CRANE POINT HOLDS FIRST ‘WITCHES IN THE HAMMOCK’

By
Alex Rickert
-
a group of people dressed up in witches costumes
A dozen witches dancing around a bonfire form Crane Point’s coven for the evening. First row, kneeling from left: Melissa Birmingham, Michelle Macoskey, Donna Nussenblatt, Charla Garrison, Leigha Fox, Darby Sheehan. Second row, standing from left: Taylor Marcialis, Bette Zirkelbach, Sherry Ivy Jones, Andrea Smiley, Kelly Vaughn, Sara Sloan.

A haunted trail holding everything from mummies to chainsaw-wielding sports mascots led to a haunted house with a coven of dancing witches at Crane Point Museum and Nature Center’s “Witches in the Hammock” on Oct. 22. Crane Point’s first attempt at the Halloween event was a resounding success,with more than 800 in attendance throughout the evening to enjoy games and the guided tour staffed by volunteers and Marathon High School Interact Club and Drama Club members. According to Crane Point CEO Charlotte Quinn, plans for next year’s event are already in the works. Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

Michelle and John Ludwig staff the ‘Duck the Buccaneer’ game.
Werewolves, monks, mummies and more were waiting for unsuspecting trail walkers on their way to the haunted house.
Someone call Sesame Street. Oscar the Grouch isn’t supposed to be hiding in the woods with a chainsaw.
A dozen witches dancing around a bonfire form Crane Point’s coven for the evening. First row, kneeling from left: Melissa Birmingham, Michelle Macoskey, Donna Nussenblatt, Charla Garrison, Leigha Fox, Darby Sheehan. Second row, standing from left: Taylor Marcialis, Bette Zirkelbach, Sherry Ivy Jones, Andrea Smiley, Kelly Vaughn, Sara Sloan.
A spooky crew awaits inside Crane Point’s Adderley House. From left: Mia Williams, Isabella Diaz, Isabelle Wiseman, Sophia Hutchins, Courtney Perez, Brandon Schott.
Pirate Kevin Salazar Wahoo, left, tests Sierra Shifflett’s pirate knowledge as she tries to avoid walking the plank.
Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR