Nightmare On Chicago Street 2016

Well being sick last week didn’t turn out to be a complete bust! Feeling much better this weekend meant we were able to go to Nightmare On Chicago Street and they added Butch Patrick as a Meet and Greet guest this week!

This was our first time going to Nightmare on Chicago Street. We first heard about it when I was networking at Walker Stalker Con. A woman working their booth display was interested in having me be a vendor when she saw me walking around with my Carl Grimes zombie. I decided not to vend it and scope it out first this year. We had an absolute blast. They had 3 stages of live entertainment, tons of food and drink vendors. The zombie apocalypse themed streets were literally one giant Halloween Party. We decided not to wear costumes because I wanted to be comfortable with being sick this past week. I decided to rock my Team Edward shirt along with my Lily Munster bat necklace. Festive in it’s own way. However now we are already talking about what to dress up as next year ha ha.

The hi-light of the evening though was meeting Butch. Not just because of giving him my art or the fact he is THE Eddie Munster. But because he was genuinely a really cool guy. Him and his wife are such laid back and friendly people. It was really an honor to get a chance to talk and meet them both. He loved my shirt and pointed it out right when we walked up and shook his hand. He introduced himself and asked us what our names were. It was like meeting a new friend.

When I showed him my Vroom! Vroom! Eddie portrait he got a kick out of it right away. Her read it and then started to do the lines from the Hot Rod Herman episode and showed it to his wife. He was very appreciative when I told him that it was drawn for him and that he could keep it.

After we took a photo with it they put it on display right next to his table. I am always honored when the celebs I meet do that.

Then we went to buy an autograph and he told us that since I brought him a gift he wanted to give us a thank you gift. He gave us a 2nd personalized autograph photo as well as a stand up Eddie display which he also signed for us.

I had an old vintage ornate frame that was perfect for the Munsters group photo so I framed that today and put it and the stand up Eddie display on our shelf of Munsters memorabilia. I specifically picked out the black and white Eddie in the drawer photo to match the black and white Wednesday Addams cemetery photo Lisa Loring autographed for us years ago. Going to get a frame and hang them next to each other.

A complete turnaround from last weekend. Still sad we missed the big hearse show (which we told Butch what happened and he asked us about our Frankenhearse and told us about another hearse show he has coming up) but could not be happier that things turned out the way that they did. Last night was a perfect evening.

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

Inspirations: Finally meeting the monster man himself… Cleve Hall

From my previous posts you all know I have always had mad admiration for and supported the work of Cleve Hall and his daughter Constance. They have been in the monster making industry for a ton of years before SyFy’s Monster Man. However, they were the first to bring monster making into our homes (on our television sets). They showed the world the importance of making hand made creations vs always going with CGI to bring monsters and horror movies to life. When it happened it was a huge breakthrough for dark artists everywhere. It not only supported us but gave people a better understanding and opened some minds to the idea of what dark art is all about and why we love what we do. It also gave younger audiences inspiration of what they can be when they grow up..if you love drawing monsters and don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer.. draw monsters!  I wish so badly there was something like this out there for me when I was younger that showed me the outlets of a career I never knew existed.

This is actually part of the conversation I had with Cleve last night… in PERSON! I finally got to meet him and even though I thought I was going to have to stand in line like everyone else as a part of a meet in greet it actually happened quite differently and rather perfectly. You see we brought Frankenhearse out last night to the Dupage Haunted Halloween Flea Market (very cool event!!) and ended up being asked to put it on display in front of one of the buildings. Needless to say it was a huge hit with the people attending and the promoter Bob was very happy we brought it.

The coolest part of the night though was when we walked away for a while and came back to find Cleve (a big hearse enthusiast) checking out Frankenhearse. Frank was like “Babe I think that’s Cleve by the hearse” We ran over and he was right! I walked up to him and introduced myself and immediately he knew who I was and gave me a big hug. He told me that the Cleve mini zombie head I made him is doing great and sits by his TV. That of course made my day…. month… year! The man is a monster making legend and MY creation is on display in his home! I am still smiling. The greatest part is he had time to kill before judging the costume contest in the building right by the hearse so Frank and I got to have a really nice conversation with him and actually hang out.

We talked a little about the show as I know that is something people probably talk his ear off about. I just told him that as an artist my appreciation for them doing the show was it gave me a behind the scenes glimpse into the creative process. To be able to see how they worked to create something from an idea turned into a physical thing that came to life on set blew my mind. It was the closest thing to me being able to experience that myself and I was grateful for that.

A very special thank you to Cleve for taking the time to talk with me and making my first time at the Halloween Haunted Flea Market such a memorable one! It’s not very common for people to get to meet those who inspire them in person. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity and even more so for the one on one time with such a legend.

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole