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CHAMBER - BUSINESS OF THE MONTH
In 1971, Ramon Howard began the business of Howard's Home Improvement. At that time, he primarily installed windows, doors and awnings. In 1980, his son, Chris joined the business and they expanded the services that were offered. In 1982, father and son formed a partnership and for several years there was only the two of them working in the business and together they did just about any kind of remodeling work there was.
Today, Howard's Home Improvement employs 3-6 employees. The goal is to be able to provide enough work to keep them all working throughout the winter months.
Howard's Home Improvement specializes in siding and trim jobs during the summer months, as well as room additions, decks, and some roofing. They also continue to sell and install windows, doors and awnings. During the winter months the company moves indoors and provides remodeling services for kitchens, baths, or any other type of remodeling job.
For a full range of services offered, please call Howard's Home Improvement at (315) 548-8901 or call Chris on his cell phone at (585) 370-5016.
SIGN OF THE WEEK - 10/19/05
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Symbols of Halloween
(Provided by and Copyright © 2003-2005 Dana Cormaney. All Rights Reserved. Symbols of Halloween)
Bats - Large Halloween bonfires would attract a large amount of mosquitoes to gather and bats could often been seen swooping above the bonfires. This begins the earliest known association of bats with Halloween. Because they fly only at night and live in tombs and abandoned churches, bats are believed to be an omen of evil. Bats, particularly vampire bats, are associated with vampires as this bat is the only mammal that feeds on blood - thus developed the superstitious belief that vampires can take the form of bats.
Jack-o-Lanterns - Traditionally on Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns are placed on porches and in windows, in hopes that Jack, the nasty Irishman the lantern is named for, would take the light if needed, and not bother anyone. The pumpkin Jack-o-Lantern has been an essential part of Halloween celebrations since the Victorian days and today is a universal symbol of Halloween.
Black Cats - Black cats have been considered by many to be spiritual animals. They have been worshipped in many societies and are thought to have the ability to sense good and bad spirits. Western superstitions would have us believe that black cats have special powers, that they can represent spirits or even incarnated human beings, thereby linking black cats to occultism. On Easter and Shrove Tuesday during the Middle Ages, black cats were routinely hunted down and burned. Cats accused of being witches' familiars were also burned, and the color black is also commonly linked to the dark realm.
Ghosts & Skeletons - Ghosts are universal symbols for the departed. Skeletons and bones are symbols of death and the shortness of life. Samhain is a festival of the dead so it seems fitting that ghosts and skeletons would be used. It was thought that on this night of the year, the dead roamed freely on the earth, on their path to the hereafter.
Masks - A mask is a whole or partial cover for the face. The use of masks dates back to man's earliest history. Symbolic masks were devised to be worn during ceremonies of many ancient peoples. Druids wore masks on Halloween to ward off evil spirits, witches, goblins and ghosts. One of most commonly recognized types of masks is the false face. It represents another person or creature and made usually of papier-mâché or plastic and is most commonly worn on Halloween and Mardi Gras.
The Moon - In mythology the moon is often thought of as the repository for souls making the transition between realms. The moon has long been associated with death because of its cycles. Werewolves are said to be transformed by the moon during these cycles. Some astronomers believe Jack-o-lantern carving was inspired by the rising, orange October moon. Full moons and moonlit nights are often described as settings for scary stories.
Black & Orange Colors - Both colors have ties to the occult and masses for the dead, which are held in November. Unbleached beeswax candles were used in the ceremonies and are orange in color. The color black ties in with the black cloths that were draped over ceremonial caskets (death). Orange is also associated with the fall harvest.
Scarecrows - Known by different names throughout the world the scarecrow is commonly used as a means of scaring flying visitors away. They are usually dressed in ragged garb and mounted, crucifix style to a pole or wooden stake. Though the origins are unknown, they are associated with Halloween and the fall holidays in modern culture.
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Halloween Who's Who and What's What
Witches: "W" may come near the end of the alphabet, but witches lead the list as the all-time, best-loved Halloween creatures. Our word "witch" comes from wicca, an old word that means "wise one" or "magician." Witches were supposed to have magic powers that they used for such evil deeds as making people fall in love with people they didn't even like and casting evil spells on churns so they couldn't make butter.
Witches used to be blamed for everything - any mysterious disaster like sickness, water shortages, and princes who turned into frogs. Of course, no one thought witches did all these mean things by themselves. All witches had familiars.
Familiars: People believed that witches had companions or helpers called familiars. A familiar lived with a witch and made itself useful by collecting ingredients for evil spells, pulling up flowers from the garden to help the weeds grow, and changing the weather so witches would go out on only the stormiest nights. Whenever a familiar crossed somebody's path, that person was in for big trouble! The most popular familiar was a black cat - usually seen right in your path or on the back of a broomstick. Other familiars were toads, ravens, owls, and bats!
