and talking to adults I could see inside the house.
I saw another lady leaning on the wall. I think she was looking at me or at all of us. She had in some kind of dark (greenish, maybe) clothing and I think her hair was black or something of that kind of color.

Spooky Tales: Haunted Island

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story in the month of October? Even if you find yourself skeptical about all things supernatural, it is still fun to be around a campfire and swapping spooky tales with your friends.  So in the spirit of the season, we are going to share a few creepy accounts of the paranormal that have a Red Cross twist!

Our first story comes from unexplainedstuff.com.

“The small island of Corregidor, where in the early days of World War II (1939–45), a handful of American and Filipino troops tried desperately to halt the Japanese advance against the city of Manila and the whole Philippine Islands, valiantly fighting almost beyond human endurance. According to several witnesses, their ghosts have gone on fighting.

Attack of the Halloween Shay-Bot

My nephew, Shay, is one of a kind.  He is a 9-year-old with definite opinions that enjoys marching to his own beat.  And that is never more evident than at Halloween.

Last year, Shay, who loves Dr. Who, was the 8th Doctor in the Western Episode.  Yeah, that was hilarious to tell people.  The look of confusion on their faces was classic.  (Though, I had to google it to know what in the heck it was.) But my favorite Shay at Halloween story was a few years ago when he insisted on being Shay-Bot.

That year, the kid was obsessed with robots, so when Halloween came around, it was a logical choice.  Unfortunately, he wanted to be a “real robot”.  My sister searched high and low… Walmart, Halloween stores and online, but according to then 4-year-old Shay, none of them were “real”.

My brother-in-law took matters into his own hands… “If he wants to be a real robot, then I will make him a costume.”  Using dryer vent hoses, cardboard boxes, miscellaneous parts and a whole lotta paint, Shay-Bot was born.

The”real” robot… Shay-Bot

Shay was happy and, lets be honest, the costume was totally awesome.  He was so excited when my two sisters, a motley crew of cousins and I left to go trick or treating. But that joy soon faded because the kid didn’t have a lot of experience walking in dryer vent hose.

With every step, he tripped and fell on his face, and then he couldn’t get up… literally. Me, being the caring aunt that I am, laughed really loudly each time.  He was like the kid from “A Christmas Story” that fell and couldn’t get up… he just wallered on the ground until my brother-in-law picked him up.

By the 6th or 7th time this happened, Shay looked at me and said, “It’s not nice to laugh Aunt Erin”.    Very true, Shay. (Though your mom and Aunt Shani were laughing, too.)  By the end of the night, the Shay-Bot costume was ditched.  The kid wanted to run to each house for candy with his cousins without hearing my exceptionally loud laughter.

The next year, Shay was a ninja which followed some Red Cross Halloween costume tips.

• Wear well-fitted costumes and shoes to avoid trips and falls.  A good idea, though far less hilarious for aunts.
• Be sure that children can easily move in their costumes and that they aren’t too restrictive.
• Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags.
• Don’t wear masks that can cover your eyes; use face paint instead.

For more Red Cross safety tips and to avoid the Shay-Bot costume experience, click here.

Haunted Chapter Releases Soon!

Morale… it is an important thing around the Red Cross.  We all have heavy workloads, and it is easy to get burdened and flat out grumpy.  In order to avoid grump-fest, each year the Central Illinois Chapter shoots a Haunted Chapter movie around Halloween.

Thanks to the mental genius of Monica Grugett and my odd sense of humor, the fifth installment of the series completed production this week.  Below is the trailer.  Don’t our movie to be Oscar worthy … the movies are weird and goofy, but they make us laugh and boost the morale of some very dedicated Red Crossers.

 

Finally Friday! Halloween!

One of the stars from our movie each year… the creepy Harley puppet. We call it this because it looks WAY too much like one of our staffers named Harley

Its Friday… we made it!

In honor of Halloween this week, I am posting our super fab Halloween Part IV chapter movie.  This, my friends, is what we do every year after hours.  This year it features my creepy basement.

So kick up your feet and watch this 6 minute treasure… Click here for the awesomeness!

What October means to me…

This is me with a couple of Red Cross “ghouls” from our Halloween party a couple of years ago. It is amazing what you can do with a creepy manikin from ebay! lol

When I hear October, I think of brisk air, falling leaves, fires and Halloween. The weather is great, and when I feel that cooler air, it means it’s boot season (and I have a lot of cute ones!) as well as gearing up for Fire Safety Month. In Red Cross world, fire safety month is a big deal. I schedule 50-75 classes for just that month alone, and I pair up with Ashley Bauer on the Fire Safety house. So my instructors and I are very busy!

I admit though, as many times as I have taught kids about being prepared, I don’t have a preparedness plan for myself. That is, until I was watching the show “The Walking Dead” and thinking to myself, “Wow, I’d be up a creek if I was in that show.” Why? Because I am not prepared. I don’t think zombies will be my problem, but if my house burnt to the ground, or there was some sort of fluke tornado that went through my town, I would be out of luck! So, I took it upon myself to get prepared. For more info on this, check out our tip library.

Now, speaking of zombies, a few preparedness tips for those who love to go to haunted house attractions for Halloween:

• Please don’t touch the Zombies and ghouls. They are not allowed to touch you, so please return the favor!
• Get there early so you don’t have to wait in line as long. (And buy tickets in advance if you can.)
• Stay with your group! Even if you want to run for the hills, you don’t want to get lost in the attraction!
• And please don’t shine cell phone lights or flashlights in the actors’ faces…it’s just bad form.

Take it from someone who has helped out at these attractions, as well as frequents them every year: being prepared and courteous is appreciated! Love October and be prepared, whether it’s for fire safety or haunted houses!

Movie Monday!

To quote the immortal Garfield… “I hate Mondays”.

If you feel the same way I do then why not make it Movie Monday? Sure, this trailer for our upcoming Halloween movie was put together yesterday (Sunday), but how about we all enjoy it today!  So, pop some popcorn and click play!