Event #2687

Día de los Muertos

Mt Laurel Park, 1175 Piketown Rd, West Hanover Township, PA

Registered Boxes: All Traditional HH/Cootie/Flea Postal LTC Event Box Traveler Other

Starts	Sat October 26, 2013 12:00pm
Ends	Sat October 26, 2013 11:30pm
Owner	Ralph Spoilsport
Admins	Ralph Spoilsport
Signups	53/∞
Location	Mt Laurel Park, 1175 Piketown Rd, West Hanover Township, PA View Map
Add to Calendar	Google calendar ICS file (e.g. Outlook, iCal, etc.)

Description

Hiya, Friends!

The Day of the Dead and Halloween are very different holidays. Both have roots in the mingling of ancient, indigenous customs with the Christian festivals of All Saints and All Souls. But while Halloween has always had much to do with darkness, and danger, and even a little bit of eeevil, Dia de los Muertos is about bright colors and marigolds and sweet foods and celebrating the lives of our loved ones. I'm not saying that this isn't a Halloween party or that folks shouldn't wear costumes or bring event boxes with spooky themes. But while we're celebrating the wonderful art and customs of the Day of the Dead please remember that it is not simply "Mexican Halloween."

More details will follow. For now, suffice it to say that I have dibs on La Catrina!!! Natch....

Remember - it's 110% kid friendly!!

If you have any thoughts or questions, or if you might want to lend a hand, just give me a yell.

Boxes

The details are still sketchy, but there will be at least one set of traditional plants--El Camino de las Calaveras. And some of my pals might have more in the works themselves....

UPDATE: The "traditional" plant will most likely be on the site of the event. I would love to have it on a real trail but I can't find a good location...somewhere that's close enough not to be a hassle and long enough to host at least nine boxes.

Location, Location, Location

It's the same place as last year: Mt. Laurel Community Park. The site was just too cool. For anybody who wasn't there, we'll have a large indoor space with an attached kitchen, much like a church social hall, in addition to tons of pavillion space, a playground, a fire ring, and a stage.

Food

Kaypendragon had a fantastic suggestion that ties together Día de los Muertos' traditions of food and honoring our loved ones: If you're thinking about bringing a covered dish perhaps you could bring a favorite family recipe! If you do, please consider making a little "table tent" that tells the family story of your dish. I've long thought about turning Grandma Fry's lemon sponge pie into an LTC. (Maybe I will!!!) I can say with the utmost respect that a buffet table could be a great place to honor the joy and warmth that we've shared with our loved ones, including those who have moved on.

Times

The event is posted as starting at noon, but I'll be there setting up by mid morning, so feel free to drop by whenever. The nice folks who run the park tell us that we can stay as late as we want, so I'm hoping there might be some folks who would like to kick back around the fire pit, toast some s'mores, and roast some wieners, well into the evening.

As for a schedule.... I'm much less focused on a schedule of events than I was last year. The best part of these events is having time to visit with our boxing pals. Which is not to say that there may not be a thing or two happening at a specific time. I'll keep ya informed.

Entertainment

Don't forget that we'll have a stage. If anybody has any thoughts about something to put up there on it, please let me know.

Stuff to bring

Your boxing gear and your own bad self, natch. Maybe some camp chairs. Maybe some outdoor games, like ladder golf or washers. Wood for the fire.

The patch!!!

There's an official patch for Dia de los Muertos!! Don't be the only chump what don't gots one!

I will be bringing the patches to the event - you can buy 'em there!!! They're three bucks a pop, and then you're entitled to a special stamp.

Special thanks...

...to Treasurehonas for helping me with my Español and coming up with some fun translations.

et cetera....

As the date draws nigh, please remember to review the clues for personal travelers, event boxes, and whatnot. F'rinstance.... I'm planning on bringing the Obi-Juan Kenobi box I made for Red Cruzsader's Star Wars event back in the spring. I remember that a lotta Ralphketeers didn't realize that it was a two-sided stamp, although that had been made very clear in the AQ listing, and there were fairly detailed instructions for how to do the inking and stamping. Also... please remember that different folks have different attitudes about their travelers. Some might be shared like tabletop boxes, but others may come with specific expectations...with strings attached.... Yeah... I've got a lot of the latter... and it wouldn't be fair to the folks who did all the nonsense to earn them if I just started giving them away, now, would it?

(c) 2012-2013, a Ralph Spoilsport Joint

Oct 24, 2013: Hiya, Friends!!
It's getting close to game day! The weather is looking good... cool but clear.
Again... if anyone has any fun outdoor games, please consider bringing them.
Also... there's a good number of new folks signed up... for some it's their first event. Let's get ready to welcome some new buddies!!!!

Oct 25, 2013: Dia de los Muertos
The weather forecast for to-morrow changes every time I look. The forecast temp hasn't changed, but now it's looking like it will be windy.

No worries!!!

Don't forget that we will have a substantial indoor space, with many tables, much like a church social hall.

Signups

Total signups:53