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The Legend of the Rosa Witch

In the early 1800s, William Wolcott moved his family from North Carolina to California, the area we now know as Sonoma County. They settled in the small town of Jose Ramon, which later became Santa Rosa. Wolcott purchased some land and a small hotel his family soon called home. The Wolcott's had three children: the eldest Billy followed by Dennis and Tracie whom they called by her middle name Aileen. Over the next several years William acquired more land, increasing his holdings to 472 acres. A number of acres were used for pumpkins and grape vineyards. The townspeople took a grand liking to the Wolcott’s and appointed William as the county marshal for many years.

On a day like any other, William Wolcott was inspecting his pumpkin patch that grew behind the hotel, when he saw a figure in the middle of the patch. As he approached, the figure took shape of an elderly woman hunched over as if she had been snapped in half. Wolcott called out to her with no response…As he was easing closer to get a better look, something startled him and his gun shot off. The woman pointed at him and vanished into thin air. Wolcott thought he may have had too much to drink and was imagining things…until after dinner. That evening, the Wolcott family heard "beating" sounds on the outside walls of the hotel.

The mysterious sounds grew louder and more forceful as each night passed. Wolcott and his sons often hurried outside to catch the culprit but always returned empty-handed. In the days that followed, the Wolcott children began waking up frightened, complaining that rats were gnawing at their bedposts and something was pulling their bed covers off them. Soon, the Wolcott's began hearing a faint whispering voice that sounded like a feeble old woman singing hymns. The encounters first became violent when the Wolcott’s youngest daughter Aileen was brutally attacked in her sleep. She awoke to what seemed to be a woman in a rose colored dress fleeing out the window. The Wolcott family could no longer keep this a secret. William decided to share what he began calling the Rosa Witch with his closest neighbor and town blacksmith, Bryan McCully.

McCully and his wife Jennifer spent the following night at the Wolcott Hotel. They quickly experienced the same terrifying disturbances that the Wolcott’s had. After having bedcovers removed and being beaten McCully sprang out of bed, exclaiming, "In the name of the Lord, who are you and what do you want?!" There was no response, and the remainder of the night was relatively peaceful.

The following day, Wolcott and his son Billy went hunting in their western acres which remained unexplored. They came to a clearing and an old rundown shack. Wolcott went inside to find the remains of an old woman in a rose colored dress. The shack was full of bones and other strange wicked looking items. Wolcott made no hast declaring to his son Billy that this was the home of Rosa Witch. With the help of his son, Wolcott burned the old shack to the ground hoping this would rid them of the Witch forever.

Burning the shack angered the Rosa Witch more than ever and that night vowed to kill Wolcott. She kept her promise. A few days later Wolcott started experiencing episodes of violent twitching and shacking throughout his body and it became difficult to swallow. By the fall of 1810, his declining health had confined him to the hotel. William Wolcott took his last breath on the night of October 2, 1810. The family surrounded his bed and as they stood by his side a small vial of rose colored liquid fell to the floor. The Rosa Witch’s loud shrill could be heard all over town cursing "Death to Old Man Wolcott!" Billy quickly threw the vial into the fireplace, where it burst into a bright, bluish flame and shot up the chimney.

William Wolcott's funeral was one of the largest ever held in Sonoma County. All the townspeople attended and as they began leaving the graveyard, the Witch laughed loudly and sang a song about haunting the town and bringing evil to all. Story has it that she sang until the last person left the graveyard. On the night of October 31, 1810 the Witch visited William Wolcott's widow Cassandra, and told her she would continue to haunt and bring vast evil upon the townspeople and her family. The Rosa Witch kept her promised. She continued to haunt the Wolcott family and the townspeople. Rumor has it that when the harvest moon aligned with the pumpkin patch behind the hotel, the greatest evil spread across the land. The pumpkins came alive and the town people went mad, having witch hunts and mass hangings. The last record of this was exactly 100 years ago in 1910.

