The Bay View Neighbor Association’s Pumpkin Pavilion will be held at the Humboldt Park Pavilion, 10/18-10/22.
It’s finally feeling fall-ish. Aside from the blustery winds and cooler temps, another hint is the over-the-top Halloween decorating throughout town. In my Bay View neighborhood there’s A & J’s Halloween House at 2943 S. Clement Ave. Now an annual attraction, the masters of this manor of the macabre have chosen a frightful theme perhaps inspired by the scary state of our current politics. A looming cathedral facade includes a ghoulish organist who has pulled out all the stops to accompany an unholy hearse drawn by a pair of skeleton horses and driven by a ghoul and his canine companion from the crypt. The demonic display is a hair- and fundraising effort. This year’s benefactor is Pathfinders, Milwaukee’s support organization for homeless and abused youth, including LGBTQs. They even have a handy collection box for donations.
Nearby Humboldt Park has erected its haunting homage to Henri Matisse’s La Danse in the form of several circles of dancing ghosts. The Bay View Neighbor Association’s Pumpkin Pavilion will be held at the Humboldt Park Pavilion. Pumpkin carving for the event takes place this week on Wednesday and Thursday and members of Milwaukee GAMMA will be there to join in the fun.
Halloween is a family affair, of course. The Milwaukee-based Miltown LGBT Families holds its second annual Halloween Bash at the Washington Park Urban Ecology Center on Sunday, Oct. 22. Founded in 2016, this volunteer group’s evolution is a testament to the power of social media and the reality of just how established the LGBTQ family actually is. Its founder, Laurie Marks, had the idea of starting a social group to connect LGBTQ families. Posting on social media, she just wanted to reach out and find others to share experiences and information. She had 75 requests to join the next day. Another LGBTQ parent, Joseph Brooks, helped expand the group to include family oriented social activities and the creation of a resource for families seeking LGBTQ friendly health care and other services as well as for coaching schools and other agencies about their particular family dynamics.
Meanwhile, Miltown LGBT Families has become the go-to organization for the region. It quickly connected with Cream City Foundation for financial support to help maintain the group and develop its programming. Today it boasts a membership of more than 500 parents and children ranging from toddlers to teenagers.
Its second annual spooky spectacular Halloween Bash attracts LGBTQ families from across the area. Promising a full afternoon of Halloween-themed fun for all ages, the event is hosted by Miss Dixie Cuppe. Beginning at 2 p.m., activities include pumpkin decorating, a costume contest with a variety of categories, including themed family costumes, a scavenger hunt and Halloween treats. Miss Dixie Cuppe tells spooky stories to complete the haunted holiday experience.
