This month’s journal is kinda September part 2. Since Minnesota extended into October I didn’t complete everything that happened up there. Plus, I’m still pressed for time, it being almost November and all. As I stated last month things are getting really crazy with Decorating Elves and other businesses so I have to try to write as briefly as possible. My apologies in advance but December will probably be the same way.
The last real event in Minnesota was our fan club meet and greet. We moved it this year to the SkyDeck. It’s a new entertainment complex in the Mall of America. It was Jillian’s but they closed down a few years ago. Since they reopened under another name we figured it’d be a great centrally located spot for the gathering. It worked out great. I’d say it was our best gathering in Minnesota to date.
The SkyDeck was nice enough to set us up with a great buffet. Then we had bowling and game cards to look forward to. Bowling was my favorite. I don’t do it very often but I sure do enjoy it. After bowling I play several lively games of air hockey. Whew! After all those games of air hockey I was sweaty and spent. Holy crap that tired me out! Thanks to my worthy opponents. Sorry I had to kick your ass! LOL
After cooling off from air hockey I actually bowled one more game. I have to say it was quite a night. Thanks to all the Minnesota friends and fans! I can’t wait to do it again next year!
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After the meet and greet it was time for the last weekend of Minnesota. It was a three day starting on Friday. As I was getting ready to leave for fair I got a call from one of the entertainment director’s assistants. Apparently there was a fairly large fire raging thru three food booths near our stage. We didn’t even know if we were gonna be able to open. We did open but our side of the fair was closed, so we had to perform on the legend stage. It’s the stage where Puke and Snot perform. It was interesting being on another stage, but fun at the same time.
The rest of the weekend was back to normal, with the exception of the area that was fenced off due to the fire. Our last shows in Minnesota were amazing as always. The amount of crazy fans we have there are just insane. With 30,000 people thru the gate you can imagine how big our rated R show crowds are.
With Minnesota done it was time to work my way back to North Carolina. But first I had to stop at the Michigan show to pick up the balance of candle stock. It added a day to my drive but was necessary. While I was there I closed up the booth and put all the signage away. Everything has to look good for tomorrow.
As usual I had an uneventful drive to the Charlotte area. The final leg of the drive took forever! You know how it is when you’ve been driving for a while and just want to get where you’re going. When I rolled into town I stopped off at the festival site to drop some stuff off then headed to TGIFriday’s to check in with my friend Cory. He’s the GM there and the friend I stay with when in town.
Opening weekend was amazing! We had a record opening week for the Carolina show. I hope this trend keeps on going. The first 10 days in North Carolina are always tuff. We work Saturday and Sunday, have Monday off, then work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We then have Friday off and then work Saturday and Sunday again. It’s a rough 10 days! After that I’ll finally get to go home to Florida!
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After the long opening fest run in N.C. and a nice visit home we finished weekend number three. The fair is still running with good gates! I planned on staying in N.C. this week but a tantalizing offer presented itself. You all know what a fan of Halloween I am. (If not I’m a really big fan!) Anyway, two of the members of Barely Balanced and Jeremy and Katie (other fest friends) were going to Halloween Horror nights at universal studios. It just so happened that Sharon and some friends were going to the EPCOT “Food and Wine Festival” the same day. I have a plan!
So the plan was… Drive down with the gang from the fair, spend the night with Sharon and do the “Food and Wine Festival” in the am, then peel off and meet the gang at Universal for HHN around 6pm. The drive to Orlando took longer than expected. I’m just used to being the only one in the car and driving straight thru without stopping. But with 5 people in the car it definitely slowed things down a bit. No biggie, it just means there are more people to drive!
EPCOT was a blast…we had some great food, and great drinks. They give you this cool little “passport” that you can get stamped as you go from country to country. It was really a great event. We also stopped by Mexico to hit the new tequila bar. While there we did a couple attraction rides as well. They are always fun between cocktails.
Five o’ clock rolled around soon enough and it was time to go to Universal. I said goodbye to Sharon and friends (I’d see them later that night) then headed back to the hotel. I let the dogs out and then walked to Universal. I didn’t want to drive since there’d be more drinking. I just didn’t realize how far Universal was from the hotel. It ended up being almost 2 miles. After walking EPCOT all day my legs were now Jell-O. And, I still had a night of walking at Universal to go!
The Halloween Horror Nights event was great as always. Lots of fun Haunted houses, I think eight of them. Also, there were several “Scare Zones” where there were costumed creeps just lookin’ to jump out at ya. We also went on the Mummy ride, the Simpsons ride and the new Hollywood Rip Rocket Rollercoaster. The new coaster is a blast! It was a great way to end the night.
I think everyone had a good time. I went to the first 12 Halloween Horror nights before I missed one. They are up to number 21 this year. I think I’ve done 14 or 15 of them. Hopefully my festival buddies had a good enough time that we’ll make this a yearly pilgrimage.
That’s gonna do it for this month. Decoration Elves season is here and I’m getting buried with work already. My days in tights are numbered for the year so if ya want to see me you better get out to N.C. soon! Talk to ya after Thanksgiving!
