Mount Hood

Six killer costumes on a budget

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor 

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

Halloween is just around the corner, and although college students may be a bit too old to trick or treat, one thing is for certain: one can never be too old to dress up. That being said, purchasing a costume isn’t always cheap — especially when they come directly from a pop-up Halloween store. Fortunately, making the switch from purchased to DIY can be both easy and fun.

To help with the inspiration, The Western Howl has compiled a list of potential costumes to get students started. We have included the prices of each costume — assuming the pieces don’t already live in the back of your closet — and where each item was purchased. Have fun with it, and happy haunting, Western. 

 

Couples Costumes 

 

#1: You and Your Boo

 

Jack and Wendy from “The Shining”

 

What you’ll need:

 

Wendy: 

Brown jumper dress — Amazon, $13

White tights — Ross, $2

Turtleneck — Goodwill, $3

Green flannel — Walmart, $8

Brown boots — Goodwill, $8

Baseball bat — Goodwill, $3

Total: $37

 

Jack:

Red shirt/jacket — Goodwill, $5

Old jeans — Goodwill, $5

Dark shoes/boots — Goodwill, $8

Fake axe — Goodwill, $3

Total: $21

 

#2: Friends ‘til the End

 

Spongebob and Patrick from “Spongebob Squarepants”

 

What you’ll need:

 

Spongebob:

Brown leggings — Goodwill, $6

White vest — Goodwill, $5

Yellow long-sleeved shirt — Old Navy, $6

Red bandana — Amazon, $4

White socks — Dollar Tree, $1

Black sneakers — Goodwill, $7

Total: $29

 

Patrick:

Purple and green patterned button up — Goodwill,  $6

Pink shirt — Old Navy, $4

Pink pants — Goodwill, $7

Pink vans — Goodwill, $7

Total: $24

 

#3 Dead Man’s Best Friend

Elliot and ET from “ET”

 

What you’ll need:

 

Elliot:

Red zip-up hoodie — Amazon, $10

Old jeans — Goodwill, $5

White sneakers — Target, $10

Total: $25

 

ET:

Old white blanket/sheet — Goodwill, $3

Total: $3

 

Extra points: An old bicycle and a basket big enough for your pet

 

Hot Costumes of 2019

 

#1: Season 3 Eleven from “Stranger Things”

 

What you’ll need:

 

Oversized ‘80s shirt — Goodwill, $7

Suspenders — Amazon, $5

Black pants — Goodwill, $5

White socks — Dollar Tree, $1

White shoes — Target, $10

Scrunchie — Dollar Tree, $1

Fake blood for nose bleed — $5

Total: $34

 

#2: Joaqin Phoenix as the Joker from “Joker” 

 

What you’ll need:

 

Face makeup — Amazon, $10

Green hair spray — Amazon, $6

Red jacket — Goodwill, $5

Green shirt — Goodwill, $3

Yellow vest — Amazon, $6

Total: $30

Alternatively, you can just do the face makeup to scare all your friends.

 

#3: Wednesday Addams from “Addams Family”

 

What you’ll need:

 

White collared shirt — Amazon, $10

Black long-sleeve shirt — Goodwill, $6

Black skirt — Goodwill, $7

Black tights — Target, $6

Black flats — Goodwill, $5

Total: $34

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy

The Donut Bar provides another cheap food option for students

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

The Donut Bar is a sweet-treat food truck located at 191 Monmouth Ave. N, just a ways away from the annex of food trucks across from City Hall. It’s a relatively new addition to the plethora of food trucks located in Monmouth, having only opened on Sept. 21.

It’s owned and operated by Eric Brown, who decided to start selling in Monmouth due to his church, Limitless Ministries, and family being located here. The Donut Bar’s target customers are the Western students.

Initially, the idea to sell doughnuts at a food truck was to help with funding the church he attends. The actual decision to start the food truck was based on Brown impulsively buying a trailer he had seen while on a trip to the coast.

The Donut Bar’s menu consists of many featured flavors to try, such as the maple bacon doughnut, the Reese’s doughnut, and a create-your-own doughnut option. The truck’s options are not limited to what is posted on the menu, and customers can inquire about other available flavors.

“We are a full kitchen so we can make (a lot) of things,” Brown said. “(There’s not) really a secret menu but there’s things that are not on our window menu.”

