Dead , Really Dead...

As I headed out Hwy 27 in Monroe County on the El Día de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead) November 2nd I thought to myself I'll just have to stop at the Halloween town, Melvina, population 104, 5 miles north of Cashton,  south of Leon home of the "Witch of Melvina."

I had wanted to post this last Halloween but forgot...
and thought I posted it later but couldn't find it almost like my efforts. I'll explain...

What I discovered was not the sights I had experienced on previous stops.  Let me backtrack. You see one resident, a self professed Druid, Israel Shvhi V. Magdalene Rose, born Laurie Jean, must 'really' like Halloween since she purchased almost an entire block to create her own personal Halloween year round.

Perhaps a bit eccentric and you had to wonder how the neighbors felt, maybe they had something to do with what now remains.... ( hey I lived across the street from the Witch of Fox Point in Milwaukee)

You might say Israel had transformed anything that didn't move into her Halloween palette... but then again even vehicles with wheels were also adorned.  An article written back in' 08 spoke of her desire to have open a mystical store with its profits would going to help needy children in the area. ??? If this came to fruition I have no clue but Israel had lived with 2 wolves as pets who now at home in a wildlife sanctuary and her Russian doberman attacked her and had to be put down. Not that's scary.

Anyhow, this entry will have to be a dedication to the Witch of Melvina since the scenery has changed as I discovered this past weekend. Gone are the vehicles, gone are most of the garish buildings. GONE are the brightly painted trailers. Demolition had begun. Concrete pieces and garbage littered the lots around the remaining buildings and whether strong winds helped topple some of the make shift construction/a wrecking ball/, Holy Ghost Town USA is a mere shadow of what it once was.

My pics from past visits are all that remain of one person's vision of her own personal Días de los Muertos. Long live the memories of one person's dreams albeit a bit out there...

Yep her Mom's estate allowed her to purchase 5 pieces of property on the same block. There must have been money left in the bank safe originally later replaced by a mailbox where donations were accepted.

Whether donations were minimal, the store didn't make it or the townspeople won out/ a combination of all the above, all that remains are some very tired buildings and a mess.

Yep, there's a reason we live in the middle of nowhere right here in the End of the Rainbow Valley...