Events

Haunt Club Events

New England Haunter's Gathering 2008

In the Witch City
Salem, MA

Part 8! That's right, 8 years, over half a decade and still going strong. The East Coast Haunt Club will host the New England Haunter's Gathering part 8 in Salem, MA.

WHEN.......: Saturday, August 2, 2008
WHERE......: Ward II Social Club
13 East Collins St
Salem, MA 01970
TIME.........: 10 AM - 4 PM
ADMISSION: $20
AGE LIMIT..: 13 and older only, please
RSVP.........: EastCoastHauntClub@gmail.com

Please don't forget to RSVP, so we know how much food to order!

So far on the agenda...

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Successful Sponsorship Secrets Revealed - By Mike "Tattoo" Krausert
Take the fear out of sponsorship writing and keep it in your Haunt where it should be! Mike "Tattoo" Krausert from Bad Boys Scenic Design, Terror on the Fox and Nightmare New England will unveil the mystery behind successful sponsorship writing in this comprehensive presentation covering product, machinery, food and cash sponsorships. Learn to recognize which sponsorships and partnerships are the best fit for your haunt. As well as proven tips and techniques on sponsorships writing and understand how to package your haunt to be attractive to potential sponsors. Mike will divulge the top five features Terror on the Fox's main sponsor Oneida Casino lists as most important when they receive and consider sponsorship proposals. Discover better methods for letter writing, how to identify and package what your haunt can offer, research the best partnerships for your haunt, how to follow up, what to do when you get a yes, what to do when you get a no and more!

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Linear Actuators as an alternative to pneumatics and Scrim 101 - By Ross Troiano
Ross will show us Linear Actuators and how they can work better for some projects and even replace pneumatic cylinders in some applications. Plus Ross will show us examples of Scrim usage in haunts, both painted and non painted versions.

Ross works as a Project Lead in the theatrical and industrial scenic industry. From Broadway show sets (Legally Blonde the Musical) to Ballet (Un Ballo in Maschera) to large corporate stage shows (McDonald, State Farm Insurance) and Automobile Manufacturer Vehicle Unveilings (GM, Suzuki, BMW) and not to mention, Television News Sets for many major broadcasters (ESPN, ABC)

Haunting since his teenage years, Ross presently runs The Marshfield Boys and Girls Club Haunted House with the founder of the event, Beth Griffin. The haunted house is put on at the Marshfield Fair Grounds the weekend before Halloween and averages around 1500 people over that weekend. The Haunted attraction is fully staffed by volunteers from within the community with all the proceeds going directly to the Marshfield Boys and Girls Club. The event includes an outdoors haunted house, a less scary hayride for the younger ones - a little something for everyone.

What is Halloween – By Lesley Bannatyne
An illustrated talk about Halloween, its history and celebration today. Lesley Bannatyne is an author of four books on Halloween (all from Pelican Publishing). She is also a Boston Globe correspondent, covering stories ranging from local druids to Tibetan immigrants to bilingual education in Massachusetts. She co-founded the Studebaker Theater (1978) and is co-director of Invisible Cities Group (1990).

Lesley has shared her knowledge of Halloween on television specials for Nickelodeon and the History Channel ("The Haunted History of Halloween"), with Time Magazine, and has given talks at venues as diverse as the 2000 Halloween Convergence in New Orleans and the St. Louis Art Museum. She contributed the Halloween article to World Book Encyclopedia.

Visit her website: www.fas.harvard.edu/bannatyn

Give your prop some brains! – By Steve O'Connor and Geoff Varosky
The goal of this presentation is to de-mystify the process of using micro-controllers to automate and animate home built props. You will learn: What to buy - How to hook it up - Getting started with programming and more. Steve and Geoff will also pick a couple of volunteers and guide them in a hands-on demonstration of writing simple programs that can activate prop elements like pneumatics, servos, LEDs, and 110V items such as fog machine triggers and lights.

** Don’t be afraid! A few of us attended a small get together where Steve and Geoff tested out this presentation – it was great and by the end you WILL have a good understanding of micro-controllers and what they can do.

Steve and Geoff are the proprietors of the home haunting how-to site: www.GarageOfEvil.com

Mold Making and Casting 101 - By Victor Bariteau (AKA Halloween Zombie)
Victor will show off the basics of mold making and casting. Learn what materials are needed for the results you want to achieve and understand terms like: “one and two part molds”, “keying”, “resins”, “release agents”, “curing”, “undercuts” and more. The best part is, Victor will demonstrate how to make a one piece silicone mold and a foam casting!

Victor is Systems Administrator for State Street Corp. and has been Yard Haunting for 13 years in Fairhaven, MA. The past 2 years Victor has been learning from the likes of John Denley and Ed Gannon at SpookyWorld.

Visit his website: www.home.comcast.net/~v.bariteau

Haunter's Hangout - Please bring one of your homemade props, decorations, or special effects and be a part of the spooky show-n-tell. This agenda item depends upon your participation.

** Other information....

Dinner at the Capt's Waterfront Grill & Club after the Gathering!
For those of you who like to hang out with us after the Gathering, but are sick and tired of the, (sounds like 'ear-works'). This year we have a reservation at the Capt.'s Grill and Club (located at 94 Wharf Street in Salem, MA). We have the second floor reserved and there is enough room for all of us. We will need a head count by noon time the day of the Gathering to give them a heads-up. Hope you all can make it!

To look at their menu or just to see a picture of the place, visit: www.capts.com

Silent Auction to Benefit Team Halloween
** Last year we raised $660, let's see what we can do this year! **
Once again, some members will be cleaning out and donating their Halloween items for a silent auction to raise money for Team Halloween. Team Halloween is a charitable project, started by Mike Krausert of "Bad Boys Scenic Design & "Terror on the Fox" and "Nightmare New England" that raises money for cancer research & support. All money raised will be donated to the "Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition" (MBCC). So, bring some money, maybe you will find a treasure while contributing to a worthy cause!

For more information on MBCC, please visit: www.mbcc.org.
For more information on Team Halloween, please visit www.teamhalloween.org.

Door Prizes - We always have lot's of 'em because of our generous supporters. Remember, you don't have to be a business to donate a door prize. Whether you own a business or simply have a prize to contribute, the East Coast Haunt Club and Gathering attendees appreciate the donations. Please contact Pam for more info or to donate.