Happy anniversary to HALLOWEEN.COM (okay... .biz)

[Andybev01]

August 30th, 1994.

What were you doing in 1994?

3 Decades.

30 Years.

7.5 leap days.

5 Presidencies.

10,950 days ago this Friday.

The top grossing movie in 1994 was the Lion King, and #1 song was 'the Sign' by Ace of Bass.

More to the point, way back when, someone had the idea to stick a metaphorical toe into a little puddle called the world wide web, and launch something he named 'Halloween.com'. and gave me, and many, many other aficionados of the creepy and kooky, a virtual place to hang out and discuss all things orange black and purple, and anything wicked that came our way.

30. Years.

I'd be hard-pressed to think of many sites (aside from gargantuans like MSoft) that have endured the passage of so many Halloweens, but I am eternally grateful that this one has.

Time did throw us a slight curve however, and if this reaches as many members, past and present as I hope it does, we're still here hanging out, but now at halloween.biz , not .com.... .biz.

So, new address but ( pardon the pun) the spirit lives on.

I hope you will drop by and wish our founder a happy anniversary or if you have passed on, perhaps you could look over our collective shoulders and recall happy times of the years gone by.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, past, present and future, and happy thirtieth anniversary to Halloween.biz. (.com)

[Murfreesboro]

That is quite something. In 1994 we left Virginia and moved to Tennessee. Our daughter was not yet a twinkle in her daddy's eye. My mother was still alive, as were all my aunts and uncles. Thirty years is a big chunk of a human lifespan.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY EVERYBODY!

It's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since Halloween.com was launched, but here we are! The world was a very different place back then, the internet was something new, and nobody could have guessed that it would eventually become a part of our everyday lives in the way that it has. This website was there at the beginning, long before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon, and even though it underwent a location change recently, it's still standing strong!

Full disclosure, I joined this forum because of Mike, I would read his posts and saw how passionate he was about the holiday and knew right away that he was the type of person that I would get along with, and sure enough, the first night that I posted in the forum he made me feel like I had always been a member here, and I wish that he was here to celebrate with us.

Since then I have made some great friends here, and I've come to think of you guys like my extended Halloween family. There's uncle Mike, aunt Murf, distant cousin Andy... twice removed , and somewhere in there is in-law MauEvig. I appreciate each of you in different ways.

Murf - I have truly enjoyed the many in-depth conversations that you and I have had together, it is a absolute pleasure to know you, and I'm honored to call you my friend.

Andy - He is the heart of this forum, he keeps this place alive, and he will still be haunting this place long after the rest of us have stopped coming around. The forums would be dead without him. Also, he and I are the only people here that understand each other's Simpsons and Addams Family references, so I guess that gives him a excuse to still talk to me.

MauEvig - I know that we are still getting to know each other, but I enjoy talking with you, and I look forward to learning more about you. BTW, I still want a autographed copy of your book when you get it published.

For any other members, old and new, that are here for the celebration and you don't know me, stick around and you might just make a new imaginary friend.

Now that the mushy stuff is out of the way, we can get this party started! So put on some Halloween music, grab some virtual cake and balloons, and join in on the 30th anniversary celebration!

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[TheHeadlessHorseman]

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[Andybev01]

I don't need an excuse to talk to you or anyone, and it's probably others that need one to get me to shut up.

I love the Linus meme.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Damn, I think that I scared everybody away, maybe it was the cake? Sorry about that Andy. But guess what?

*TAG*

You're IT!

I'm going out of town on business for a few days, so you're going to be IT until somebody else shows up... if anybody shows up. Stay safe and healthy my imaginary friends.

[Andybev01]

I'll be down here, waiting.

[Murfreesboro]

Lol

No, you didn't scare me off, Headless. I thought what you wrote was very sweet. I've just been kinda busy the last few days. If you've taken off for Labor Day weekend, enjoy!

The cake looks fabulous, BTW.

[MauEvig]

Happy Anniversary Hallowee.com/.biz!
This is really exciting, connecting people over 30 years that celebrate the wonderful holiday of Halloween! It's totally Spooktacular!
30 years ago I was...9 years old. School was probably around the corner but hadn't quite started yet.
30 years ago in 1994 my parents went through a divorce so there was that. But I did get introduced to the Nightmare Before Christmas that year. We didn't have the internet until a few years later.

[Andybev01]

I had been in Northern California for 5 years in "94, chasing dreams of Silicon Valley riches and making friends who turned out to be more valuable and long-lasting than any pieces of pretty paper that I had or would collect.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Man, I can't believe nobody else showed up for the anniversary.

Oh well, hopefully I'll still be around for the 60th anniversary, I'll be 73, and if my math is correct, Andy will be 87, and Murf will be 100.

Of course, by then everyone will probably be communicating by wifi implants in our heads.

Andy - I was wondering, what did you work on while you were in Silicon Valley? Did you design hardware/software, or cyber security, or write coding, or were you on the corporate side of the industry?

Anyway, I just wanted to stop in and check how you guys were doing, I've been unbelievably busy and there have been lots of interesting developments going on, I will be back to tell you about it when I have the time to sit and type it out, everybody stay safe.

[Andybev01]

I was admin, office management, and took jobs at companies that did interesting things.

One developed hosted offsite storage before somebody coined the term 'cloud storage'.

Another was a lab that created photovoltaic technology, using C.I.G.S.-based 'paint' that could be applied to just about anything; roofs, cars, clothing...you name it.

The most boring, albeit secure, was a R.E.I.T. that had a steady paycheck and an outstanding compensation package.

When I finally escaped California and moved back to the P.N.W. it was more of the same, sales at the local CBS affiliate and then eventually retiring from my position as Cemetery Administrator at one of the most beautiful boneyards you ever would see.

I was never on a traditional career path, it was all about the varied experiences, and meeting interesting people.

Administration is not hugely profitable but the skills are transferable, and allowed me to pick and choose from a wide array of work environments.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

As they say, variety is the spice of life, and it seems like most of your experiences were good, and you met some great people along the way, so if you look back at it fondly, and you're happy now, that's what matters.

[Andybev01]

Amen brother.

[Murfreesboro]

I didn't want to open another thread, but I thought this was interesting. My google feed just showed me an article from China about the suppression of Halloween in Shanghai. In the past it's been allowed, but last year some people masqueraded in politically "sensitive" costumes, so this year the govt is cracking down, at least in certain areas. One woman complained her 6 yr old son hadn't even been allowed to wear a pirate hat.

I hadn't known Halloween was even a thing over there, but it's interesting to learn how our holiday can test the limits of free speech.