It is a truth universally acknowledged that if one is in that rare Venn Diagram overlap of “Devout Tori Amos Fan” and “Totally an Extrovert” it is practically one’s duty to organize a pre-show EWF meetup (& I’m quite sure I’m in quoting the from the wrong fandom…) 😆
Therefore, I have organized one again for this year, starting at 4pm. The venue for meetup is the patio at Lord Hobo, 2 Drydock Ave, Boston. I have reserved the patio of Lord Hobo for 20, but they want me to call if we will be a bigger group than that, so please make sure to RSVP on the Facebook Event page or by emailing me.
I organized a pre-show meet up for Tori Amos’s Boston last year, and it was so much fun nerding out with my fellow Ears With Feet (nickname for Tori fans) 🤓🥰🎹
See you all soon!!! 💙💙💙
PS I’m crossposting this all around so you might see it a bunch ☺️
A Virtual Field Trip to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA
In October 2021 I went up to Salem to the Peabody Essex Museum to see their exhibit, “The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming.” Even on the first week of October, Salem is WILD. It’s a lot like being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I love it, but if you’re crowd wary, take note.
Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, I have put together a “Virtual Fieldtrip” for those of you who didn’t make it up to Salem, Massachusetts to see the exhibit for yourself. It ran from October 2021 to March 2022.
Part One: The Reckoning and Reclaiming
The first slide show has artifacts of the accused, primary source documents from the time of the Witch Trials, and a timeline. It ends with a featured couture gown from the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2007 line. He dedicated that show to his ancestor, one of the accused, named Elizabeth Howe. The gown was made in her honor.
Part Two: Major Arcana, Portraits of Witches in America
The second slide show captures another part of the exhibit, titled “Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America.” This section featured photographic portraits of modern American witches such as Starhawk, Pam Grossman, and Juliet Diaz. It ends with a quote from M. Macha Nightmare, “A Witch is a mover and a shaper who draws power from the natural world and from within herself.”
Halloween Friday Flea & Witches’ Night Out Market at Farm Fresh RI
The Witches’ Night Out and Friday Night Providence Flea held events throughout the summer and fall of 2022, and I was fortunate enough to make it out to two of them.
The Halloween event was bustling and buzzing to the brim of vendors and attendees coming together in witch comraderie, as well as showing off some fantastic Halloween costumes. To get a sense of the magickal occasion, see my Instagram posts below.
Witches of Northern Rhode Island and All Over New England Celebrate the Premier of Locally Filmed Hocus Pocus 2
The long awaited sequel to Hocus Pocus, Hocus Pocus 2, premiers this weekend. It was filmed in my backyard, practically. Ha! Well, filmed in nearby Lincoln, East Providence, and a block from my old apartment in Federal Hill.
(Side note: it’s silly to have my main graphic be Hannah Waddingham and not the Sanderson Sisters, I know. But my love of Ted Lasso only grows, whereas And Just Like That has diminished my devotion to SJP and Sex and the City. Hahaha. Anyway, that’s why Hannah gets pride of place!)
Hocus Pocus Happenings in Rhode Island
To commemorate the occasion, Rhode Island is chock FULL of celebrations and tributes. And there’s a lot of great stories of people who worked on the film some way or another.
Blackstone Valley Events
Super sad that the BeWitched and BeDazzled Event at Chase Farm is sold out! It is going to be AMAZING! If you’re lucky enough to somehow get a ticket, I hope you have a great time.
However, 1 mile away from me, the delectable Wright’s Dairy Farm is having a special Hocus Pocus menu for the occasion, so I can pop by and check that out!
A while back I used to volunteer for Front-of-House duties for Boston-based burlesque shows sometimes. One of the best costumers and burlesque performers I know, Robyn “Femme Brulee” Girgosian, was the official Costume Sparkler for the Sanderson Sisters’ costumes. How freakin’ cool is that?! She posted about in on her Facebook account in a public post. Read all about the intricacies of the costuming at her post: https://www.facebook.com/thefemmebrulee/posts/pfbid035MjXvRDLjHosV45LKCdH9Cp8nPLFgpCtKuPpQLKC7ohUTZYMMrdDkQhwTDaa8eS1l
Enjoy the Hocus Pocus Focus This Halloween Season!
If you’re a fan of the original and excited about the premier of the sequel, I hope you enjoy the magic of the Hocus Pocus premier weekend!
It’s teeny tiny and tucked away but it’s rich with history and intrigue. The VooDoo Museum is just a few rooms on Dumaine St in the French Quarter, but there’s a lot to see in all the nooks and crannies from ceiling to floor. I recommend it as a unique New Orleanian attraction.
VooDoo Museum – Lady of Czestochowa
I don’t know exactly how I heard about the VooDoo Museum. A few guidebooks do mention it. I did not go in as someone spooked by voodoo, though.
It was 2013, and I was just settling into realizing I was a neopagan (a solo practitioner, pantheist, eclectic who observed the Celtic pagan holidays, to be exact, as I define myself now.) So I went to the VooDoo museum with more reverence and a desire to learn about the history of this practice.
New Orleans Voo Doo Museum – Banner Fabric Artwork, Man with Snake
When you first walk in to the little museum, the person at the front desk may have a large snake around them. That was the case for me. I think the guy wanted to shock me. But I’m a snake person. Heck, I’m going to the VooDoo Museum, you know?
Anyway, you give your admission and then you can walk through the rooms. Though it is small, it is packed from top to bottom with artwork, offerings, altars, and exhibits.
About VooDoo practioners and cemeteries
There is a small gift shop. I bought something, and I have to tell you: it worked. I bought some gris gris (talisman). A blue little bag, for wealth. I was on unemployment and only partially employed at the time. Later in the month, I got two full-time job offers. Coincidence? Maybe. But I still have my gris gris, and I’m still grateful for the fortune it may have brought me.
