Compiled by The Western Howl
Evil Ackerman elevators
Cora McClain | Copy Editor
The spooky season might have passed, but something sinister seems afoot in Ackerman Hall. Though the elevators seem like a convenient way to get up and down from the residence halls on the upper floors, especially when living on the 4th floor, taking the stairs might be a better choice, and not just for your health.
Ask any student living in Ackerman, and they’ll tell you the elevators can do some pretty weird things, and a few swear these anomalies are caused by demon infestation, ghoulish haunting or a creepy presence. As for myself, a few events have led me to tend to choose a perilous four flights of stairs over equally perilous creepy elevator quirks.
Stepping into elevator 1 after grabbing some late-night tacos from Koyotes with fellow hall-mate Rylie Horrall, a freshman exploratory major, all was normal…until it wasn’t.
On our way up to the 4th Arbuthnot, the elevator stopped on the third floor, but the doors didn’t open. There was a still silence in the claustrophobia-inducing metal box as we looked to each other and thought that maybe someone had pushed the button on the third floor; but, as the seconds stretched on to a minute, we were worried that perhaps the elevator was stuck.
That was until suddenly the elevator began to descend. We both looked to each other with dumbstruck looks and frantically slammed our fobs and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Without hesitation, the elevator then switched gears as it reached the second floor, and we began ascending again, and proceeded to rush out of the elevator as soon as the gate opened. And thus, the elevator by the front desk was dubbed, “Demon Elevator” by Horrall.
However, it seems like the passengers of elevator 2 also undergo ghoulish activity as well. In passing, ther occupants of the fourth floor describe violent shaking when ascending, copious amounts of time taken for the elevator to land and the elevator beginning to descend before the gate closes. Even more chilling happenings have occured.
“I was on the fourth floor, going down to the first floor,” recalled staff member Chrys Weedon, “and all of a sudden it stopped at the third or second floor and the door opened. No one was there. It stayed open for longer than normal, and then it shut and we went back down.”
Later, after she had told me this story, Weedon texted me saying how after pressing the fourth floor button, “the door stayed open and the tone that’s played at every floor glitched…and kept playing the same tone like an alarm was blasting and then the doors closed and it beeped one more time and stopped.” She closed the statement saying, “def haunted.”
Whether you believe in ghosts or ghouls, there’s no denying that there is something strange going on in Ackerman’s elevators. However, take these stories with a grain of salt as they don’t occur every time the elevator goes up or down, carrying some stressed and overworked college students, who probably need a bit more sleep, but as off-chance anomalies. I will attest to the fact that the elevators of Ackerman are just as safe as any other elevator on campus, as the lighthearted jokes of the ‘Evil Elevators’ are akin to fun ghost stories to share with friends, and great motivators to stay healthy and take the stairs.
Contact the author at cmcclain17@wou.edu
Illustrations by Rachel Hetzel
Border wall encourages student participation
Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor
“You don’t have to be artistic to have a voice,” said senior Bachelor’s of Fine Arts student Eric Frey. Frey has a recent art installation that is a part of his thesis on discrimination and bias. His art piece is symbolic of any border wall: the Korean DMZ, the Berlin wall, the proposed U.S/Mexico wall.
“Right now we’ve got that ballot measure (Measure 105) talking about taking away sanctuary cities. And (building the wall) has been a hot-button issue since the 2016 election. So I thought this would be a good opportunity for free speech here on campus,” commented Frey. “For me, I’m not making a statement either way, pro-wall or anti-wall.”
Frey acknowledges that there is a large variety of students on campus, including those with conservative ideologies and those included under the DREAM act. This art piece was meant to start a dialogue about border security and border walls.
This piece is constructed with a 2×4 frame and cement and burlap banners. The top is adorned with faux barbed wire, handmade out of hemp twine. Students and community members are encouraged to interact with the installation with paint, stencils, or even a baseball bat. The only thing Frey asks is not used is biological waste, human or animal. This installation piece is completely funded by the artist, so it is important that participants take care not to damage the frame itself.
Eric Frey retired from the Army in 2016, and came to Western considering a business major: “I got pulled into the art program, and ever since then it’s just been that I’ve found my creative side.” The soon-to-be graduate has been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Israel.