This year, 2010 marks the 200th anniversary of when the harvest moon aligned with the pumpkin patch. William Wolcott’s direct descendants still live in the region that was haunted by the Rosa Witch in Sonoma County. The closest living direct descendant of William Wolcott is Me, Bill Wolcott. The spooky part is, my wife’s name is Cassie (short for Cassandra) and it just so happens we live at 472 Jose Ramon Avenue in Santa Rosa California. Is this a coincidence?? Who knows? It happened to my ancestors and the townspeople in the 1800’s and again in the 1900’s…maybe this year you will experience the Witch and all her evil when you Trick or Treat on our street, Jose Ramon Ave. Hold that thought for now…and see if the truth comes alive…

Pleasant dreams!

Review of the Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Gradyville, PA

Tucked away in a tiny, suburban corner of Delaware County, Pennsylvania is Arasapha Farms. For the past two decades, owner Randy Bates has turned his land over to the dark side as it's transformed into The Bates Motel.

The attraction actually includes three separate features-- the corn maze, the Haunted Hayride and the Bates Motel itself. The corn maze is no typically tepid, "can you find your way out?" silly maze... This one is a walk-thru' horror fest complete with both state-of-the art animatronics and "live" action actors.

The folks at Bates spare no expense-- something which can be readily scene in their attention to fine detail. The sets aren't thrown together like you'd expect to see in most haunt attractions... far from it. The owner is a skilled carpenter and builds his sets by hand-- even going so far as to add details like hand-crafted molding around the ceiling of the motel. Those small touches make all the difference. Rather than being constantly reminded that you're walking through a cheap facade, prop or set, the Bates Motel attraction creates the unsettling feeling that you're walking through a very real house-- albeit one that's possessed with a plethora of the dead and undead.

The corn maze and Haunted Hayride are must-see features as well. New this year is a car wreck with an actual exploading gas pump and a gruesome animatronic werewolf scene that has to be experienced to understand its shock value.

You can read my full review of the Bates Motel here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1110115/halloween_happenings_the_bates_motel.html

Free Halloween Story Contest - $250 Grand Prize

Free Horror Story Contest
$250 Grand Prize
WorldWide Alliance of Writers, http://www.wwaow.com/, an on-demand self-publishing bookstore, is launching a horror writing contest on http://www.publishyourself.com/.
The top 10 stories (by vote count) will be included in a compilation book that will be published on WWAOW.com. Top 10 winners will receive a complimentary copy of the compilation book. Winner receives $250 and a printed copy of their book.

Submitting is easy. Just create a Free Account, http://www.publishyourself.com/contest/create_account.asp and then follow the step by step instructions to upload your work.

Good luck!

Free Halloween Story Contest - $250 Grand Prize

Horror Story Contest
$250 Grand Prize
WorldWidAlliance of Writers, WWAOW (pronounced "WOW!"), an on-demand self-publishing website, is launching a horror story writing contest on www.publishyourself.com.
The top 10 stories (by vote count) will be included in a compilation book that will be published on WWAOW.com. Top 10 winners will receive a complimentary copy of the compilation book.

Submitting is easy. Just create a Free Account on www.publishyourself.com and then follow the step by step instructions to upload your work.

Haunted House in Your Garage Halloween Party!

This Halloween you should think of doing something off the wall. Don't just have a regular Halloween Party with the costumes and refreshments. Why not have a Haunted House in your garage? It is really easy to do and not that expensive. Oh, I guess you can spend alot of money,there is nothing wrong with that, if you have it to spend, and want to. You could really get elaborate with the robotic, radio controlled and mechanical haunts or you can have just as much fun without the expense by using friends and homemade items for simple haunts that create a big scare.
        Start with a clean garage. Make a sketch of what you would like to have in it, like a cemetery, etc. Use this sketch to make a list of things you will need. One of the things you will need is black plastic. This can be purchased at Lowe's. It works great to make temporary walls or a maze. Finish making this list, then buy or make what you will need.
        You will also need a few friends to volunteer to work/play in the haunted garage. This is usually not a problem, because they will have alot of fun doing this.
        Once you have bought or made the haunts, figure out where you are going to place them in the haunted garage. Then tell the friends or let them choose the haunt or scare they will be doing and have them "dress the part" for the haunt or scare. Let them use their imagination on how they will scare the people coming through the garage.
        A couple of nights before the "Haunted Garage Party" you will need to put up the walls or maze for the haunted garage. Set up the haunts that need to be constructed. Add lighting such as black lights, and strobe lights. Blue lights work well in cemetery scenes. Scary sound tracks are also good to use.
        And that is all there is to it. A great and different Halloween Party that will be talked about for along time. It may even start a tradition. Someone different could do a Haunted Garage the next year. That way everyone can have a turn and see how creative they can be.
        By the way, you can still have refreshments after everyone has gone through the Haunted Garage. I have made a Haunted House in my 2 car garage for a Halloween Party and everyone had so much fun.

