With the return of October's chilly air comes Cranford High School's annual Happy Hauntings fundraiser. It will be hosted by the class of 2011 class advisors Patricia Baer, Gregg Caverly and over 100 members of the senior class.
Now in its twelfth year, the Halloween touur has become a township tradition and one of the high schools' most popular fundraising endeavors. Dianne Maher, the director and founder of Happy Hauntings, said she is very pleased with how much the event has grown over the years.
"We began with a small, but loyal, group of parents who shared a love of Halloween and the desire to participate creatively. In those early efforts, we had little to work with, but to our surprise, we were a big hit in the Cranford community," Maher said.
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Maher originally sought to create the event in order to design a new, more proactive, style of fundraising.
"I had done choreography for children's shows for a number of years prior to this experience, and thought it might be unique and more interesting for the students to actually participate in fundraising – and not just sell things to that end," Maher said.
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With that, Happy Hauntings has become a creative outlet for students to dress up, apply makeup, and design props; but most of all, transform their everyday surroundings into something quirky and fun.
Over the years, Maher has gathered equipment to make Happy Hauntings a well produced extravaganza of Halloween magic. Professional sound, creepy lighting, plumes of fog, and real coffins are just a few of the details that make it so successful, she said.
Most important to the success of the event are the actors and supporters who have helped Maher put it all together: Robert Schott plays Dr. Frankenstein, Bill Snyder plays Igor, Dr. Frankenstein's assistant, and John Oliver and Howard Rood play The Village Idiots, who attempt to foil the Dr.'s efforts to create a second monster. Rocky Freda, another actor, helped with the music and costume design, while John Taggart, owner of Mr. J's, donated sandwiches for the cast and crew; Jaclyn Sinquette designed the advertising poster.
Happy Hauntings will run this Friday from 7 - 11 p.m. and Saturday from 6 - 10:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door, $5 a person.