Being a combat veteran, Frey believes that he has an unique perspective to bring to the art community.
“I’ve seen some of the worst in humanity, and the best in humanity. So those experiences definitely shape my art,” said Frey.
The wall will be up until Dec. 1, and Frey intends to show the pieces in local galleries for the rest of the school year once it’s taken down.
“As long as it’s on display it’s a living, breathing conversation,” Frey remarked.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton
The Majestic Theatre opens “Catch Me If You Can”
Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor
On Nov. 2, the Majestic Theatre in downtown Corvallis opened their production of the musical “Catch Me If You Can.” This story, based on true events, follows the escapades of Frank William Abagnale Jr. Born in 1948 in New York; Frank Jr. ran away from home at the fresh age of 16 after his parents’ divorce.
Abagnale soon became the one of the most successful and famous con men in history. Frank Jr. posed as a pilot, a lawyer, and a doctor. In his criminal career, he cashed around $2.5 million in bad checks. Throughout the play, Frank is chased by tenacious FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Eventually, Frank Jr. is captured and spent years imprisoned in multiple different countries. When he was released, Abagnale started work as an FBI consultant and started his own fraud consultancy company. The Broadway musical was first performed in 2011.
The cast of this Majestic production was extremely energetic and talented. The choreography is intricate and clearly the work of a talented and dedicated choreographer. Despite some technical difficulties, the play was a big hit with the audience and continued without any major snafus.
The cast of this musical includes multiple Western Oregon University alumni: Lawrence Dannen, Laura Killip, and A.J. Saddler.
Saddler graduated in the Spring of 2018 from Western’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program, and this will be his second time performing as a graduate.
“The theatre program at WOU and the people who I came in contact with while studying (whether it be professors or students) has taught me how to be a professional theatre artist,” commented Saddler. “I have to give a shout out to the department and all those who run it for providing me with the opportunity to be able to move forward in my life as the artist I want to be.”
Future shows will be held Nov. 8-10, 15-17 at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances Nov. 11 and 18 at 2:30 p.m. Students can purchase tickets at the discounted price of $16.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton
Review: “The Travelling Cat Chronicles”
Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor
At first glance, “The Travelling Cat Chronicles” is a sappy, sentimental novel told mostly from the perspective of a proud male cat named Nana. This may be true, but a closer look will reveal that this novel has many levels and tackles many important topics such as friendship, life and loss. The english translation of this Japanese novel was released on Oct. 23.
The narration of this heartwarming story alternates between Nana’s perspective and third person omniscient perspective of the cat’s owner, Satoru, and his various friends and family. Nana’s voice carries readers through the story about half the time.
The reader is blessed with many different cat maxims that will bring any cat-lover a good chuckle and a softer heart.
Initially a stray, Nana — named after his hooked tail that resembles seven in Japanese — gets hit by a car and finds help when he arrives at Satoru’s Tokyo apartment. They live in happy symbiosis for several years, when for an unknown and sudden reason Satoru begins searching for someone to take care of Nana when he is no longer able. The pair begins a journey around the country to visit four of Satoru’s childhood friends.
With every visit comes a different reason that the friends aren’t the right fit to take care of Nana. Most of the incidents that cause Satoru doubt about giving his cat away are usually connived by Nana himself. As the story unwinds, Nana begins to realize, with the help of other pets he encounters along the way, that Satoru is getting closer and closer to the end of his life due to an aggressive illness.
We see throughout the story that despite many hardships, Satoru remains genuine and loving. He is also truly a cat lover, which is clear from the very first chapter, but is solidified with every page and every journey he takes with his beloved Nana.
This book is truly a tear-jerker and is guaranteed to make any cat-lover bittersweetly content. Being a cat lover isn’t a requirement either; any animal lover should find this story endearing and thoughtful. It shows true, loving companionship that is unique between human and pet.
Overall review: I would highly recommend this book.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
A look into Eola Hills Wine Cellar
Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor
Located in the small town of Rickreall, just north of Monmouth and Western, is Eola Hills Wine Cellar. If the name sounds familiar, it’s may be because their bottles can be found in local stores alongside other names from the Willamette Valley. To find out more about this local winery, we had an interview and brief tour with winemaker Steve Anderson.
