A Halloween ZOOM Spooktacular
October 28th 2019
At the Enchanted Delray Beach Library!
ABRACADABRA!
Hear ye!
Hear ye!
It's all free!
The young and old and even the wee!
The Enchanted Delray Library invites YOU to a special Spooktacular ZOOM Halloween treat!
It occurs not one minute later nor one second earlier but right on the dot, ready or not on October 28th at EXACTLY SEVEN O'CLOCK! (7:00 pm)
Don't be late, or all will be lost, and goblins and ghouls will hunt you down with werewolves leading the pack. They will seek you out, find where you rest, and bring you screaming back! BOO!
You must Register HERE because the Spook count will be high. And we want everyone to get a front-row
seat! At seven o'clock, Slightly Spooky stories
will begin for kids 6 and up. There
will be a 5-minute intermission, and then Super
Spooky stories for Teenagers will start!
Let's face it Trick-or-treating is out in the time of COVID. Halloween parties are a maybe. So where did Halloween go this year? Worry not. The Delray Beach Library's got your back. This is the first of its' kind event, organized by our most bewitching librarian Isabella Rowan!
When is the last time you've sat in a circle in the dark of
night in front of a campfire, dry sticks
crackling, flames revealing shadows of ghosts
and monsters all around? Have you ever built
a fort of sheets, and sat in the darkness with your friends and watched as
someone put a flashlight under their chin, becoming a creature, a vampire? IF
the answer is no, I'm quite sure you've seen enough horror movies to know campfires
and sheet forts are the perfect settings to tell scary stories.
But who could tell such a story, where do they live, what do they know? As luck would have it, there is indeed a storytelling school in Florida- with some of the greatest storytellers in all the land. One of those storytellers Linda "Schuyler' Ford, will be joining us for the Delray Beach ZOOM Spooktacular. Linda has been a professional storyteller for over 30 years! In fact, she has storytelling retreats that attract nurses and caregivers, and pubic speakers to learn to tell hypnotic and transformative tales. Who knew? She does parties and weddings and can brighten up even the dullest event.
The art of Storytelling came before the computer, television, radio, books. Storytelling was the only way that man could pass down knowledge to one another. Somehow I lost sight of the art or wasn't looking for it. But like Halloween magic, it just materialized before my eyes. And as a writer, I am signing up for one of her workshops. What better way to learn to pitch a story to a producer than to attend one of Linda "Schuyler' Ford's retreats? She is described as, "an expressive magician who uses art and words to take listener of wondrous journeys." All true. I bet she rocks a Ted Talk!
So gather the family. Here's a
secret and sacred recipe for the best Halloween night ever! If you cannot do these things, you can say, sign or
imagine them, and the magical effect will be the same!
1.
Sign up for the
event!
2. On the day of, put your computer in the middle of the room and build a sheet fort around it. (make sure it's plugged in) Or if you have a tent, pitch it with your computer inside.
3.
That afternoon get
your costumes on and make some Halloween treats or buy some cupcakes or candy.
Get messy! Eat lots of sugar, act like a crazy person, and never take a nap.
After your dinner of pizza, swedish fish, gummy worms, and chocolate bars run
wild until 6:30.
4.
At exactly 6:30, get
everyone in the house to form a circle, hold hands and say the magic words;
We are here to find the night,
and give the goblins all a fright!
We'll cry and scream with all our might,
no
matter if we're wrong or right!
5.
Then, everyone must pat
their stomach with their left hand; and tap their head with their right hand. Three
times. Reverse.
6. Put on the song, "The Monster Mash" and dance dance dance.
After you’ve danced, make a circle, hold hands and say
the magic words;
I am jacked up on
sugar
here I will stay.
Tomorrow will be another day!
7. Pull-on the earlobe of the person to your right twice. (gently)
8.
Play the song "Let's
do the Time Warp again" from the Rocky Horror picture show. Dance!
9.
Now you are ready to
go into your tent. Close the lights bring a flashlight, and more candy. I do
not want to see your mouth empty. Sign up to the Library
and ENTER if you dare!!!!
