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Who doesn’t love Halloween? Other than those
really scary folks who take life too seriously, I think most people get a
kick out of dressing up and becoming someone or something else, at least
for one day. That transformation must be good for the soul. Halloween is the one holiday in which Americans
actually get creative without a hint of religion or patriotism to give it a
serious tone. For us, Halloween is a big whoop-de-do without a second
thought to the roots of the holiday, but that’s OK. It’s what
we do: We are a society out to transform.
Here are a few music-oriented Halloween activities for
you to enjoy in the next few days before the 31st actually gets here. Theaters are supposed to be haunted. Tales abound of
the possession of the old Springfield Theatre Centre on Lawrence Avenue by spirits who like to move
things around — just ask some of the old theater folks about it
sometime. No reports yet of missing Masonic members or other ghostly
inhabitants at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, but the Roxy Group is
presenting Halloween Dreams: The Spooktacular
Revue there regardless. The show, based on
30 creepy songs presented with camp, candor, style, and silliness, will
entertain, amuse, and happily frighten those brave enough to attend a
performance. Spook yourself on Friday or Saturday night or during a Sunday
matinee this weekend. How scary can a song be anyway? This has nothing to do with Halloween, other than the
date, but why not dress up in your finest Dracula or Homer drag and attend
the Springfield Classical Guitar Society concert on Saturday, Oct. 27, at
the First Presbyterian Church, by Carlos PОrez, the internationally
acclaimed guitarist from Chile, who might just get a big kick out of it.
“But the bars — what about the
bars?” I hear the party crowd demanding. Downtown becomes quite the
spectacle during a Halloween weekend, with most of the excitement on
Saturday. The Brewhaus and Marly’s will have live bands, and the rest
of the Fifth Street Strip will be hopping with creatures of all varieties.
I’m sure that most other bars will have contests with cash prizes to
entice imaginative minds to come up with exciting and creative outfits. Plenty of fun and just enough fright will no doubt be
had on this most entertaining of holidays.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com
This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2007.
