When I was a kid Halloween was a fun night to dress up and get lots of candy. We had a ton of kids in our neighborhood, so it was always a very lively night with friends and neighbors up and down the block. Some would even ask us to come inside their houses to make us show them a “trick” like doing a somersault or standing on our heads before we got our “treat” of whatever candy they were giving out. Halloween night didn’t really scare me, but I was afraid of so many other things then. Anytime it was dark I was afraid of the closet or the basement or under the bed. When we’d go to the mountains in the summer we would always make sure we used the outhouse before it was dark - otherwise we’d have to make the run from the back porch to the outhouse in the dark with a flashlight, and we were so scared that there was no way in the outhouse that we could accomplish any “relief”. As I grew a little older I liked scary shows and movies, but they would always really bother me and give me nightmares. I found the worst ones were the supernatural movies. They would really get under my skin. As I became a teenager I started spending much more time outdoors - especially in scouts with camping. I got rid of some of my fear then, but I can still remember one week with my troop when we came back a day or two early from a week of camping because we were convinced there was a Bigfoot in the woods where we were camping. One of the kids had claimed that he saw one outside our tents in the middle of the night, and another one said that a Bigfoot had pushed in the roof of his tent until it touched his head. We had told other supernatural stories earlier in the week, so we were primed for anything to scare us. By the time I worked in the mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in high school I was over most of my darkness jitters, and I would enjoy walking back from the evening campfires in the dark without a lantern or flashlight under the stars. Even at Philmont I think I did hear a ghost one night, but I’ll save that story for another time. Halloween has become a fun holiday with loads of decorations. We are in a pretty rural area, so we don’t get trick-or treaters. We still enjoy watching some of the classic Halloween movies though - especially in black and white. I hope you have a Happy Halloween with no frights!
——
What have I been up to?
I was so busy last week. Thankfully none of my senior facilities had to be cancelled because of COVID outbreaks.
My Wednesday show indoors at the Gold Rush Saloon in Pueblo turned out to be one of the most enjoyable nights ever. The upstairs balcony is a very cozy place to play with seating for just 22 people. The sound is good on the main floor too though, so people down there also enjoyed the show. I was having so much fun that I didn’t even think to take a break for 3 hours.
My Thursday online show doing songs about the wind was also a blast. There are so many good songs about the wind from “Mariah” to “Summer Wind” to “Windy” and we played them all! It was great to see so many friends.
My Friday online show doing Philmont songs was also well-attended and fun. It was pretty much an all-request show, and it felt so good to revisit such good times with good friends and music.
The Saturday retirement party I played was also wonderful outside with beautiful weather and good folks with great musical taste. Congratulations on your retirement, Mike!
My Sunday online show was also good although I’ll admit I was a little flustered in the beginning with a couple songs, but I eventually hit my stride and cruised through a bunch of favorites. We have such a great group of friends.
——
What am I up to this week?
This week will be a little less busy with 7 senior facilities and only two evening shows. Unfortunately I did have another facility have to cancel this week because of a COVID outbreak. It’s usually happening because of staff who aren’t vaccinated. I wish this hadn’t become a political issue.
My Thursday online show 7-8:30 mountain time will be doing Halloween songs. I know that Halloween will fall on Sunday when I’m doing another show, but I thought that a lot of folks might be busy on Halloween with possible parties and trick-or-treaters coming to the door, so I’ll do my show on Thursday with I’m sure a few more leftover songs on Halloween.
My Sunday online show 7-8:30 mountain time will be doing favorites and requests as always, and I’m sure we’ll do some Halloween songs too as I mentioned above. I look forward to interacting with my wonderful online friends who are so supportive and engaging.
——
That’s it for this week. I’m putting together a list of my favorite songs I’ve learned during the pandemic for an end-of-year show that should be great fun. More on that later. Be good to each other, and I hope to see you soon.
Best always,
Tom
——
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of Halloween songs
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Thursday, October 28, 7-8:30 pm mountain time
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of favorites
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Sunday, October 31, 7-8:30 pm mountain time
