Submitted by Benjamin Heffner (Passed on from my grandmother and great-grandmother!).
Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 Acorn Squashes
2 tsp Olive Oil
Ground beef
1 tsp salt
1/8th tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cups bulgur
2 cups water
Directions:
Photos by Tom Hill Jr.
By Desiree Leader | Staff Writer
Thackery Binx, a 312-year-old Salem resident, is a hero in every sense of the word. Waking on a cold October morning 300 years ago to the sound of his beloved sister Emily being abducted, he followed discreetly behind to the home of the Sanderson Sisters, known throughout town as being witches.
“It was terrible!” he declared. “Their house smelled like chicken soup and dead man’s toes!”
Binx retells the tale he has shared for 300 years to anyone who will listen. He shares how he was discovered by the Sandersons when the middle sister, Mary, caught his scent. “It was uncanny, the way she was able to sniff out children – I’ve never seen anything like it!”
By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief
As the leaves begin to change and the fall season settles in, candy, costumes, jack-o’-lanterns, and haunted houses begin to make their comeback—some of the familiar staples of Halloween, celebrated every year on October 31.
The holiday may have its roots in ancient Celtic traditions, particularly the pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”), which celebrated the transition from the lighter half of the year to the darker half, marking the end of summer and the changing of the seasons, as well as a time when the “veil” between our earthly realm and the spirit world is said to be at its thinnest.
While Halloween today is often a gloriously whimsical time for tricks and treats, scary stories, pumpkin picking, and dressing up, it actually shares some similarities with how ancient celebrants of Samhain may have observed their holiday.
By Sandy Oser | Observer Contributor
According to the SK Pierce Haunted Mansion website, around the end of the 1880s, Sylvester Pierce, a businessman whose furniture company brought them to Gardner, decided to build a mansion. The mansion itself, 7000 square feet, was considered extravagant. Now, it’s considered one of the most haunted places in Massachusetts.
Currently open to public tours, the website explained that visitors have witnessed “voices,” “moving furniture,” “slamming doors,” and much more. However, the rest you may just have to witness yourself, just like Gardner resident Joanne Melvin and her daughter Olivia Warner.
By Stella Sarefield | Observer Contributor
The Coronavirus pandemic began over two and a half years ago, causing a generation of students to lose not one but two Halloweens. However, between lifting mask restrictions and President Biden’s announcement that the pandemic is over, this Halloween seems promising.
The Mount itself has added to this with halloween festivities on campus, such as the recent “Scaryoke” and “Halloween Stroll ” on October 27, where some students attended in costume. However, there are still a few events to come. Today the Mount will be hosting a “Student Trick or Treat” at 11:30 am and the final “Halloween Musical Spooktacular” at 12:30 pm held in the Student Center by the Musicians at the Mount. However, apart from these events, are students planning to dress up for classes today?
October 24
Halloween Stroll, 3pm-5pm, Commons Area – Join us for the first annual Halloween Stroll for children under age 14. Comes dressed in costume, trick or treat, and have fun. Free Face Painting 4pm-5pm. Student parents that bring their children can enter to win a $100 CASH Prize
Scary Karaoke, 5pm-8pm, South Café – Join your friends and fellow students in an evening of fun and prizes. Come dressed in costume to take part in the Costume Contest or just come for the food and fun. $100 cash door prize every hour!
Read about the Scary Story Contest! Not just for stories!
Submissions due October 31.
October 17, 12:30pm, South Café.
Come dressed in a costume and take part in the costume parade!