Halloween In A Dead City

I always write a great deal about Halloween this time of the year. It's because I love that holiday (I like the fantasy and that normally unimaginative people imagine for a day or so) and because my city (though it is practically a "ghost" of what it was before Hurricane Katrina) has always been oriented towards Halloween. We have ghost tours all year round here and the city is known as "the most haunted place in America". We are the center of Voodoo in this country and there are an unusual amount of odd (Haha Maybe me) characters who live in or are attracted to New Orleans.
So I thought today I would mention some of the Halloween activities going on Halloween weekend (October 27 through Halloween night, October 31st). It's quite impressive, given the city itself is in ruins. And even though some of these events are being held in the suburbs, the number and variety give you an idea of how much New Orleanians like Halloween. There is enough going on to please even Dracula himself. Here are a few of them, though there are many more than this)
* There is a gay oriented costume pageant and dance this weekend. You don't have to be a homosexual to go (and most of the people who attend are not, given that gays and non gays live rather peacefully side by side in New Orleans and enjoy being with each other for such events) but you do have to be in costume. Among the "unusual acts" to be featured are the very beautiful, and straight University of Kentucky Cheerleaders (that one is for the straight men in attendance), and many gay groups who costume and perform acts of levity. The "Flagoots" are flying in from Ohio as are the all male in cheer leading outfits, the "Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps" from Chicago. Some of the other costumes and acts are just plain lewd, so this one is an over 21 years of age, consenting adult event.
* Boo at the Zoo- This one at the local zoo is for small kids, and I took Jane and her friends several times when they were little ones. It's a trick-or-treating, game playing, haunted house viewing and Ghoul train riding event for the smaller ones that isn't too scary, but still fun for them. * Scarum at the Aquarium- This one is for all ages and held at our aquarium. Halloween-themes crafts are available, face painting, animal presentations (I have no idea what that one is about), Halloween stage shows and a very unusual Halloween pumpkin carving contest. In that one, the carvers are some of the city's best surgeons, doctors who try to show they can carve a pumpkin as skillfully as they carve aunt Edna...
* Halloween Hay ride- This one is outside the city, about 40 knots away in the countryside. It's an old time rural version of a Halloween activity as park rangers escort horseback and wagon riders through a campground followed by apple bobbing (This is fun. It's almost impossible to catch an apple with the mouth), pumpkin carving exhibitions, and a puppet performance by the "Witch Craft" players * Trunk or Treat- In this one, locals costume and decorate their trucks, trailers or vans as haunted houses, or set up Halloween games and kids who are in costume can walk though the melange to trick or treat and participate in the activities. Jane went to this twice when smaller and still remembers how much fun she had with it.
* French Quarter adult parities- an endless number of them that are centered around risqué costumes, music, dancing, food and a Halloween parade in the French Quarter of the city, and plenty of alcohol. I guess after a few drinks at Halloween a man or woman, eyesight impaired from the booze, would want to take a ghoul home for the night.
* Haunted Houses- Before the storm these were plentiful and ranged from tame (for little children) to frightening (for us). But the storm flooded so much of the city there are fewer now. One of the better ones remaining is 'The Scream Factory'. Grown men and women have feinted at the gore there. It is more scary than the thought of Angelina Jolie adopting more African babies.
* Dog Halloween- Only in New Orleans...this is a costume contest for dogs...and the dogs can trick-or-treat too. Well...there may be a dog Dracula too.
* Voodoo Fest- For the believers in the other world, Voodoo Fest has Halloween related book signings, presentations, music, food and crafts. It's actually one of the bigger music festivals in the city.
* Theater- Among the presentations playing this Halloween weekend are "Phantom of the Opera", "Dracula Spectacula", "The Rocky Horror Show" and "Dracula Revisited".
Its not bad for a nearly dead city. But then, where else would the dead want to be but in flooded New Orleans. Happy Halloween