Page 7 - October 2023 e-Magazine

Halloween Fun Facts

October 2023

Joe Churilla in Alaska

A desire to see the natural beauty of America's last frontier is what drew Joe and his Jill Churilla to experience
an Alaskan cruise from August 15-28. Starting in Anchorage, the couple spent a few days in Denali National
Park before taking a train to Whittier to board their
Holland America cruise ship. From there, they stopped at
Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway,
Juneau, Ketchikan and then sailed through the Inside
Passage to Vancouver where they flew back to Orlando.

Booked through Dawn Celeberti
(www.timetogetaway.net), they experienced two
helicopter rides that included landing and walking on
glaciers, white water rafting, and seeing the majestic
scenery from land, sea and sky.

Halloween is a creepy crawly fun time of the year.
They described this bucket list trip to Alaska as “absolutely
majestic” and so much more beautiful in person than their Bone up on some fun facts.
photos convey. Indeed, they enjoyed it so much that Joe
and Jill plan on going back in the next few years.
• The first Jack O’Lanterns were made from turnips.
Joe’s Travel Tip: “If you go, make your trip a land & sea
vacation. You really need to see both.”
• Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.
Matt Durfee in New Orleans
• The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman”.

Matt and Denise
Durfee celebrated their • Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and
“8/2 Anniversary”
(8 years dating/2 years food to placate spirits who roamed the streets.
marriage) in the “Big Easy” of New Orleans over Labor Day weekend.
Having decided to devote every annual milestone of “togetherness” to • The average bag of candy that one child will collect on Halloween contains about 11,000
traveling, New Orleans was chosen as Denise had never been. Travel calories.
planning was very easy via the Bonvoy (Marriott) and Southwest Airlines
websites, with the latter
offering direct flights. • The first known mention of trick-or-treating in print in North America occurred in 1927
in Blackie, Alberta, Canada.
While jazz and Bourbon Street are well known draws to visitors, they
especially enjoyed the famous creole cuisine, unique shops and historical • “Halloween” is short for Hallows’ Eve”, “Hallows’ Evening”, or All Saints’ Day (November 1).
sites. On their first night, friends picked them up at their hotel and took
them on a tour of the historic and beautiful Garden District. Dinner • Scarecrows, a popular Halloween fixture, symbolize the ancient agricultural roots of the
followed with the legendary BBQ at Pascal Manale where Matt first –
and only – dined back in 1984! The very next night the couple enjoyed holiday.
one of their best overall dining experiences ever at Arnaud’s.
• Pumpkins are classified as a fruit, not as a vegetable.
A day trip to the Laura and Oak Valley Plantations also provided a
moving, powerful and solemn reminder of the contrasts of how the inhabitants lived both before and during the Civil • The least healthy Halloween candy is Candy Corn. Just 15 pieces of Candy Corn equal 110
War as well as for many decades afterwards. calories and 22 grams of sugar. The healthiest Halloween candy is dark chocolate.

Matt’s Travel Tip: “Stay in or near the French Quarter but away from the crowds. We stayed at the Westin with great
views of the Mississippi River and enjoyed relaxing in a nice, upscale and quiet hotel.” • Candy Corn was originally called “Chicken Feed.”

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