We attended the final night for the Evansville Mesker Park Zoo's annual Boo at the Zoo. It was amazing! The last time we were able to attend was in the fall of 2007 and the difference was remarkable. We waited in line for about 45 minutes but it was well worth it.

Each year the zoo hosts this very fun trick-or-treating event after normal operating hours. Admission was $6 a person or $5 for zoo members. There are stops along a marked route for kids to trick-or-treat at booths representing businesses and organizations from the community. We followed the main zoo route and were led through a couple of the animal buildings including the Amazonia exhibit. The entire zoo was decorated with pumpkins, Halloween yard blow ups and decorations. Every employee and volunteer was also in costume. One of the many highlights of the evening were the zoo keepers who held creepy animals for visitors to pet. My 2 year old daughter pet large snakes, rats, scorpions and even an alligator! We used lots of hand sanitizer!

The zoo was so beautiful at night. We were there for a little over 2 hours and the lines were even longer as we left. My only complaint is the lack of traffic guards. We had to park pretty far away, like everyone else because of the large crowds and it was very hard to cross the busy street safely. We had such a fun family night that I know we will make attending Boo at the Zoo part of our Halloween traditions.

Written By: Lynn Davidson

A few weeks ago I went to the Duck Inn, to see the local hard rock band Calling Corners.  They were nice enough to take the time and provide an e-mail interview.  Please check it out below.

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You guys put on an awesome show a few weeks ago when I saw you at the Duck Inn.  It was very refreshing to see live music in Evansville that hits as hard as you guys do, I'm a big fan of face melting-high-energy rock and you guys delivered.  It was so intense that the people on the other side of the bar had to come see what all the awesome was about.

Thank you for the compliment and we appreciate you being there.

I think it's very refreshing to hear original music from a local band,instead of the tried and true covers.  There is also a lot to be said for a band that can create a very entertaining show, even though a listener may not be familiar with their songs.

That's really one of the main things we focus on, is our stage presence.  For two reasons, one...we're living in a visual world now-a-days.  And two, because most people go to a local bar/venue to see a cover band, a person may get bored with an original set until they know your material.  So no matter how good your songs are, you have to keep them entertained with your energy on stage.

At this stage in your career do you prefer to play original songs live or do covers?

Original music most definitely.  Matt (our guitar player) and myself spent a number of years in a couple of local cover bands and it's a great time, and there's money to be made.  But doing your own music, hearing people sing YOUR songs back to you, that's more rewarding than all the money in the world.

We know from your MySpace Page that your influences are Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, etc..  But explain to someone who has never heard your music before what it sounds like, in 3 words.

Heavy Melodic Rock

Where is your favorite place to rock in Evansville?

There's a couple of favorites actually.  We love Woody's and we appreciate everything Zack has done for us so far.  Great staff, great P.A., with national after national coming through.  And then, we love O'Brian's Sports Bar as well.  That's a bar with a great vibe, just relaxed.  You feel like you can do anything there and people are gonna love it.

You say you guys got to share the stage with Theory of A Deadman, how has that experience motivated you as musicians?

I think it's motivated us to really keep working like we're working.  The "dream" is very much a possibility, and the fact that on our level we can get on the same stage as bands like Theory, or any of the other bands on their level that we've played with, definitely shows that.  Hard work definitely pays off.

We talked a little bit about internet popularity playing a part in getting signed to a record label.  Do you personally think Friend Count equals popularity?

I'm not sure if it can define your popularity, but I think in the beginning it definitely helps you gain that popularity that you're looking for.  Because if you can pull 50 of your closest friends to every show, it sends the message that you have something going on, and that someone besides you believes in your music and what you're doing.  From there, other people get curious, come see your show, talk about your show, help build your show, and that's how you build your following.

You mentioned your MySpace Page and Facebook account numerous times throughout the night, does that generate a noticeable jump in online presence after every show?

MySpace not so much, we have a few friend requests here and there after the show so we keep plugging it.  But I think MySpace has went numb for the most part.  But our Facebook page definitely has.  We went from 3 fans to 200 plus in a matter of days.  And the cool thing about Facebook, it's honest.  Same goes with Twitter.  And what I mean by that is, you can't send friend requests from a FB band page or a Twitter account, so those are 200 plus people (on the FB page) that have searched us out because they liked the band and became a fan.  So those are the people that are gonna keep coming to shows and buying tickets.

Big name acts like Nine Inch Nails have embraced BitTorrent as a means to distribute music freely, assuming fans will be more inclined to buy your music if they like it.  Do you think there is any weight in that or considered this as a business model?

Ya know, I do think there's a lot of weight in this.  When this band first started we were so focused on how much money we could make once we got something recorded, or t-shirts, or whatever.  You're almost blinded by it, and by the time you see in front of you again, you're frustrated because you've only sold 3 cd's or whatever.  But I actually saw an interview with Trent Reznor a while back and he talked about this business model and giving stuff away and it makes alot of sense.  And we actually do that now.  We'll burn some songs to a spool of cd's and hand them out at our shows.  And then when people wanna hear more, they buy the actual disc.  And not only that, but we're looking at cheap things we can put our stamp on and hand out at shows as well.  People love free.

Where do you see Calling Corners 5 years from now?

Hopefully on the road doing this for a living.  We have a lot in the works right now and people should expect big things from us.  Because it's gonna happen.

Thanks a ton for your time, I look forward to catching you guys live again
soon.  Good luck.

Thank you.

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I can't stress enough how great these guys are live, it really is worth the cover charge.  Also, be sure to buy their album, which is available at Joe's Record Shack.

Lastly, be sure to add them as a friend on your MySpace and Facebook accounts.  And, if you twitter, be sure to follow them there as well.  Their next performance will be at Woody's on October 28th, see you there!

Calling Corners MySpace Account

Calling Corners Facebook Account

Calling Corners Twitter

Our final trip to Holiday World for this year was a blast! It has become a new tradition for my family and friends to meet there on the last day of their operating season. We have discovered the end of the season to be a unique way to experience all of the fun that Holiday World has to offer.

As I've written before, there is just something about enjoying the rides and attractions during the colder months that makes visiting the park different and fun! This year was no exception. The lines for the rides were short, the food was good and the weather was just cold enough to need a hoodie. We posed for countless pictures and made several laps around the park riding our favorite rides. One of my favorite aspects of Holiday World is how many rides we can enjoy as a group.

We took our daughter along this year and she was very excited to wear her favorite Holiday World hoodie which she proudly showed to each of the Holidazzles. She asks to go to "HaWoo" (as she calls it) everyday! I can't wait until next summer when she is a bit older and able to enjoy even more of great rides for kids. We will anxiously await the 2010 season and the new addition to the water park.

I'm so excited about this years West Side Nut Club's Fall Fest and other than some rain tomorrow it looks like we should have good Fall weather for it.  This will be the Nut Club's 88th Fall Festival and will be host to a ton of events through the week.  Starting with tonight!

-Introduction of the USI Men's and Women's Basketball Teams for 09-10 @ 5:30 PM

-Parade at 6:00 PM

-First round of the Amateur Talent Contest.

I plan on attending a few times throughout the week at lunch time, mainly for the pork chop sandwiches.  Brain Sandwiches and other exotic foods don't really appeal to me, but the atmosphere, good food, and cool weather will bring me out.

For official news and information visit the official website at Evansville West Side Nut Club Fall Festival.  See you there!