Photos (from left to right): (1) Rosemary Ellen Guiley (2) Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson (3) Lesley Pratt Bannatyne (4) Halloween pumpkin ghost

Is there anyone out there who can't relate to the special thrill of Halloween? From nostalgia for the salad days of Trick or Treat to the millions of ways both adults and children celebrate the holiday, Halloween seems to hit all the buttons. October 31st is the one time of the year when vampires can come out of the closet, so to speak, and do their thing without fear of being staked--or worse. All Dracula fans know this, so why has it taken the Vampire Empire so long to officially pay tribute to this very relevant holiday? A couple of reasons come to mind. (1) It was not until recently that the trio of Halloween experts (see above) were able to coordinate their time and energy to making this special chapter a reality. (2) With the recent expansion of the Vampire Empire (formerly The Count Dracula Fan Club), of which the Halloween Connection is a division, we found it possible to devote quality time to this very exciting unit. We are indeed anxious to share our passion for this ancient Celebration of the Dead with members of the Vampire Empire and others who wish to join us. (See: http://benecke.com/vampire.html)

THE HALLOWEEN CONNECTION collects non-fiction books, how-to-magazines, buttons, seals & stickers, masks, humorous seasonal vampire and Dracula greeting cards and other items associated with the holiday. We recommend books and we gladly give specific directions to those who wish to see the Annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. History, folklore and Halloween customs appear in the club's quarterly newsletter...PLUS we put you in contact with other organizations dedicated to this fabulous celebration. For those who join as Associates of THC, there will be a special Halloween Sweepstakes, with prizes both large and small, befittiing the season.

We consider ourselves fortunate indeed to have the above-mentioned personalities in charge of THC. Lesley Bannatyne, author of HALLOWEEN: AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY, AN AMERICAN HISTORY (Facts on File, 1990, Pelican Publishing, 1998) and A HALLOWEEN HOW-TO: COSTUMES, PARTIES, DECORATIONS AND DESTINATIONS (Pelican, 2001), Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GHOSTS AND SPIRITS, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE STRANGE, MYSTICAL AND UNEXPLAINED, VAMPIRES AMONG US. etc., and Jeanne Youngson, who masterminded the project and is very much into ghosts and other creatures that terrify us in the night.

There are so many fascinating aspects to this wonderful holiday. Did you know, for example, that the first written mention of Trick or Treat appeared in 1939? Some of our moms and dads went from door to door in costume with their little makeshift bags, happy to get an apple or orange and perhaps some candy. (Best of all, in those days there was little if any fear of razors, pins or poison in their loot.)

And did you know the most popular Halloween costume for adults at the turn of the century was to dress as a witch? That the first Halloween Parade for adults was held in the late 1930's--in San Francisco? These days Halloween is finding an audience in the most unlikely places. Imagine a costume party in the Republican Club in Moscow, where our hero himself greets patrons at the door and drinks are served by skeletons to the sound of music from Tarantino's vampire movies? Kids Trick or Treat in Sweden (much to the horror of Lutheran Church leaders), people appear as vampires or witches in Thailand and even in New Guinea, folks dress up like ghosts and vampires and ride around the countryside on the tops of fire engines. In Day-of-the-Dead-land, especially Oaxaca, Mexico, there is a special Halloween parade for kiddies who dress up in all kinds of costumes and carry balloons around the town square. At night they join their parents in cemeteries, paying homage to the dead .The best of all possible worlds. Just the tip of the Halloween iceburg, dear friends, just the tip.

If you are a registered member of the Vampire Empire and wish to become an Associate of THE HALLOWEEN CONNECTION. just let us know at our special e-mail address: halloween145@hotmail.com. For information about joining the Vampire Empire, once again the web site is: http://benecke.com/vampire.html.

For information (web sites & e-mail addresses) of FRIENDS OF THE HALLOWEEN CONNECTION--including the Annual Halloween Alliance Conference, please contact: robertqclark@yahoo.com. While you are at it, please see our other sites: http://www.benecke.com/stoker.html and http://www.phantasm.mynetcologne.de/issga.html

Postscript: Attention all Animal lovers: Here is our mascot, George Siameezer, sniffing a haunted pumpkin. The ghost, who hates being sniffed, is quickly departing the scene. (Can you see it?)