A Mahjong game with a theme for HALLOWEEN :)

Hello,
I worked very hard on a Mahjong game with a theme for Halloween! It would be cool if you could test it. It is higly polished so I'm sure that you won't be disapointed. Moreover I have composed an excellent Halloween music with my Mac!
Regards, Bernard.

Link: http://www.in-poculis.com/site/mahjong.html

New Halloween Group in AZ!

Greetings to all my fellow haunters, “Especially”
those of you who reside in ARIZONA…

I’m posting to this list today to announce something
“Real special” for all of you Arizona Haunters… I
invite you all to please join me in christening the
“AZ Halloween & Special Effects Association” Please
follow the link on the bottom of this message, click
on the “Discussion Forums” tab at the top of the page
and then create your account so you can join in on all
the fun...

SO COME ON AZ HAUNTERS GET YOUR HAUNT ON, JOIN
TODAY!!!

I’m looking forward to getting this group moved to the
next level with Make & Takes, Zombie walks and other
fun, fun events…

Haunting Regards,

Specter

www.azhsea.com

Tales from the Carnival

Little Snow Pixie

The little snow pixie went out to play,
she was stuck inside all day.

Inside her lonely world where no one really cares,
people are cold as ice in how they stare.

Stare into her beautiful hazel eyes
for they will find a pleasant surprise.

Her heart is pure and fun and her hair glistens like the sun,
not giving up hope, she is set forth to find the one,

The one who will accept her for who she is,
full of emotions and fun as a little kid!

Roll into the snow and then make a large ball,
add two more and what is it called?

Tis a snowman so pure and heavenly white,
he will add plenty of smiles to everyone's delight!

Add a carrot, buttons, hat, scarf and coat,
he looks so handsome, she laughs and gloats!!

Lie in the snow and spread out those arms and legs,
make a snow Angel, she pleads and begs.

But no one is a kid at heart.
There is no one to play with, from the start.

Tease and torment her that they do,
her heart is now broken, where is the glue?

Little Snow Pixie sat on the frozen ground,
lonely is she, no one else is around.

Warmth from the, sun gives her hope
climbing a little farther, she pulls on the rope,

A rope to a new adventure in her life,
where she will be loved and become a wife.

A wife to a man who adores her to death
and who makes her laugh, until her least beating breath.

So play in the snow and make a mess,
just be sure to be warmly dressed.

Reaper

Come before thee and let me see thee, said the man in black.
Do you want to die instantly or hang on, several days, from a heart attack?
The man gulped in fear from his visit with death's door, the Reaper Man.
"No, no, no" the man shook and cried, "please, please, please don't let me die!"
The Reaper laughed his evil sound as no other living soul was around!
"Tis time to depart this world in which you live, you can't truely love and have nothing more to give" yelled the Reaper!!
He swung open his black cape and he took a stake and rammed it into the man's heart. He took his soul and brought him back home to what is known as HELL!
Fire and heat, misery not sweet, is what the man is doomed to feel.
For he has hurt enough people, making them cry and making them squeal!
Justice has been paid to several people that day, when the death of the man was announced!
Joy and happiness overlapped many, making them want to pounce!
Pounce and reclaim life and ever lasting love, many thanked the man, up above!
The Reaper laughed as the man rattled and rolled, in the chains of life that he stole.
Stole from those who had hearts of gold and who will now live happily until they are too fragile and old.