Freaky Flint History with Joe Schipani - Bad Rye April 20, 1929 #freakyflinthistory


Flint is well known for its modern violent crimes but Flint's history is filled with little known stories that read stranger than fiction. Gruesome murders, weird accidents, and violent deaths. Join us every Thursday as Joe Schipani details some of the odd but true deaths he found in Flint's archives.

Bad Rye April 20, 1929

Prohibition turned liquor production and distribution into a shady illegal business. As the demand for moonshine and whiskey grew, the quality became less than desirable. 

One quality control problem came from methanol not being removed properly. 
Methanol is created during the distillment process. A still has to be properly vented so the methanol is released. If vented correctly you end up with alcohol safe for consumption. If not, you end up with toxic poison.
  
On Saturday April 20, 1929 Mr. and Mrs. Merritts decided they were going to let loose and have some fun so they purchased a cheap bottle of rye moonshine and sat at the kitchen table to drink. After the two were almost finished with the bottle they started getting sick. Fearing that they may have drank too much, Mr. Merritts decided he would make some warm milk to coat their stomachs. 

While preparing the milk, Mrs. Merritts passed out at the table. Mr. Merritts continued heating the milk and passed out on the stove. 

One of their neighbors noticed fire billowing from the kitchen window and called for help. The police came, put out the fire on Mr. Merritts body, and turned the stove off. The first thought was the couple had passed out from carbon monoxide from the stove. 

Mr. Merritts died before the police arrived but Mrs. Merritts was still alive and taken to Hurley Hospital where she died shortly after. 

During the autopsy it was discovered that the couple died from bad moonshine.


~ Joe Schipani is the Executive Director of the Flint Public Art Project and the FFAR Project Assistant at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.  Find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HauntedFlint/ 

Swamp Witch Halloween Party Theme #SwampWitch #HalloweenParty #PartyTheme #HauntedTrail

You never know what you’ll find in the swamp, lurking in the darkness where human lights no longer reach.

Legend has it a witch lives in these woods, she’s known as the swamp witch, and she's a necromancer. 

All things dead are drawn to her – human and animal corpses, zombies, ghosts, even vampires. She draws them in and they do her bidding.

So be careful, you never know what you might come across.

What creatures will you find where the dead have been discarded and the Others have been forgotten?

Will there be witches? Vampires? Cemeteries of the dead, the undead, maybe even the walking dead?

Join us tonight as we walk along this trail of terror. 

But please, stay on the path. 

We wouldn’t want you to get lost in the swamp, out there, among…the dead things.




A couple years ago my husband and I were working on a Haunted Trail behind our house in the swampy woods. It was going to be part of a little Halloween event I was planning. 


I live in Michigan, so my swamp is very different than what people normally think of when it comes to a swamp. Most people envision New Orleans, alligators, bayou swamps. Which is fine, I have included some New Orleans flair with the food choices. 

However, I left out voodoo. Even the voodoo doll cookie decorating table I thought could be fun. I wanted my theme to be more witchy and necromancer, less voodoo.

The intro above is what I wrote when we were planning the trail. It would have been the introduction as we led guests into the spookiness.

But my husband had surgery, I had some health issues, and the trail never came to be. In the years since then we've just been too busy to even try to do a Halloween party.

We never got to create the Swamp Witch trail yet the theme has stuck in my head.

I might never get to have my swamp witch party or haunted trail, but maybe you can with these ideas.


Swamp Witch Halloween Party Theme

This theme is perfect if you have an outdoor space. 

You can create an old wood swamp shack out of pallets, the mesh Halloween fabric (black cheesecloth) you see everywhere, cobwebs, and moss.

Nature takes center stage in this theme when it comes to decor. 

Moss, gnarled branches and twigs, dry leaves... use them everywhere to create creepy swamp decor. 

Add skulls, skeletons, alligators, snakes, a huge smoking cauldron and you have all the basics.

Oh and don't forget the fog machines. You want fog rolling to add to the creepy atmosphere.

Activities for the party could include:

A haunted trail through your "swamp".

A  photo booth or selfie station (the perfect spot would be in front of that creepy swamp shack you made). If you have an iPad there are many photo booth apps available in the Apple Store. There are photo booth apps for Android users just not as many good options. The android apps don't seem to work well and all have bad reviews. You can always test them out beforehand and find one that works or just hire a professional photo booth.


