(THE St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
By
Halli Moore
Alida Bowden AKA Countess Alida Von Wicked is a dynamic woman that puts on a show at Halloween where neighbors, friends and even strangers, through word of mouth form a line blocks long to get into the graveyard and the haunted castle she creates.
This is a work of joy to this woman who espouses that nothing is too much for her to accomplish. AND accomplish she does! Every year Alida’s residence is transformed into a medieval castle haunted house and an eerie graveyard complete with tomb raiders, grave robbers and various other creatures of the night to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There is no charge to view this amazing show, but donations are accepted; and everyone does.
Each year for the past three years, the exterior of the house becomes a medieval castle with doors that open to elaborately staged rooms featuring a walk-through several different rooms, which feature haunting themes. In the past they included a Vampire’s Lair, a Zombie Banquet, a Haunted Swamp and a Gothic Inner-Sanctum.
The Mad Scientist’s Laboratory will be this years’ haunt complete with giant electrodes and bubbling plasma tubes. From there you go to the dungeon where the cells show the ghoulish residents rotting away. Of course, this is when they are not scaring the visitors. This all happens on Halloween night when the donations are accepted for St. Jude’s.
A Halloween aficionado, Alida’s passion for the holiday has become a community event to support the work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “The Hospital’s mission is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of founder, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.”
Volunteers act as the various characters that haunt the house on Halloween night. They are local residents, neighbors and students. This year Quota International Boca/Delray Service Club is also participating in the event.
All photographs by Eugenio Wilman of Emotionworks
For additional information e-mail Countess Von Wicked at a_bowden@bellsouth.net
As Alida says, ”Hauntingly yours,” Halli Moore.