LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween in Transylvania

When your county is Transylvania you expect Halloween to be a big celebration.  And so it is.  The Halloween Festival brings vendors to our town in large numbers.  There are many activities for the youngsters and plenty of good food.

Saturday was the day of the festival this year.  Mother Nature did not cooperate.  The day was unseasonably cool and periodically the wind gusted to a miserable index.  Many of the vendors stationed volunteers to hold the tent poles when they took the tents down.  Scarves and other knitted or quilted items were removed from the displays before they blew away.  There were few children when we arrived and some of the vendors were deciding the sales would not be sufficient in this weather so they were packing up to leave.


The shops went all out with decorating and most of the shopkeepers were in costume.




 This is Jailhouse Hill.  Later in the day the children would roll pumpkins down the hill.  Most children brought their own pumpkins although some were available for purchase.




 Looking east on Main Street.  The crowds were sparse.




 The lanes were empty at the pumpkin bowling area.




 Looking west on Main Street.  Several vendors had already packed up to leave.



We did not purchase anything from the vendors this year.  We were sorry so many of our favorites were not there.  We were even sorrier that the children's fun was cut short by the wind and chilly weather.

It could have been a lot worse, though.  At least we did not have the paralyzing snowstorm that hit so much of the mid-Atlantic states.

15 comments:

The Bug said...

How disappointing for everyone! Well, it LOOKED nice even if it was too cool & windy.

I feel so very thankful that we weren't included in the snowstorm. It was cold enough to snow, but we didn't have the precipitation. Today we had rain, but it was nearly 50 degrees when I left the house. Right now? Sunny & 60!

animal lover, quilt lover said...

Here in Fla it was windy and cold too. It was so nice to have a warm bed to sleep in.
We are so far back from the road for 38 years we have never had a Trick or treater....
I think I am having allergies!!!
xx, Fern

Wayfarin' Stranger said...

I hate it when the weather doesn't cooperate for festivals. Almost always you have only one shot and if you miss that it's gone for another year. I'm sure the vendors were already hurting; this has been a terrible year for festival sales.

troutbirder said...

To bad. But you right watching the reports from the Northeast it could have bee a lot worse.

George said...

I'm sorry the weather didn't cooperate. It looks like a lot of planning and effort went into the festival. As a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan, all I can say is 'wait until next year!'.

carolina nana said...

It was a pretty raw day over here too Saturday. I was glad my market was inside out of the wind.
Hope you have a safe and happy Halloween.
Blessings
Marilyn

Ms. A said...

There weren't a lot of people obstructing your photos. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate.

Dawn Fine said...

Bummer! Looks like a very fun celebration.

JeanMac said...

Love Halloween - too bad for this year.

Arkansas Patti said...

How cool that you live in Transylvania. I hope the post office takes advantage and uses it as a post mark. Christmas, Florida has a busy holiday for that reason.
So sorry it was so cold but glad you missed the snow and power outages.

Anonymous said...

I clicked on your pics here and was delighted to see the fall colors still looking quite spectacular there, even on a cold and blustery day!

Cheryl said...

It is disappointing.....man has not yet found a way to control the weather :)
It seems that so many had made an effort. There is always such a lot of hard work that go into these festivals.

I have read about the snowstorms....you were indeed lucky to miss it.

Better luck next year perhaps ?

Vicki Lane said...

Outdoor events are always chancy-- Bad weather keeps folks away. For me, as an author doing readings, I find that while really bad weather will keep people away, so will glorious weather as people decide they don't want to waste the lovely afternoon sitting in a bookstore.

Hoping the next festival will have just right weather!

animal lover, quilt lover said...

Hope you had a fun Halloween, no matter the weather!!! It is just another day for us. Those days go so fast now!!!
xx, Fern

Busy Bee Suz said...

I am so sorry that the weather did not cooperate for you or your community. Such a shame....I do love reading about all the good stuff you have locally. Maybe next time???
I wish I could send up some of our warmth...so ready for cooler air.
Stay warm!!!