Standing just outside his office, the end of the hallway that leads to the large warehouse containing hundreds of barrels is just visible. Inside where we met, the space is more cozy; a regular office except the top of the walls are lined with medals.
My first questions had to do with the actual process of making wine, and how Anderson had become interested in it. The short version is simple: grapes are picked, pressed for the juice, and have yeast added which converts the sugars in alcohol through fermentation. Red wines are left with the solids for longer to keep the hue. Anderson’s years of experience have taught him that, in his words, “Happy yeast (means) happy wine.” Also, rather than a process of trial and error, he likes to call it “trial and success.”
His experience in winemaking stretches several years. Anderson can recall the exact date at which his official career in winemaking started — as he puts it, when he began getting paid for doing so — as well as earlier attempts. Anderson, who holds a degree from Oregon State University in horticulture, made his first wine as a teenager, inspired by stories of his elderly neighbors’ success at doing so.
“It wasn’t about making alcohol so much as a science project,” said Anderson. The result of said science project was about what one would expect from a first attempt at wine; it was sweeter than most and didn’t have the clear hue most wines have.
“Compared to what I make today, I would say it wasn’t very good, but my family and neighbors who tried it enjoyed it, so in that sense it was still a success.”
Before the tour of the actual cellar, Anderson told us a little about some of the awards hanging on the wall. Since its founding by Tom Huggins in 1982, the winery has acquired an impressive collection of awards. On one side are five identical ribbons, representing the five years in a row Eola Hills won at the Bite of Oregon event in Portland.
Directly inside the warehouse is where the barrels of wine are stored. Stacked high and labeled, the barrels wait to be shipped out around Oregon and California, the main markets of Eola Hills wine.
Like many other wine producers in the Willamette Valley, Eola Hills grows a lot of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Anderson explains that they’ve sold wine in 24 states, but that doesn’t mean that those sales were necessarily large quantities and that the majority of their wines stay in the Pacific Northwest.
Further in, Anderson showed us where the fermentation happens. In the front are large vats containing the pressed grapes floating on their juice while they separate. The juice is then transferred into holdings where the yeast can ferment, and the solid parts of the grapes are recycled as compost for the rest of the grape plants, and the cycle completes.
Eola Hills will be hosting some events over Thanksgiving weekend. For more information about visiting, the wine and the team behind it, visit eolahillswinery.com.
Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis
Holiday attractions opening soon
Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor
With winter approaching, fall festivities are beginning to meet with seasonal and holiday opportunities. The holiday season is often when people are looking for ways to get into the holiday spirit in anticipation of the upcoming celebrations. Thanks to this, many once-a-year opportunities to visit certain places or attend events happen during this time of the year.
Ice skating
The cities of Salem, Sherwood, Ashland, Eugene and Portland all have ice skating rinks available to the public. Most open after Thanksgiving weekend. Some of these rinks, like in Eugene and Sherwood, are also home to athletes who play ice sports, so hours available to the public might be limited. In these cases it is advised to look up open skate hours on their website before going. The nearest rink, Salem on Ice, is primarily a recreational rink open to the public but can be rented out for groups as well. This attraction can be found at 200 Water St NE, Salem.
Seasonal lights
There are various locations in Oregon that have seasonal light displays. A particularly popular one can be found in Portland at the Oregon Zoo, where they have an annual ZooLights display. The Oregon Gardens also have a seasonal lights display known as Christmas in the Garden.
Wine cellar events
Thanksgiving weekend is when visitors to Arcane cellars in Salem, and Eola Hills in Rickreall can find annual wine tasting events. The city of Aurora hosts an annual wine and chocolate event on the first weekend of December, and a similar event can be found at Spirit Mountain Casino, which hosts a free admission, free samples included event.
Dallas Winterfest
Located on Main Street in Dallas, this festival on Dec. 7 will have vendors, food, holiday treats and music. The festival is free to visitors but will only be open from 5-8 p.m.
Holiday Tree lighting
There are multiple tree lighting events in the Salem area, often accompanied by holiday parades. One will be hosted here at Western on Monmouth Avenue on Nov. 30. Others can be found in Salem at the capitol on Nov. 25 or in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square on Nov. 23. Portland will also be hosting a Menorah lighting at Director Park on Dec. 2-9.
Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu
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