Bats: No Halloween would be complete without bats, and no self-respecting witch would be caught dead without at least a pair of the furry little creatures hanging upside down on her broomstick. Most people are scared silly at the sight of bats, but the truth is most bats are more scared silly at the sight of people! Very few bats are dangerous - except, of course, the vampire bat!
Vampire bats are only three inches long, but they have front teeth, pointed like triangles, that cut like a knife. Vampire bats will sometimes attack sleeping animals and made the animals sick. These bats got their name from - you guessed it! - vampires, make-believe creatures who are supposed to suck people's blood.
Count Dracula: The most famous vampire story of all time, Dracula, was written by a man named Bram Stoker in 1897. The book tells about wicked Count Dracula of Transylvania, who sleeps in a coffin all day (because he is dead!) and comes to life at night to attack innocent people and suck their blood. This gory story is supposed to be based on legends of a prince named Vlad Tepes who lived during the 1400s in Transylvania, a part of Romania. Vlad was known for murdering hundreds of people. For this he was nicknamed Dracula, which means "son of the devil" in Romanian.
Jack-O'-Lanterns: The Irish started the idea of lighting jack-o'-lanterns on Halloween. The lanterns were for a fellow named Jack, a very mean man. He was so mean that when he died, he couldn't get into heaven. But he had played tricks on the Devil, so he couldn't get into hell either. Poor Jack had no place to go. He just wandered around, carrying a lantern. The Irish called him "Jack of the lantern."
The first Jack-o'-lanterns were carved from potatoes and turnips, with tiny candles inside. When the Irish came to the New World, they began using pumpkins, as we still do today.
Trick or Treat: Poor Irish farmers were the first trick-or-treaters. Long ago, people believed that a huge cave opened every Halloween and horrible ghosts escaped. The ghosts were supposed to fly around all night playing tricks on everyone. On Halloween, poor farmers decided to ask rich people for food. If the rich people didn't give them any, the farmers played tricks on them and blamed the ghosts! When the farmers got their treats, no more tricks!
Apples: Apples have been part of Halloween ever since the Romans, long ago, gave them to Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees. As time went on, apple games became a part of all Halloween celebrations. In Ireland, people used to tie strings to apples and hang them from the ceiling. Everyone would stand on a chair, hands behind his or her back, and try to get a bite out of the apple as it swung back and forth.
The early settlers in the United States liked to bob for apples. They filled tubs with water, put in apples, and tried to catch an apple with their teeth. It was wet work but lots of good clean fun! To this day, it's hard to find a Halloween party or trick-or-treat bag without crispy, red fall apples.
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The Story of Halloween
Ghosts! Witches! Goblins! Black cats! Where did all these scary creatures come from, and how did they get to be part of Halloween?
Halloween probably began more than 2,000 years ago. An ancient people called the Celts lived in Great Britain, Ireland, and France. On October 31, they held the Samhain, or summer's end festival. It celebrated the harvest, which would feed everyone during the dark, cold winter. On Samhain magic was in the air. The Celts believed that, on this night, the ghosts of all the dead people came back to visit their homes.
The Druids, who were the priests of the Celts, built a huge bonfire out of oak branches on this special day. Into this fire, people threw food and animals as gifts to the gods. Some people wore costumes made from animals' heads and skins. After the festival the priests studied the ashes of the bonfire in order the tell the future for the next year.
After many years the Celts were conquered by the Romans, who brought their customs to Britain. The Romans held two fall festivals. One honored the dead, and the other honored Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees. The Romans thanked Pomona for a good harvest by offering her gifts of apples and nuts. The Romans ruled the Celts for 400 years and during that time the Roman and Celtic festivals were mixed together.
Soon the Christian religion spread throughout Europe. In the 800s, the Christian church decided November 1 would be All Saints' Day, and the night before would be All Hallow's Even (holy evening). This became Halloween.
The Celtic and Roman Halloween customs blended with the Christian ones. The church tried to stop the witches and their magic, but the people who believed in them met in groups and held witchcraft festivals called "Witches' Sabbaths." The greatest Witches' Sabbath of all was Halloween.
In Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, people were so afraid of witches that they burned huge fires to scare them away. Many farmers wrapped their pitchforks in hay, set fire to them, and waved them at the sky to burn the brooms of any witches who might be flying by.
After America was discovered a great number came from Ireland, and they continued to celebrate Halloween. Soon everyone joined in and began lighting jack-o'-lanterns, going trick-or-treating, and telling fortunes and scary ghost stories. People dressed up in costumes, just as the old Celts and Romans had, and they bobbed for apples, lit bonfires, and gave parties. People forgot the old reason for these traditions, and no one really believed in the power of witches or the ghosts of the dead. October 31 was now a happy day and a time for one of the great celebrations of all - HALLOWEEN!
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