11/5/09 Best Halloween Ever

I think I just had the best Halloween ever. We were home and in bed by 11- the kids were fine, safe, and full of chocolate. We all laughed tonight, screamed tonight, and ran down the damp sidewalks. This is what makes life in Ashland almost unbearable and close to inexplicable.
A friend said, as we walked down Center Street with our kids, “Look , we’re on a movie lot.” The wet leaves stuck to the sidewalk, a big moon glided in and out of the clouds, and streams of little ghosts and goblins made their way down the front walks of the Victorian houses on either side of the railroad tracks.


We struggled with flashlights swung from the arms of 3-yr olds as they constantly shined in our faces. We tried to activate glow sticks so that we could recognize our kids from far away, and found that biting them often doesn’t work. We now know that if a glow stick breaks in your mouth, it will take like insecticide and your tongue will not even glow which would have been cool and almost worth the temporary numbness and tingling.


We delighted in clever children’s costumes, and ridiculous adult outfits. Anyone who saw a 10 foot gorilla walking down the street in a Santa costume must have both squealed with laughter and shivered with the disturbing unease of the sight. Indeed, Halloween at its best.


This Saturday make your way down to LA (Lower Ashland) for the Elmont Elementary Fall Festival from 11:00 to 3:00 pm. There will be games for the kids, craft vendors, a bake sale, silent auction, and lots of things to eat for lunch. Items up for bidding include 4 round trip Amtrak tickets to Philadelphia, a Jessica Robertson photo session, Panera bagels for a year, and Theatre IV tickets.


A very happy birthday to Susan Chambers who will be having a big party on November 7th! Susan is such a valuable resource in our town; she gives herself and her time to so many people.


The 7th Annual Train Day is November 14th, from 10am to 4pm, which promises to be a beautiful, bright sunny day. There will be model train displays at the Library and the Arts and Activities Center (hereafter referred to as “the Center”), music, food, kids activities- all along our beloved railroad tracks. Don’t we have a fickle relationship with those tracks? We grumble when they make us late, or block the road to our house, or slowly pass throw town loaded with garbage. We also worry that not enough trains will come through, and we miss those whistles when we travel away from home.


The Ashland Library will host an afternoon of tennis and bowling for adults and seniors on Thursday, November 12th beginning at 1:30 pm. Come play these fun Wii games- even boxing! This afternoon event is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Library.


The next evening, 11/13, is Teen Movie Night beginning at 6pm with pizza! Call the library and tell them that you’re coming- 798-4072.


I heard that Bart’s new restaurant is open on the tracks! Stop by and visit his restaurant- it’s such a good feeling to see entrepreneurs alive and well in the COTU.


Now, when I said that life in Ashland is “almost unbearable” I hope you didn’t take it the wrong way. It is just so incredibly precious sometimes, and I have these moments when I have to stop and take it all in. I’d like to scoop the moment up in my hands and put it in a jar, to save- to open on a rainy day when all I want to do is run away. I would open my Halloween jar, and hear a child’s voice singing our town song as she swung her bag of candy and skipped down the sidewalk. No one told her to sing it; no one suggested it to her. She was absolutely content. And that alone will be enough reason to never leave.


Call or email me with your Ashland news: 310-5320, ashlandnews@gmail.com. Have a wonderful week!