“Locally New England:” Spirit Of The Season

Fellow New Englanders – it’s almost Halloween. Time once again to enjoy refined sugar, pumpkin spice, 13th world frights, pumpkin trail fun at Roger Williams Park Zoo, pumpkin carving, and everything that is so nice about the spookiest holiday. “Locally New England” considers it our mission to offer you a glimpse at some of the season’s highlights.

Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular: Carving Family Halloween Memories

The Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular has become hugely popular through the years. If you have somehow missed this favorite event, then this is the year you must treat yourself to a stroll down the pumpkin trail, bearing witness to several thousand carved jack-o-lantern faces; some scary, some funny, all amazing! It truly is hard to digest that artists can transform a simple pumpkin into one of your favorite athletes, historical figures or celebrities.

LNE hosts Meredith Gorman and Joe Guarneri previewed the event for this week’s show, and spoke with Stacey Johnson, the Executive Director of the Roger Williams Park Zoo. Johnson is particularly excited about “the really intricate artwork carved into the surfaces of some of these (pumpkins). I was just walking through,” he said,” and I saw a da Vinci painting on a pumpkin!”

He also believes guests will love this year’s trivia theme in which folks are asked trivia questions as they move along the trail; questions they may find the answers to hidden throughout the pumpkin path.

This year also boasts the addition of Spooky Zoo, a daytime event in which kids can come costumed and trick or treat right in the zoo. Certainly, the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular has something for everyone and can be enjoyed by the entire family. After all, as Stacey Johnson observed, “Halloween is fun for all ages.”

13^th World: The Ultimate In Fear – Times 13!

There’s nothing like a good scare to get the blood flowing, especially at Halloween time. 13^th World has been frightening the bejusus out patrons for more than two decades now. The popular haunted attraction, co-owned by Rich Valliant and Zeke Fortier, has returned for their biggest and scariest Halloween season yet!

13^th World inserts visitors into 13 new terrifying situations every year. Co-owner Rich Valliant explains, “We didn’t want to be stuck to one haunted attraction or type of theme. We wanted to be able to be creative and give our audience a bunch of different themes.”  As nervous patrons advance through the trail, they slip from one nail-biting reality to the next. As you would imagine, once someone has completed the 13^th nightmare, they are nearly ready for an asylum (perhaps a hint to one of the 13 worlds?).

In addition to horror, creativity is the word at 13^th world. Take the Slay-mas scenario, which has evil infiltrating Santa’s elves at the north pole and wreaking terror and havoc; you can’t get weirder and more horrifying than that!

Co-Owner Zeke Fortier points out one of the most terrifying aspects of the attraction; 80 actors are stationed on the trail all set to intensify the experience. “If you’re a runner, they’re going to chase you. If you’re just walking through, they’re going to be in your face, they’re going to be talking to you, they’re going to be trying to say things that do scare you.

LNE visited the Rhode Island trail and can verify it is certifiably terrifying. Join Meredith and Joe for a spine-chilling preview on this week’s Locally New England,” and be sure to have a safe, happy and spooky Halloween.

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Tune in to “Locally New England” to view these segments.  Catch Meredith, Cheryl and Joe on YurView, Cox Channel 4…