The Union Church of Dunnigan

WOODLAND HISTORY STROLL - FREE TOURS Headquarters at Old China Town, 444 Dead Cat Alley October 3, 9 to Noon 9 to 9:30 Tai Lee Laundry and Din Family, Jack Di...n (First and Dead Cat Alley), stories of growing up on Dead Cat Alley. FEATURED ATTRACTION! DON'T MISS THIS! 10 to Noon The Roth and Old China Town Old China Town, behind The Roth (431 Main) The Roth, Sieber Hardware Store Oaks Rooms, above The Roth The Roth Underground 10 to 4 Woodland Gold & Silver (619 Main), continuous slide show of old downtown postcards, gold, silver, jewelry and antiques. 10 to 10:30 Old Town Hall, Tom Stallard (c1875, 1882) (702 Main), a guided walk-through of the building Tom and Meg Stallard are currently renovating. 10:30 to 11 Porter Building, Parlor 30 (1913) (College and Dead Cat Alley), a guided walk-through of the Porter Building, plus a couple of ghost stories! 11:30 to Noon The Strand Theatre, Parlor 30 (First and Dead Cat Alley), a talk and walk-through of the grand silent movie house. Tours and presentations brought to you by Woodland Parlor 30 NSGW. Note: Engraving posted is from the DuPue Illustrated Atlas, 1879.

JACK DIN IS THE FEATURED ATTRACTION IN THE WOODLAND HISTORY STROLL THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3... 9:00 AM! Jack Din has been giving talks since 2002 about the Tai Lee Laundry and his family growing up on Dead Cat Alley. He was honored in 2015 for his commitment to sharing Woodland history. Don't miss this year! Saturday, October 3, 9 am.

‘TWAS THE EVE BEFORE HALLOWS By the Gatekeeper of Dead Cat Alley MMIV... ‘Twas the eve before Hallows, and all through the home Not a monster was stirring, not even a gnome. The jack-o’-lanterns were set on the doorstep with care, In hopes that trick-or-treaters soon would be there; The children were dressed in their Halloween threads, While visions of Gummi Bears danced in their heads. And mummy in her wrappings, and I in my cape, Were fixing our costumes with wire and tape. When out on the street there arose such a clatter, I ran to the door to see what was the matter. From the porch I could see it was Catwoman and Flash, Frankenstein, Werewolf and a zombie with a gash. The moon cast a light on the new-fallen leaves, Orange twinkling lights hung from the eaves. When, what to my blackened eyes should appear, But Hansel and Gretel and Yoda wiggling each ear, With a hobo, a hobbit, and a witch on her broomstick, I knew the Great Pumpkin was up to this trick. More rapid than ravens, the treaters they came, They screamed and they howled, calling candy by name; Now, Milk Duds!, now, Big Hunk! now, Look Bar and Milky Way! Oh Henry! oh Snickers! oh Clark Bar and Pay Day! From the wicked witch’s pot into my Halloween sack, M&Ms and Kit Kat make a great midnight snack! With the shriek of flying monkeys, whilst wild dogs bark, We slipped in the house and hid in the dark. So up the pathway the trick-or-treaters blew With their sacks full of treats, Jack Skellington too. And then, in a ringing, I heard from our doorbell cackles, chains and shackles a wizard’s spell. As I drew toward the door and was turning the knob, In burst the creatures like a sugar-crazed mob. They were dressed all in fright, from their horns to their claws, And their costumes were tattered, some wrapped in gauze. Bags of candy they clenched with the tightest of grips, They looked like Oompa Loompas with chocolate on their lips. Their eyes how hypnotizing! Their teeth how scary! Some were just funny, and some were just hairy. Then, with sticky little fingers and frost bitten feet, Altogether they yelled, TRICK OR TREAT! The cauldron I clutched with my vampire knuckles Held Lifesavers, SweeTarts, JujyFruit and Chuckles. We had a basketful of Chicklets, Chick-O-Stix and Zotz and a bowlful of Jelly Bellies, Skittles and Dots. The ghosts, the ghoulies, the faeries, the elves, Were all full of smiles, in spite of themselves. With a wink of my bloodshot eye I pretended to dread giving Tootsie Roll, Abba Zabba and Lemonhead. I spoke not a word, but went straight to my chore, And filled all the bags with Whoppers and Skor. In went the Butterfingers, Bazookas and Twix, Sugar Daddy, Bit-O-Honey, StarBurst, Pixie Stix. Their sacks spilled over, indeed I filled them well, And away they all flew like a bat out of you-know-where. But I heard those monsters scream as they raced from my sight, HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD FRIGHT! # # # WIN A FREE ONE-HOUR DEAD CAT ALLEY TOUR FOR SIX! Win a free one-hour tour of Dead Cat Alley for you and five others! Take a look back on all of the Parlor 30’s ghost stories presented during the 13 Nights of Halloween (posts actually started to appear on October 18, 2019, 14 days before October 31). Look for clues that may suggest that an account, or observation, may have been embellished for dramatic effect. For example, a fish tale (or in our case, a cat tale) is really and truly a story intended for entertainment (you know fiction not exactly a journalistic report). You should be able to narrow down slightly exaggerated ghost stories to two. If you follow these instructions, you should be able to answer the question posted later today (Halloween) on the Dead Cat Alley Facebook page and possibly win a free tour of the alley for six living people! # # # Remember this: It’s bad luck to be superstitious.