One event coming up in Windsor is our annual Community Center Halloween Party, held at the Windsor Community Center.
This event, sponsored from 6-8 p.m. on Halloween by the Windsor Police Department and the Optimist Club, is sure to be full of goblins, ghosts and monsters taking flight. The children will have fun and play while the adults involved will leave their stresses of the day behind to enjoy the costumes and the fun of it all.
What would Halloween be without the horrifying history of past and present? One such place located in Estes Park is the Stanley Hotel, built in the early 1900s.
The hotel is associated with Stephen King’s book “The Shining”. As Stephen and his wife, Tabitha, were traveling through Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park, US Highway 34 was closed due to bad weather, so he and his wife Tabitha turned around and decided to stay at the Stanley hotel.
They stayed in Room 217, where a tragic accident befell housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson in 1911. There was a gas leak explosion and she was nearly killed.
Since then, there has been strange and unexplained activity in room 217.
Although he didn’t write the book during his stay at the hotel, he did experience some things there that influenced his writing. It is reported that Stephen King saw a small child on the second floor calling his nanny.
Coincidentally, tour guides say they often spot the presence of a small child all over the hotel.
If you are looking to experience hotel ghost activity, the best place to stay is on the fourth floor of the hotel. This is where the children are heard at all hours of the night, playing and chasing each other.
Another paranormal hotspot is the Fear Factory located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The macabre story of the factory is far scarier than any horror novel.
Around the turn of the century, the fear factory, a cement maker, saw many men meet their fate in unusually twisted ways, racking up a higher death toll than most serial killers.
One story is that of George Howe who was alone one evening oiling the crusher belt. As he bent over the gears to apply oil deep into the crusher, the machine grabbed his sleeve and began to slowly pull him into its gears, twisting, maiming, and shredding his body through the gears.
The factory’s history is littered with corpses and it is reported that these souls continue to inhabit the property today.
No matter how you spend your Halloween, I wish you a safe and spooky day filled with lots of fun. Here are some safety tips for your children and pets:
- Children must wear a bright reflective patch on their costumes and carry a cell phone, whistle and flashlight.
- Adults must accompany young children.
- Teenagers and children should never enter a stranger’s home. Candies should not be eaten until they have been inspected.
- Make sure your pet’s costumes are secure with no unnecessary buttons or knots so that there is no choking hazard.
- Sugar-free candy and chocolate can be toxic or fatal to pets.
A lot has changed since the pandemic. You may not see as many children or teenagers cheating or treating this year.
In 1918, a ban was imposed on Halloween events due to the growing epidemic of pneumonia and influenza. We can be grateful that we are not locked up.
Whatever you do with your family, be careful. “You never know what can hide in the dark!”
Happy Halloween!
– Sandi Y. Squicquero M.Ed,.LPC, is a licensed professional counselor who works at the Medical Hypnosis and Counseling Center at 1180 Main St., Suite 5B in Windsor. She has over 30 years of experience as a counselor and is certified in medical hypnosis.
