Month: September 2015

Road project begins tonight on N 3rd Street and Locust Street

Signs such as the one shown here have been posted on North Third Street, and Locust Street below Third, notifying the public of a road improvement project. According to the borough office, the project will run overnight tonight into tomorrow morning and will resume tomorrow night into Friday. Work is also scheduled along the same route Sunday night into Monday morning.

Zombies, ghouls, and goblins invade Columbia at Albatwitch Festvial

Zombies, ghouls, and goblins from Field of Screams invaded downtown Columbia during Saturday’s Albatwitch Festival. The festival, inspired by the mythical(?) albatwitch creature, featured a zombie beauty contest, a tour of the Columbia Market House dungeon, live music, a pie judging contest, refreshments, lectures at the museum, and other attractions.

As seen in this video, festival attendees didn’t mind the zombie invasion, as everyone danced to “The Monster Mash.”
(If possible, adjust your YouTube Quality setting to 720p60 for optimal viewing.)

We caught up with this couple outside the Columbia Historic Society building.

This guy showed up to participate in the zombie beauty contest.
(And he is truly beautiful, no?)

Although the albatwitch didn’t show, his mutated cousin did, right in front of Tacos to Go.

Man of Mystery Rick Fisher, one of the event’s organizers.
Looks like Field of Screams ghouls travel in style.

Cookie Morehart danced to the music, to the stunned amazement of the ghouls.

A splendid time was had by all – humans and ghouls alike.

More dancing in the street by humans – and ghouls.

Music in the street with amplified acoustic instruments.

Another zombie beauty contestant

This ghoul needs to work on his scare factor.  Those kids don’t look frightened at all.
Chris Vera. president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society – and another event organizer – gave tours of the dungeon under the market house.

Before the tour group descended into the dungeon, an eerie light suddenly enveloped the area . . .

. . . and intensified . . .

. . . as if another spiritual realm was breaking through into ours . . .
Then, the light quickly subsided and disappeared, as if it had never been there at all.

Once underground, Chris told tales of hauntings in the dungeon.
(Look at the third light in the row along the right side.  That light is out – keep that in mind.)

Chris told how people have heard chains rattling in the dungeon’s various rooms and have sensed ghostly presences.  The benign spirit of a little blonde girl, Katie Durberow, is said to frequent the market house. People at market have reported feeling a child’s hand holding theirs and have heard the sound of jacks being played.

One of the rooms in the dungeon. 
People have reported hearing these chains rattling – when no one is in the room. 

Another room used to jail people in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The aforementioned chains

Mysterious shadows on the ceiling

Remember the light that was out? At tour’s end, all lights were on . . .

Zombie beauty contestants

A contestant in the child’s division

DJ Stoutz functioned as a master of ceremonies.

A third-place winner in the adult division

In the end, all contestants took home a trophy

This guy was particularly scary . . .

. . . especially those eyes . . .

. . . and his tendency to devour brains!

Columbia feet take to the street on Fourth Friday

Despite cloudy weather, Columbians turned out for Fourth Friday events, including Feet in the Street on the 500 block of Locust Street . . .
 Participants chalked the street with various designs . . .
. . . that began to evolve into a temporary mural.
(Could this be the rebirth of surrealism?)
 About those feet – there they are now. Attendees dipped their feet in tempera paint and walked along butcher paper, trailing colorful footprints along the way.

 A similar procedure was used for hands.

 Sweet Life provided music in the gazebo.
Children adorned pumpkins with splashes of color.

 Here are some of the finished products.

 Several more to go.

Others allowed themselves be the canvas for the artist’s brush.

 A little later, it became obvious that the butcher paper had been well traveled.

Surfing on hay bales was a popular activity . . .

. . . as was eating ice cream on them.

 Down at Through the Fire Gallery, William Chambers, in 1950s-era service station garb, invited people to participate in a performance event. In answer to the question “What’s missing?” (written on a mirror at the station) one could embroider a response on a cloth dangling from a dispenser, or write in a notebook.
Further information on this project can found HERE.

 The studio also featured an exhibit by artist Todd Geiger . . . 
. . . as well as the usual display of glass-wrangling.

This sign recently appeared in a display window next to Hinkle’s.  The heading says, “The Arts @ Hinkle’s.”  

A voyeur’s view of Susquehanna Center Creative Arts, 224 Locust Street.