Friends:

After my shows, I rushed home so that Eliana and I could get ready for “Trick-O-Trunk” at our church. “Trick-O-Trunk” is a gathering of cars in a parking lot, decorated for Halloween. Instead of the children trick-o-treating from house to house, they go from trunk to trunk. The children don’t have to walk as far and because it’s run by the church, it’s a family affair with members of the church and the community. They also had games, a haunted hay ride, food, and a DJ. Here is Eliana the Pirate posing in front of a decorated trunk.

Eliana the Pirate in front of a Trick-O-Trunk - 10-31-08

We had so much fun! Here is a picture of our Pirate Family - Eliana, Dianne & Antonio. Argh, matey!

The Pirate Family - 10-31-08

On my way home, my stepdad, Clay, called me and said that he wanted to decorate his truck’s tailgate. It was soooo last minute. I arrived home at 4:45pm and Trick-O-Trunk started at 5:00pm! I rushed and put something together quickly, using my spooky backdrop. This is how it came out… not bad for a 20 minute rush job! It was the tallest “trunk” in the parking lot and the only haunted house!

Haunted House Tail Gate on Clay's Truck - 10-31-08

This is Eliana’s favorite Trick-O-Trunk, her “winner.”

Eliana's Trick-O-Trunk Winner - 10-31-08

Eliana had a ton of fun with her cousins, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jasmynn, and our friend’s daughter, Marie. Here are the costumed cuties…

The Costumed Cuties - 10-31-08

We all had a ball dancing. Eliana danced up a storm with her daddy, shakin’ it to “Suavemente.”

Eliana dancing with Daddy - 10-31-08

Here is Paw Paw (my stepdad, Clay) dancing with Camrynn, the princess.

Paw Paw and Camrynn dancing - 10-31-08

The kids played games, including “Mummy Wrap.” They won 3rd place, wrapping Marie with three rolls of toilet paper to the song “Monster Mash.”

Mummy Wrap Team - 10-31-08

Here is Eliana doing the limbo. Jack be nimble, jack be quick. Jack go under limbo stick… Limbo lower now!

Eliana doing the limbo - 10-31-08

It was such a fun night. Afterwards, Eliana spent the night at Nana and Paw Paw’s. Antonio and I went to the movies in costume! We saw Quarantine and then went out dancing for a little while. What a day and night!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

I had the pleasure of performing at Audubon Elementary in Kenner, Louisiana. I performed at the school last year and many of the students remembered me! When they saw me, they began singing my song “Peanut Butter and Jelly Jam.” My “Scared Silly” show began with grades 3-5.

Audubon Elementary Grades 3-5 Dianne performing Scared Silly - 10-31-08

The school was celebrating a Fall Math Fest so I was asked to add math to my show. For the upper grades, I adapted a Chinese Folktale called “The Magic Pot” and turned it into a Halloween tale about Mr. and Mrs. Dracula, who have a magic cauldron that doubles everything that is placed inside the pot. The story turned out great and the students really enjoyed the tale, especially the voices of the vampires!

Here I am performing “The Fifolet,” a Louisiana tale about a bogey from the bayou.

Audubon Elementary Grades 3-5 Dianne Performing "The Fifolet" - 10-31-08

At the end of the show, I had time for one more song so my 8 year old daughter, Eliana, who did not have school, joined me in singing “Shake-A-Shake Them Bones.”

Audubon Elementary Grades 3-5 Shake-a-shake Them Bones - 10-31-08

After I finished with the upper grades, the lower elementary came in - pre-school through 2nd grades. It was such a fun show. I started with performing an original story based on a Mother Goose tale. The story is called “The House That Witchy Built.”

Audubon Elementary Grades PK-2 Dianne performing The House that Witchy Built - 10-31-08

To fulfill the math request of my client, I wrote a new song for the lower grades called “Baby Monster.” Eliana helped me with the song. It was so much fun and turned out cuter than I had anticipated.

Audubon Elementary Grades PK-2 Dianne and Eliana performing Baby Monster - 10-31-08

Here I am performing “The Viper.”

Audubon Elementary Grades PK-2 Dianne performing The Viper - 10-31-08

There was a lot of audience participation with the lower grades. Here are some students helping Eliana and me perform “5 Little Ghosties,” an original Halloween fingerplay.

Audubon Elementary - Dianne, Eliana & students doing 5 Little Ghosties - 10-31-08

The show for the little ones ended with “The Ghost of Mable Gable,” which sent the audience and teachers rolling on the floor with its hilarious ending and then my song “Shake-a-shake Them Bones.”

Thank you to all the students, teachers, and staff at Audubon Elementary. I had a great time celebrating Halloween with y’all! A special thank you to Ms. Roques and Jeanne Castanza for always inviting me to their school. You rock!

Happy Tales to You!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne