Our First Annual Vampire Ball

 

This past Saturday night, Northwest Arkansas goths hosted their first annual vampire ball at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville--and what a great time it was! 

As is usual for our events, there was a spooky assortment of creations and wares created by our community's artisans, which were readily available for purchase. While deejays usually provide the musical entertainment for our events, the music Saturday night was provided by four bands, which included Little Rock's Clusters of Fornication, Jonesboro, Arkansas' Skull Family, and Stare Away from New York City. The musical headline for the evening was none other than Rosegarden Funeral Party, which hails from Dallas, Texas. 

I have long wanted to see/hear Rosegarden Funeral Party live, and it finally happened Saturday night. Most importantly, I got to meet the band's front woman Leah Lane in person. She's an incredible vocalist, songwriter and guitarist as well as a just amazing person. She simply invited folks to hang out with her after the band's set, and well, how could I refuse? It was truly an honor to be able to meet and talk with her.

   I had a great time hanging out with friends, and danced a good part of the night away. The photo below shows a few of us waiting for things to kick into gear.

Finally, I couldn't resist having a photo taken of Leah and myself. 

A couple of things that struck me about our vampire ball was the attendance. Ordinarily goth nights have been held in smaller venues, including last July's Goth Prom. On that night the venue was packed with people, many of them seemingly baby bats. This might have had something to do with the decision to find a larger place for the ball, and it's a good thing the organizers did, because there was a big crowd at George's Majestic Lounge on Saturday night. We were both astounded and encouraged by the attendance. It would seem that there are lots of younger people, baby bats perhaps, that are embracing the darkness. Further, even Leah from Rosegarden was impressed by our community, which was very flattering indeed. 

Coming up next is Horror for the Holidays in mid-December. If I'm not mistaken, this will be the fourth annual Horror for the Holidays. I'm really looking forward to it. 

Our first vampire ball was a huge success with great crafts, music, and a good time was had by all. I would like to thank The Gloom Collective, The Goth Tea Society, Bone Church Jewelry and Death Mistress Sarah for organizing this event. 

All photos by K. Kiera

Halloween 2025

 Hello all! It's been several months since I've posted here, but Halloween is approaching so I thought that I would at least keep up my tradition of providing some vintage Halloween illustrations, just to help you the reader get a little more in the mood. With everything that's going on the the world, I find it increasingly difficult to feel it. The veil between the worlds may well be growing thinner, but it's taking more effort to eliminate the distractions so that we might sense the spookiness of the season. 

There's just something about photos like the above that bring back the days of my own childhood. Back then, images such as the above were the products of the imagination of the artist. They were in line with how Halloween was viewed at that time, and not computer generated. Here we see a young girl dressed as a witch while carrying a Jack O' Lantern in a cemetery. She holds a broomstick in her left hand as ghosts and bats swirl around her. 

This one, called "A Thrilling Halloween," found itself on the cover of a post card. Black cats were a big part of the imagery back in those days, and it's interesting to note that they're being carried by flying Jack O' Lanterns rather than on a witch's broomstick. 

The illustration above strikes me as being very old. It contains just about everything I considered Halloween to be about back in the day as it includes ghosts, Jack O' Lanterns, ghosts, a full moon, black cat and what appears to be a skeleton with a pumpkin's head. 

Creator: solarseven | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Here we have either a young girl or a witchy Jack O' Lantern stirring something up in her caldron. Considering that a cat is staring down from a tree branch, I prefer to think it might be the latter. After all, anything can happen on Halloween night. 

This is simply a unique image. Were it simply a faceless pumpkin surrounded by flowers and greenery, I would think that it might be more of a Thanksgiving display, but with a bat flying above the Jack O' Lantern and a skull situated just to the side of it, I'd definitely say that it's a Halloween image--and quite old!

Well, there you have it: this year's Halloween images. A Happy but spooky Halloween to you all! 

World 'Goth Day 2025: Visiting Sally

I have to admit it: World Goth Day snuck up on me this time around. I had planned no get togethers, and I don't know of anything happening in the goth scene around my neck of the woods until we have a goth prom, which will happen in July. So, what's a guy like me to do on a day like this?

I'll answer by saying that I'm very fortunate to have cemeteries right outside my front door. So, I went to visit Sally's grave. If you've been following this blog, you might remember that I have mentioned Sally and her grave at least a couple of times over the past several years. As a matter of fact, I did a story on her back in 2021. At the time, I had found her grave well decorated and had wondered how the owners of the cemetery would react to the attention lavished on her. 

My answer came when I visited after the owners had done one of their regular cleanups. All of the decorations had been removed, but things didn't stay that way for long. Visitors have once again lavished this mysterious person's burial site with gifts and enhancements, but these too were eventually removed. 

On today's visit I found this.

 

It might not be much yet, but the process has begun once again. A celebratory bottle, candles, and a piece of stone that someone had bothered to inscribe her name upon speaks volumes. Not only is Sally not forgotten, but her life continues to be celebrated. 

I know that, from the beginning, I have had an attachment to Sally and her burial place. Perhaps it's because no one knows anything about her that so many want to keep her memory alive. Perhaps it's because she was strong in spirit, or perhaps because her spirit still roams East Mountain Cemetery at night. What I do know, however, is that those who decorate her grave remain unknown to me. While I see visitors entering those burial grounds in general, I never see them by her spot. She is located somewhat back from the cemetery entrance, however. In any event, the continual visits and decorations are fascinating to me, and I do believe that in some way or another, Sally lives on. 

Happy World Goth Day everyone!