Halloween was “Off the Wall”

This past weekend a few of my closest friends packed into the car and trekked up to Montreal to visit our lovely friend Julia. Since she is going to school at McGill, we stayed at her place and were right in the heart of the city! We have been to visit her many times now, but this time was different. It was Halloween weekend and it was ”Off the Wall.”

My friends and I have always been MJ fans, but this year (after his shocking death) we’ve been particularly taken by him. His music became the soundtrack for our summer trip to the cottage, many nights out, and almost every car ride (short or long). A lot of basement dance parties took place, and the moves to Thriller were learned. We even made it to the opening night of “This Is It.” It was only natural to carry on at Halloween.

What inspired our MJ Halloween most was plans for a Thriller flash mob. (Flash mob? you ask. It’s a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.) There are a ton of videos featuring groups of people dancing to MJ hits. In fact, there is an entire website dedicated to teaching people the moves to Thriller – Thrill the World, the annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Thriller. Once again, online communications brings a sense of community and comfort to millions of people…in this case, MJ fans everywhere! A Thrill the World event actually happened here in St. Catharines the week before Halloween.

Although our particular event ended up being cancelled, we still ran with the idea…Amanda as “Thriller” MJ, Laura as “Smooth Criminal” MJ, Steph as classic MJ and myself as “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” (yes, disco) MJ. Decked out in our costumes, we danced the night away in true MJ style and had such a fun night.

If I think back to my childhood I remember a lot of good times being silly at home dancing around to MJ. This might be one of the reasons why “Off the Wall” is my favourite album. I was reminded of this a few years ago after taking a cruise with longtime friends of the family. Getting down to “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” seemed all too familiar!

So, the world comes together over something so important and shocking, both online and offline. With tribute after tribute in the public eye and among my closest friends, there is no question that Michael Jackson is an amazing performer…and he always will be. Just like Halloween 2009 will be one to always remember!

An 1812 Thanksgiving

There’s something about Thanksgiving weekend. Family. Friends. Turkey. The leaves. Pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving (and Fall in general) is one of my favourite times of the year. I get to spend a lot of time with the people I love and a lot of time outdoors.

This year in particular I got to spend more time than usual outside – at the Balls Falls Thanksgiving Festival. The Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council set up shop for the first time as an exhibitor at the 35 year old Festival. I have been to the Festival and the Conservation Area many times, but this was a first. In my 1812 period costume, tent set up with 1812 banners and gear, on the historical side of the street, we had a great weekend. Not only was the weather beautiful, but I got to meet and speak to a lot of people.

With our recently launched website, www.discover1812.com, there was a lot to talk about. Although many people already know about the War of 1812 our presence at the Festival was a nice reminder that the Bicentennial celebrations are coming up. The fact is, there is a rich history in Niagara. There is a lot to see and do and learn.

Even I am learning a lot as I move ahead in my contract. The best part about the website is the trails it features, taking visitors throughout the Region, to interesting points of interest (over 100!). If anything, I hope the people I met this weekend check it out to learn about Niagara in the War of 1812.

I must admit, I felt a bit silly in my costume. My friends also had a good laugh-in fact, they all showed up with their cameras. The good news? I now have these pictures for this post…Thanks ladies!

Amanda is the first to arrive...camera in hand!

Jules and Laura stop by next...more cameras!