A Hot and Sticky Florida Halloween? (Nah, let’s get creepy!)

I bet you’ll never guess why I love Halloween so much!

I love Halloween because of the season’s ability to motivate my middle schoolers to read and write! Most of my readers probably know that in addition to editing the Central Florida Top 5, I also teach middle school English.  Well, in between soccer practice and video games, my students have little time is left for reading, let alone writing! But, enter Halloween, with its doominess and gloominess, its eerie sights and sounds…yep, my students relish reading about it!

By reading Edgar Allan Poe’s creepy tales, we can create a bit of the spookiness right here in Sunny Florida.  By exploring the madness of H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories, my students can contemplate the undead roaming the earth once again.  And through Washington Irving’s writings, they can imagine a story book setting of scarecrows in the field and pumpkins lining the front porches of New England’s sleepy hamlets.

Yes, through literature we can escape our 90+ degree weather and pretend the leaves outside have already turned to a bright crimson or burnt gold and have dropped to the ground, leaving the bare tree branches to claw at the moon!

So, to celebrate the season on the Top 5 blog, I thought why not recreate a little of this magic for you, my readers… so, here’s a little gem of a short film based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” (More spookiness will be forthcoming as we creep towards All Hallow’s Eve!)

So what’s your favorite spooky tale?

October “Top 5″ and Other Worthy Events!

The “Top 5″ have finally been published and we were overwhelmed with the number of awesome events! Truly, there are so many great events in every category…we even had to add 2 categories to accomodate everything that is happening! Be sure to check out the seasonal events, which we foresee having as a category throughout January 1. We had so many fun Halloween themed events, that we actually divided them into month-long events as well as October 31 events. Be sure to choose the one that best fits your needs…and above all else, have fun!

Also, we have added my husband’s favorite category: Cars, Bikes & More. Here we have auto shows, motorcycle festivals, and even a “fly in” for plane enthusiasts. Definitely worth your time to check it out.

I will be blogging throughout this coming month about several charity-oriented events, which are always worthy of our time. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I have had two family members die from this terrible disease, so check back for several events supporting finding a cause. I will also be blogging about other worthy events.

And, a special thanks to everyone who has visited our website, become a fan on Facebook, followed us on Twitter…continue spreading word about the “Top 5″ because the bigger we become, the more effect we can have on helping to promote Central Florida’s quality events.