A Bloody Mary Bar complete with all kinds of weird and fun things to add to your deadly drink. Miranda at Spooky Little Halloween has awesome advice for creating the best Bloody Mary Bar for a Halloween party.



Have someone "throw the bones" which is a method of fortune telling done by reading the way the bones fall. Want to give it a try? There's a book on Amazon which details how to do it.

Food and Drinks:

If you'd like to serve New Orleans style food MyGourmetConnection.com has a fun bayou party theme showcased complete with several yummy recipes.


Wow your guests with eyeball Jelly Gin & Tonic shots.


Image from Food Network, Sandra Lee's Witch's Brew

Offer up Sandra Lee's Witch's Brew in a creepy cauldron.


Spicy Southern Kitchen has a delicious sounding gumbo recipe that s making my mouth water just thinking about it.

Seafood not your thing? 

Create a menu with your food choices and decorate the food station in swampiness- draped black cheesecloth fabric, Spanish moss hanging from the table....

For more ideas check out my Swamp Witch Pinterest Board

Freaky Flint History with Joe Schipani - Losing Custody October 12th, 1930 #freakyflinthistory


Flint is well known for its modern violent crimes but Flint's history is filled with little known stories that read stranger than fiction. Gruesome murders, weird accidents, and violent deaths. Join us every Thursday as Joe Schipani details some of the odd but true deaths he found in Flint's archives.

Losing Custody October 12th, 1930

Kris Aagesen lived on Beech Street in a small housekeeping room he rented with his six year old son, Cliston. He and his wife had been divorced for over a year. Kris obtained custody of Cliston because his wife was unstable and moved out of state with another man. Kris had been laid off from the Fisher Body plant for a couple months.

Kris discovered that his ex-wife had returned to Flint and wanted custody of their son. Kris panicked. He knew there was no way a judge would give him custody again now that he was laid off and had no idea when he would return to work.

On the night of October 12, 1930 Kris took his son into their bedroom, laid him on the bed and started slashing his throat. After he was sure the boy was dead, he took the razor and cut his wrists.

The people who owned the house heard the screams and started running to the room. Mr. Mikesell opened the door to find the two lying in a pool of blood on the bed. The boy was already dead, but Kris was still alive.

Mr. Mikesell hollered for his nurse to call for help. He then asked Kris why would he do such a thing. Kris responded he didn’t want his wife to get custody of their son and this was the only way to stop her.

By the time the police arrived, Kris was dead.

~ Joe Schipani is the Executive Director of the Flint Public Art Project and the FFAR Project Assistant at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.  Find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HauntedFlint/ 

Awesome Review of The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner #review #bookreview

T's Stuff posted a wonderful review of The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner:

"I love Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. I love all the decorations and the fun. I love the parties too. Roxanne Rhoads has done a fabulous job with this book. It is not just a book that tells you how to have a great Halloween it is more like a work book. There are tips and tricks, tons of ideas for decorating, foods, and everything Halloween, But the book is also filled with pages you can write out your plans or better yet print the pages and then reuse the book for years to come. There are pages filled with guest lists, game ideas, recipe cards and more that you can write your plans on to insure the perfect party. 

I love how the books takes you step by step through the party planning but still lets you be the boss of your own party. There is even a calendar to keep you on track to make sure everything is done with as little stress as possible. 

The book was written for Halloween but with just a few changes you could plan any type of party using this book and the tips inside. This book is so useful everyone should grab a copy."



The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner
By Roxanne Rhoads

Publisher: Bewitching Books

ISBN-10: 1095658379
ISBN-13: 978-1095658376

Genre: Halloween, Parties, Event Planner

Book Description:

Do you want to plan a Halloween party but you have no idea where to start?

Are you in the midst of planning a party but can't stay organized?

The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner is exactly what you need.

Filled with Halloween party tips and ideas, a party planning timeline and checklist, a budget sheet, a guest list chart, to do lists, monthly calendars, weekly to do lists, lined notebook pages, blank sketch pages, recipe pages, craft pages, costume planning pages, and more- this planner has everything you need to plan a Halloween party your guests will never forget.







About the Author:

Roxanne Rhoads is an author, book publicist, mixed media crafter, and lover of all things spooky.

