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Pumpkins are carved on porches and the
Halloween candy is ready. That means only
one thing. Time to start planning for the
Festival of Holiday Trees at the Belleville
AreaMuseum.
Community organizations, individuals,
and businesses display decorated trees or
wreaths at the museumwhich has become a
focal point of the community's holiday cele-
bration, according to Museum Director
Katie Dallos. This year the festival will take
place from Nov. 20 throughDec. 29.
Dallos said that guidelines for the entries
require that each tree or wreath have a cul-
tural or historical holiday theme or one
which is representative of the organization.
Past themes have included an old-fashioned
Christmas, Santas, gingerbread men, straw-
berries, patriotic - red, white and blue and
many others. There are three categories for
trees, she said, floor-size artificial trees,
table top artificial trees, which can be amax-
imum of 3 feet in height and an artificial
wreath.
Wreaths must include a sturdy wire for
hanging, Dallos said.
“We ask that all trees and wreaths have
lights, since this adds to the beauty of the dis-
play. Please bring your own long extension
cord(s) labeledwith your name,” she added.
Entries must supply their own artificial
tree, a tree stand, lights, decorations, tree
skirt, and a decorative sign which displays
the name of the organization. Dallos said
the sign is great publicity for the business or
organization, as hundreds of visitors tour the
tree festival every year.
“Previous experience has shown that
open exhibits, such as these, are usually
safe. However, the museum cannot guaran-
tee absolute security and cannot be respon-
sible in case of loss or damage. Rare antique
ornaments are not encouraged. Waivers will
be required,”Dallos said.
In addition to displaying a tree, the muse-
um and historical society offer the option of
donating a fully decorated tree for auction.
The Silent Tree Auction has proved to be an
excellent way to raise money for museum
sponsored programs and events, she said.
This year, the auction will continue from
Nov. 20 until Dec. 11 and the trees will be
available for pick up beginning Dec. 12.
Those interested in participating in the
silent auction, please should the museum at
(734) 697-1944 or via Email at kdallos@pro-
vide.net.
“We will decorate trees Nov. 10, 13-17.
Each groupwill be responsible for setting up
and taking down its own tree. Wreaths will
be hung by museum staff. Entries may be
brought to the museum from noon until 4
p.m. Nov. 10, Nov. 14 through 17 and from 3-7
p.m. Nov. 13.
The entry deadline isNov. 9.
For more information, or to obtain an
entry form, call the museum at the number
listed above.
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
October 25, 2012
C
ANTON
- B
ELLEVILLE
Dr. Scream
Halloween magic show coming to Canton
Belleville museum prepares for annual Festival of Trees
Magician Keith Stickley, also
known as Dr. Scream, will return to
The Village Theater at Cherry Hill
for a special two-night engagement
just in time for a pre-Halloween
scare fest. In honor of October
being National Magic Month, Dr.
Scream takes to the stage to once
again revive this vanishing
American traditionwith a full night
of horrific entertainment.
Dr. Scream's Classic Spook Show
combines a live magic and illusion
show, audience encounters with
ghouls and ghosts, along with a cult
horror feature film. All this magic,
mirth, and macabre mayhem will
take place at Canton's Village
Theater, located at 50400 Cherry
Hill Road, Canton at 8 p.m. Friday,
Oct. 26 andSaturday, Oct. 27.
Once a staple in movie palaces
during the 1940s through late 1960s,
the Spook Show offers a hilarious
and slightly macabre evening of
magic, comedy, and campy horror
films. Doctor Scream and his
ghoulish gang of ghosts have recre-
ated the classic Spook Show expe-
rience to bring this form of enter-
tainment to new generations of
audiences.
“This is a really unique way to
have a fun time with family and
friends while celebrating all things
spooky and Halloween,” said show
creator Stickley a.k.a. Dr. Scream.
“It was always a priority for me to
try and make the show play to a
modern audience, yet retain the
very classic elements found in the
original shows. My aim was to cre-
ate a really entertaining throw-
back to the Spook Shows of yester-
year and introduce a whole new
generation to this genre. It's the
perfect night out.”
The show includes a Casper the
Friendly Ghost cartoon short and
Tod Browning's 1932 cult classic,
Freaks, which follows a love trian-
gle in a side-show circus, where the
greatest attractions are physically
deformedmembers of the show.
Stickley, who originally hails
from Detroit and has lived and
worked in Las Vegas, spent the last
10 years extensively researching,
studying, and recreating this large-
ly-forgotten formof entertainment.
This self-proclaimed theater-his-
tory buff learned the secrets of the
craft from the few remaining Ghost
Masters who toured the country for
years in the 1950s and 1960s. As a
magician and comedian, Stickley,
who now studies law, first learned
about this unique genre from leg-
endarymagicianRonBauer, who is
best known for his exceptional
slight of hand, and toured with a
real spook show in the 1960s as a
teenager.
“Hearing these stories about
spooky magic and illusions with
materializing ghosts that fly over
audience members' heads during
the blackout sequence, which real-
ly is the precursor of today's haunt-
ed house, inspired me to create my
own show,” said Stickley. “This type
of throwback to the macabre ghost
show of the past offers something
nostalgic that folks can share with
their kids and grandchildren - truly
a fun night of live theatre at a great
price.”
Dr. Scream's Spook Show is
clean, family fun but, due to the
nature of its content, it is not rec-
ommended for patrons under 12
years of age.
Parental guidance is suggested
as the film can be a little spooky
and theater lights will go off com-
pletely at some points during the
stage performance. Tickets are $15
each and are available online at
www.cantonvillagetheater.org or at
The Village Theater Box Office one
hour prior to show time. For addi-
tional information, call (734) 394-
5300.
Dr. Scream magician Keith Stickley