One Industries Thursday Rev Up

October 30, 2008 12:19pm | by: Andy Bowyer

Hello everyone and welcome to the Rev Up. As we sit here on the eve of the weirdest day of the year, I’m reflecting back on those uncomfortable days in grade school when you had to think of something cool to be for Halloween. Back then, it was so simple. You were either Dracula if you were a dude, or a witch of you were a girl – unless you were a motocrosser.

Between first grade and high school I dressed up in my motocross gear probably ten times. Halloween was always a strange holiday to me, and I still don’t get it. Back then, there was a legit purpose. It was fun to get dressed up to go fill a plastic jack-o-lantern full of free candy. Now a days it’s a lingerie show/freak fest where everyone gets hammered out of their minds. I’m not sure what makes me more nervous.

In grade school we would get all dressed up and go on a parade through the old people’s home so they could see us in our cute costumes. It always scared the hell out of me to see all of the really, really old people sitting in their wheel chairs drooling and pointing at us. One time I accidentally stepped on the toe of a poor old man with my Hi-Point motocross boot and I don’t think I’ll ever get the gargled moan of pain he mumbled out of my head.

I think 5th through 8th grade was the worst. You aren’t old enough to celebrate Halloween the adult way, but trick-or-treating was “for kids.” My pals and I would still dress up a little and trick or treat. Hell with it, candy is candy and we got to get out of the house. This ended in 6th grade when we were on our way back home and got jumped by a bunch of long-haired Hessians in a rusted out El Camino. They shoved us down and stole our candy then did a smoky burn out with their middle fingers out the window. And people ask me why I have an angry disposition at times…

Things haven’t gotten any more comfortable as an adult. I’ve spent the last three Halloweens here in Morgantown, West Virginia, and man, I have to tell you, it is something to see. It’s typically 40 degrees but the girls dress like they are on their way to Rehab at the Hard Rock in Vegas. The guys, well, I’ve seen some costumes that were just too sketchy to speak about here in the Rev Up.

People wander around aimlessly and the only constant is everyone is heavy into the hooch. Two years ago I was a pirate and last year I was phantom of the opera. There is just something extremely unsettling to me about being in a costume and partying. On November 1, 2007 I woke up almost threw my bottle of vitamin water through the bathroom mirror when I saw I had heavy black eye make up on.

{LINKS}The Racer X party is at Timmy and Jessie Coombs’ house and the whole gang will be there. I suppose it’s time to go back to the old gear bag! Or maybe I’ll stay in and watch old Terrafirma VHS tapes?

Happy Halloween, guys. Be safe and have fun.