Become a player on Boerne’s Spooktacular stage

Become a player on Boerne’s Spooktacular stage

Boerne Spooktacular, a family friendly event, is a two-day event, set for 5-9 p.m. Friday, October 27 and 4-9 p.m. Saturday. Oct. 28 at the AgriCultural Museum and Arts Center, 102 City Park Road.

Two evenings filled with hayrides, a haunted blacksmith shop, ghost train, Area 51, disc jockey dance music, pumpkin painting, trick or treating stations, haunted playground, spooky movies, Boo Grass music, and more. Enter costume contests to win a trophy or a prize, artisans, food trucks, and shopping. Purchase tickets online at: www.BoerneSpooktacular. com.

It’s that time of year when little ghosts and vampires gather outside to scare up some treats from the neighbors, and probably the only time kids look forward to wearing masks.

Halloween can be a holiday filled with fun for all of us. Some of us dress up in the costumes we envision in our dreams -- or, perhaps, in our nightmares. We carve pumpkins, trick-or-treat in “haunted” neighborhoods, and eat all the candy we can possibly carry.

Halloween’s origins date back millennia, crossing cultures and continents known by several names like All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Eve and Halloween. It historically begins during the time of year we dedicate to remembering the dead: saints, martyrs, and those who faithfully departed this world.

Wearing costumes and masks, as a Halloween tradition, is believed to be rooted in folklore and beliefs from Celtic countries more than 2,000 years ago. Dressing up in costume, or “guiding” as it was called, was a common practice in Scotland and Ireland by the end of the 19th century; followed by the United States and Canada in the early 20th century.

In Halloween’s past, when beliefs suggested that ghosts came back to this earthly world, people were afraid they would encounter them if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these evil spirits, people masked when they left their homes, thinking that the ghosts would mistake them for their fellow spirits.

Costumes from the first half of the 20th century were mostly horrifying and frequently linked to ghostlike human images. Villagers often played tricks on one another, hiding behind their costumes, but often blamed the ghosts. Masks and cover-ups provided a way to get away with pranks. More recently costumes tend to be cute, humorous and even “super-powered,” acting as an alter ego of sorts. And now, rather than wearing a mask, many folks instead make up their faces.

Boerne Spooktacular is a fundraising event benefiting the AgriCultural Museum and Arts Center. Not able to attend this event but would like to make a donation? Contact Kristy McNelly, president, 210-445-1080.

PAULA HORNER

HCCARTS