But who is the enchantress that created this magical night?
This, first of its' kind event, was organized by the
bewitching librarian Isabella Rowan. Here’s her story. When Isabella was 40 yrs,
she found herself divorced and a single mom.
The time had come to spread her wings, but what to do? Well, she knew
one thing for sure, as a daughter of two missionaries, public service flowed through her veins. But
who to serve and how?
 |
| Isabella Rowan |
That night, she had a dream that she was a Knight, and was fighting to stop angry people from throwing books into a fire. She woke transformed into a
Book Knight! From that moment on, it was her calling to protect all books; ancient
and modern, good and bad, near and far, in this language and that, thin or
thick, small or tall. She decided to get a Master’s degree in Library sciences
and became the most skilled librarian in all the land.
All she needed was a castle with books she could protect. But time passed, and Isabella became sad - she was a magician with no home.
Then on one rainy day in January 2018, her rescue cat Quito purred the answer in her ear.
Eureka! Isabella ran
to the enchanted Delray Beach library (that had been around since 1913) and
spoke to The Director and Queen of the castle. Karen Ronald-who knew how to
spot a good witch when she saw one.
Queen Karen welcomed Isabella into the fold. A perfect match! In this place, Isabella had a chance to shine.
Her creative gift flourished in various programs for all ages, from cooking to writing,
Storytime, poetry workshops, computer training, and yoga, to name a few. Yes,
indeed, if you were a person of any height and any age Isabella made sure there
was a program for you. But then the unexpected happened! Darkness descended upon
the land with a virus called COVID, and the people were afraid, and some got
sick. No one came to the Library anymore, books got sad, and computers silently
wept.
And as things got worse, Queen Karen Reynolds got frustrated and knew she had to do something. She called a meeting for all the people in her kingdom who worked at the Library who cleaned and protected and volunteered and said, "We must fight his darkness together. We must make a spell and help the people. We must give them books and programs and make them happy-smart again.”
And the good witch Isabella clapped her hands with joy and exclaimed,
"We can do this. We will do this. We will make the people happy-smart
again
And then a most wonderful surprise, the Library found a way
to Zoom all kinds of programs. The people began to return to the Enchanted
Delray Beach Library. They wanted to be
happy-smart again!
But as Halloween approached, it became clear to the book Knight Isabella that the dark days were not over. People could not trick-or-treat or go to parties, so she did what any good witch would do. She and the Queen of the castle wove a spooky spell, and Isabella got an idea. Poof!
“Let's get a storyteller
like Linda "Schuyler" Ford who can tell scary stories for little
people, big people, and all people, and let's give them a Halloween treat they'll
never forget. Let them dress up, eat their candy, run around crazed, and have
a fright!”
And that's how the Delray Beach Spooktacular was born. It's a free event! That's why it's so important you register because many will be attending. All spooks who register must be counted. And ghosts cannot be seen.
Please help!!!But the darkness of COVID has
hurt The Enchanted Delray Beach Library, and they need your help. The castle used
to host glamorous parties and book signings and Xmas events to continue to
bring Spooktacular's and all their wondrous programs to the people. The Library
is a 501 (c) non-profit, so you can give freely because when the dark days fade,
we will all need to be happy- smart again. And right now, the smart thing to do
is to support the Library with whatever you can. You can go to their website, www.delraybeachlibrary.org, and fill out a form or email the very famous Knight Kae
Jonsons, the Director of Development and Communities Relations. She will guide
you on your way with magical fairy dust, lots of thanks and love, and good
wishes for this holiday season and beyond.
BOO!
The Library is now offering
fantastic online courses and virtual library cards so you can be happy-smart
again!
Delray Beach Library is
located at 100 West Atlantic Ave. Delray Beach Florida 33444
And can be reached at 561 266 0194
The Library is open Mon-Sat
9-5
For more
information on storytelling, please check out the Florida Storytelling
Association@ flstory.com. They are hosting
a Virtual Festival from Jan 28-31, which should be a lot of fun!
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