Roxanne is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours, a virtual book tour and social media marketing company, she operates Fang-tastic Books, a book blog dedicated to paranormal and urban fantasy books, and she runs the blog, A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween, which is dedicated to everything Halloween related. Roxanne’s sells handcrafted jewelry, art and home decor through Bewitching Creations.

When not reading or writing, Roxanne loves to craft, plan Halloween adventures, and search for unique vintage finds.

A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween https://allthingshalloweenguide.blogspot.com/ 

Author Website http://www.roxannerhoads.com  


Bewitching Book Tours www.bewitchingbooktours.com  








Freaky Flint History with Joe Schipani - What’s Yours is Mine June 26th, 1930 #freakyflinthistory


Flint is well known for its modern violent crimes but Flint's history is filled with little known stories that read stranger than fiction. Gruesome murders, weird accidents, and violent deaths. Join us every Thursday as Joe Schipani details some of the odd but true deaths he found in Flint's archives.

What’s Yours is Mine June 26th, 1930

Frank and Mary Somogyi had only been married for a little over four months but the honeymoon was over before it began.

Mary’s first husband had died accidentally a little over a year before she married Frank.  She had been a single mother of a new baby.

Mary owned a restaurant and lived in the apartment above it on St John Street.
Her new husband, Frank worked at one of the auto factories. He was jealous of his wife for making more money than he did. Mary’s brother told the police that they fought all the time and that Mary confessed to him that she wished she never would have married Frank.

On the morning of June 26th, 1930 Frank went down to the restaurant and took forty dollars out of the cash register. When Mary confronted him, he told her “what’s yours is mine now that we’re married.”

Mary was furious. Her brother took her to the police station so she could file a report. The officer took down the information but told her there wasn’t much that they could do unless she wanted to press charges which could lead to a lengthy legal battle. She decided not to go that route. The officer did promise to have a word with Frank.

The cop made good on his promise and talked to Frank. Afterward, Frank hopped into a cab and went to the hardware store. According to McCray, the taxi driver, Frank paid him to wait. Frank came out with a big package under his arm, hopped into the cab, and told him to go to a St John Street restaurant.

When they got there, Frank took his package inside, and once again asked the driver to wait. After Frank got back into the cab he told McCray, “I’m going home now to kill my wife and you’re going to take me or I’ll kill you, too.”

McCray did what Frank wanted. When Frank got out of the car, McCray drove until he found the first police officer, and told him what Frank said.

Inside the house Frank fought with Mary. According to one of the boarder’s that lived there, Mary told him she wanted a divorce. Frank then pulled the shot gun out of the bag and chased her down the hall. The boarder noticed and tried grabbing the gun. When he did, the gun fired hitting Mary in the back of the head.

Frank ran into the living room to get more bullets. The border tried again to get the gun away from Frank but he threatened to kill him if he didn’t leave, so he left. That time the police were pulling up to the house and heard the gunfire. Frank shot himself when they walked in. Mary was found dead in her room. The bullet had killed her instantly.


Frank died a couple of hours later at Hurley hospital. Mary’s two year old child escaped untouched.  

~ Joe Schipani is the Executive Director of the Flint Public Art Project and the FFAR Project Assistant at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.  Find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HauntedFlint/ 

The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner By Roxanne Rhoads #HalloweenPartyPlanner



The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner
By Roxanne Rhoads

Publisher: Bewitching Books

ISBN-10: 1095658379
ISBN-13: 978-1095658376

Genre: Halloween, Parties, Event Planner

Book Description:

Do you want to plan a Halloween party but you have no idea where to start?

Are you in the midst of planning a party but can't stay organized?

The Ultimate Halloween Party Planner is exactly what you need.

Filled with Halloween party tips and ideas, a party planning timeline and checklist, a budget sheet, a guest list chart, to do lists, monthly calendars, weekly to do lists, lined notebook pages, blank sketch pages, recipe pages, craft pages, costume planning pages, and more- this planner has everything you need to plan a Halloween party your guests will never forget.







About the Author:

Roxanne Rhoads is an author, book publicist, mixed media crafter, and lover of all things spooky.

Roxanne is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours, a virtual book tour and social media marketing company, she operates Fang-tastic Books, a book blog dedicated to paranormal and urban fantasy books, and she runs the blog, A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween, which is dedicated to everything Halloween related. Roxanne’s sells handcrafted jewelry, art and home decor through Bewitching Creations.

