‘Trail of Terror’

October 25, 2019 Carla Tizcareño Leave a comment

Well this is it, the spooky season. Now we’ve got to think about costumes and candy for the neighbors. But some of us like to go all out. Like haunted houses and mazes, and dressing up for this spooky time. Halloween is very festive, but my favorite thing to do is go to the “Trail Of Terror!”

On Friday, October 18th, I went there. If any of you don’t know, the “Trail Of Terror” is multiple different set ups of mazes. They have different people that dress up in scary costumes and makeup. The whole thing is near where the “Renaissance Festival” usually is.

During my visit I went through “The Maze Of Mayhem.” It has many people hidden throughout the maze. They jump out and scare! I think they did a wonderful job with this, but I feel that it was more suspense than anything and I think on my visit they were a bit understaffed but it was still fun.

I also went through the mini versions of “The Maze Of Mayhem” which are the trailers. They were a bit disappointing, they didn’t have many people to scare you.

The wait time gets longer and longer, about an hour after it opens. I arrived at 7:15pm and the line for “The Maze Of Mayhem” was not bad but after we left the maze it had almost twice as many people as it did when we were in line.

I got in touch with the marketing team and asked them a few questions about “Trail Of Terror” so here it is:

How many staff do you have return year after year?

About 70% of our staff returns each year and the rest are new people who want to get involved!

Are there emergency exits for the people that are too scared?

There are emergency exits for people who decide to leave the haunted houses before the end. In “The Maze of Mayhem,” there’s somewhere to exit around almost every turn.

Do they ever open an art contest for scary art, or other contests for new ideas?

Some years there are “Trail of Terror” mural competitions where people can submit murals and earn a free ticket.

What is the average age of people that go?

Teenagers and adults are the main demographics that we see, we don’t see young children here very often.

Do staff do their own makeup or is there a makeup team?

We have a team of one professional makeup artist and some volunteers that do makeup for the entertainers.

How long does the prep, dress/makeup take each day?

It can take anywhere between 1-2 hours for full hair, makeup, and costume preparation.

What requirements do you need for the job?

You must be over 14, have the desire to act and be scary, and the ability to stay in character!

How long have you been hosting this?

This is our 26th year of “Trail of Terror!”

Who started this tradition?

“Trail of Terror” is hosted by an events company, Mid America Festival, that also puts on the “MN Renaissance Festival.”

Were there any challenges in starting this?

The biggest part is transitioning from “Renaissance Festival” to “Trail of Terror.” While they are in different areas of our grounds, there is a lot of work to be done with closing down the “Renaissance Festival” and beginning “Trail of Terror.”

Anything else you want to say?

We have other fun promotions going on this year as well.

This is the last weekend that you can attend! So, have a great Halloween, don’t get too spooked.

If you plan on going:

Location: 3525 145th St W, Shakopee, MN 55379

Prices are Online Tickets: $18.95

Box Office Tickets: $23.95

Times: it opens at 7pm and closes at 12:30am.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Predator’ (1987) review

October 25, 2019 isaacbas 1 Comment

Image taken from: https://www.howtorecycle.co/are-kleenex-boxes-or-puffs-tissue-boxes-recyclable/

Predator was released in 1987, and made $98.7 Million in the box office. It become an 80’s classic with tons of memorable quotes and scenes. This movie is one of my all time favorite movies and here’s why.

The story is about a crew of hard and tough expendable men, run by a man named Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who are called in on a rescue mission in the jungle. Unfortunately, they are too late. They then find out there’s something inhuman in the trees hunting them down. It’s up to them to survive in the jungle and fight the creature off until the chopper arrives.

The writing in this movie is very well done. Especially for an 80’s movie because it holds back on the cheesy lines and cheesy jokes. It obviously has that vibe due to its certain camera angles of the characters muscles and the way the speak. But a majority of the movie is very well written for the era.

Which brings me to the acting, the acting is very well done, and each character is unique in some way, and you can easily pick a favorite character. Every character has a response that feels genuine and different for the situation.

The writing in the the movie is really well done because the first 45 minutes is more of an expendable action movie. But the rest of the movie is a somewhat thriller and almost horror. They have the watcher get into something they do not expect.

The action in this movie is used only when it needs to be, which makes it even more unique. When there is action it is very enjoyable and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Overall, I give this movie a solid 10/10

Advice/How To

How to avoid getting sick at school

October 25, 2019 kylieepeterson Leave a comment

School can be a difficult place to go for five days every week and when the season of sickness comes around, it doesn’t get any easier. Here are a few tips to help you avoid getting sick, or a few precautions to follow to prevent others from catching viruses that travel around the school.

Get enough sleep. It has been scientifically proven by scientists and conducted experiments, that individuals who get more sleep are less likely to get sick from a simple cold or more complicated virus. But why? Nobody is exactly sure, but sleep, especially for about eight hours, offers a sort of protection from the day to day common cold lurking just about everywhere in a busy place like school.

Wash your hands. I think it is common knowledge that washing your hands is an important thing to do because it gets rid of the germs on your hands. But, making sure you wash your hands regularly, especially during the school months, is very important to avoid getting sick.

Everything you touch throughout the day most likely has been utilized prior to you being there; a prime example being the desks we use. So, please wash your hands for the sake of your own health and everyone else’s.

If you are at school when you are sick, take precautions to prevent contaminating other students. If you are sick you know how awful and fatigued you feel constantly for days on end. So, if you are sick, everybody, including your fellow peers and teachers, would appreciate it if you could cover your mouth when coughing, cover your nose when you sneeze, and throw away your own tissues. These minor actions could prevent others from catching the same sickness and save them the hassle of being a sick mess for a week or so.

Stay home if you are sick. Lastly, if you believe you should stay home because you are sick, then you most likely should. Nobody knows exactly how you feel, meaning you have the best opinion of the right solution for you. Also, missing one day of school is not going to ruin your whole school career. It would help everyone, including yourself, to rest for a day so you can come back feeling better.

If you do get pushed out the door in the morning, when you know that school is not a great idea for the way you are feeling, the nurse’s office is always open and a great place to go to figure out what is going to work best for you.