When not reading or writing, Roxanne loves to craft, plan Halloween adventures, and search for unique vintage finds.

A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween https://allthingshalloweenguide.blogspot.com/ 

Author Website http://www.roxannerhoads.com  


Bewitching Book Tours www.bewitchingbooktours.com  








Antique End Tables Get a Goth Upgrade

Keeping with the furniture makeover theme this week now I'm going to show you the end tables I refinished a few years ago when we redecorated our living room.

These old things were languishing away in my basement looking really rough. They came with the house (which belonged to my grandparents).  One of them looked like someone had thought about refinishing it but never did. It was partially sanded down to bare wood. The other one had stains and weird stuff all over it. It was in desperate need of a good sand down.

I always loved these tables because you can use them apart or put them together to create a cute round table.

Because our new sofa was so large and the living room so small we needed very small end tables. I pulled these out of the basement, sanded them down and refinished them with a black satin paint and several layers of clear Satin Finish Minwax Polycrylic.

The end result is simple, elegant and slightly Gothic. I love them.
















Goth It Yourself Furniture Makeovers



In my last post I showcased the crackle chest of drawers I did for my daughter. Here are a couple other pieces I refinished for her. 

The night stand was a freebie roadside find (AKA a trash pick). It was originally a French Provincial piece. It had no handles or knobs on the stand. It was looking rough.  It probably looked like this image below when it was new.


The chair was $1 that I bought at an auction.

I was originally going to crackle the pieces to match the dresser but after a light sanding I realized the finish they had was too shiny and latex paint would not stick. I didn't want to spend the day sanding all of the original finish off to take it down to bare wood.

So I spray painted everything. And guess what? Spray paint doesn't crackle. At least not with the crackle medium I used. Ugh. So I wasted an entire can of red spray paint for nothing. It barely showed through the black. It popped out in a few places and created a few minuscule cracks but mostly nothing. I decided to add metallic red rub n buff to give it a boost. A hint of red and a lot of shine.

After the wax, I sealed everything with clear coat and added a fancy knob and handles to the night stand. My daughter took them home with her chest of drawers. She was very pleased.

Even after the snafus I think they turned out pretty good. Not what I was going for but I like how they ended up. Definitely more Gothic than the original plan.
















DIY Crackle Chest of Drawers - Easy Furniture Makeover #furnituremakeover #cracklefinish



My daughter moved into her first house this summer and had zero furniture. 

I collect stuff I find for super cheap or free and I refinish it to give it new life. 

Well, things have been piling up so I had several pieces sitting around waiting for their  make over. 

I asked her what colors she wanted, her answer- red and black. That's my girl.




I started with this chest of drawers because that's what she really needed. It was a freebie, found in the garage of the house my son bought. It was so bad he was just going to throw it away. I saved it and brought it home. It has sat in my basement for a couple years.

The thing is old, beat up and looked a mess. It had veneer on it which was cracked, peeling, and falling off. So my husband ripped it all off and sanded the dresser. I told him to leave it looking rough it would fit with the crackle finish. I forgot to take a photo of it before my husband started sanding it.




I  painted it red, let it dry then coated it with a crackle medium. 

When that was dry I painted it black.

Then clear coated everything.






I know the photos are horrible. I finished it in the basement because the cotton wood stuff from my trees has covered the entire yard with cottonwood fluff. It was getting stuck in my paint so I had to take everything to the basement, which has terrible lighting. 

We loaded everything up in her vehicle at night so I couldn't get good photos then either.

But from these you can see it has a really rustic look with a Goth edge. Like it could blend in with farmhouse chic but it could lurk in the corner of a more Goth space as well.

She said she loves it. I hope so.

It was relatively easy to do and pretty cheap. I had the paint on hand. I had to buy a bottle of crackle and a can of clear coat. So for around $20 she has a custom dresser.

You can easily refinish yard sale and road side finds in any color you want. You could create an entire Halloween room on the cheap.

For basic wood furniture simple latex paint will do (if you sand the piece well enough- if you can't sand them completely go with a Rust o leum paint). You can even spray paint pieces if you have a well ventilated space or do it outside.

I've been watching chalk paint tutorials and I'm really excited to give those methods a try in the future. I love the vibrant colors and blends that can be achieved with chalk paints.