For first time customers, Brown recommends trying the Caramel Apple Pie doughnut or any option with peanut butter as a flavor. He claims their signature doughnut is the Apple Fritter with maple bacon and peanut butter.

The Donut Bar’s menu also rotates seasonally, which gives customers various new flavors to try. Currently, the truck has many fall flavors like the Pumpkin Pie doughnut.

Brown doesn’t plan to stop at the food truck, however, and plans to open a full doughnut shop in Monmouth. 

“My father owned 2 (doughnut) shops growing up,” Brown said, “I’ve always wanted to do this.”

The Donut Bar is open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5:30–10:30 p.m. on Saturdays. They can be found on Facebook by searching “The Donut Bar”.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Brittany Figueroa

Review of the true crime tv series “Unbelievable”

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Editor’s note: Content warning — this review covers subjects such as rape and sexual violence in relation to true events.

According to Bloomberg after the “#MeToo” movement began in 2017, just one year passed and there was more than one sexual assault crime reported everyday. Bloomberg goes on to say that the “#MeToo” movement has made tolerance for sexual assault far lower.

The new Netflix original eight-part series, “Unbelievable,” covers the true story of 18-year-old Marie, played by Kaitlyn Dever, a Washington resident who reports she was raped at knifepoint. The two male detectives who were in charge of her case had suspicions that she was lying due to inconsistencies in her story, and after being coerced by the police, she eventually said that she had made it up.

These detectives took a rare step in charging Marie with a gross misdemeanor for filing a false police report — no one went to court with her besides her lawyer. After admitting to a false report, she lost the small support she had; her peers ostracized her.

The show then moves from Marie’s tortured and isolated character to two female detectives in other states dealing with similar rape cases. Toni Collette (Detective Rasmussen) and Merritt Weaver (Detective Duvall) play the unstoppable detectives.

Rasmussen and Duvall eventually piece together that there have been many rape cases that all have striking similarities, but because each crime had been committed in different counties and states, no one was piecing it together.

The show is somber and hard to watch, recounting tragedies, leaving the audience members with a heavy heart. “Unbelievable” does a phenomenal job of showing the inner workings of the justice department, and the challenges assault victims face.

The writers of the show faced another challenge aside from the delicate topic they were covering: the fact that they were basing the show’s premise on a real life case. “Unbelievable” deserves praise for how it addresses the relevant issues of rape and social justice, with amazing actors and a compelling plot. This is definitely a show worth watching.

Overall Rating: This show is hard to watch but definitely a powerful depiction of a terrible crime, I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys intense dramas and is interested on how sexual assault cases can be dealt with by the police.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Up and coming artist: girl in red

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Bedroom pop —  what is it? According to the Urban Dictionary, it is “a genre (of) DIY indie music, bedroom pop is characterized by its lo-fi quality and often contemplative lyrics. Guitars and vocals often feature heavy use of reverb or delay.”

This genre is similar to other styles such as shoegaze, dream pop, jangle pop and emo.

For those that typically listen to this kind of music, they’ll want to check out up-and-coming bedroom pop artist “girl in red.”

Marie Ulven is only 20 years old and has slowly risen to fame since her debut in her home country of Sweden in 2017. Her first song released, “i wanna be your girlfriend,” was unapologetic and unique. Ulven frames a lot of her music on love, as do most pop artists, but she makes it clear that she is not straight and not ashamed.

Her songs can also touch on darker subjects such as depression and death, and despite the somewhat sinister lyrics like, “Summer depression, so much time to question my life,” from her song “summer depression” I still find myself singing along with a smile.

Her most recent album, “chapter 2” released on Sept. 6 contains only five songs, but each one is catchy and a must-listen. The first song on this album, “watch you sleep.” is quite slower than her other songs, and stars her voice without the intense guitar and drums that normally accompany her music.

I was lucky enough to see Ulven perform in Portland at the Holocene club on Sep. 22. The stage was small as well as the venue itself — there was no more than about 150 people there — and despite Ulven being such a young artist, her fan base was quite diverse.

Ulven danced on stage like nobody was watching, and even though she played a guitar the whole show she had no problem jumping along with the audience. At one point she crowd surfed, despite her manager initially saying no — she convinced him while standing on stage — excitedly throwing herself into the crowd and singing all the while.

An interesting quality about Ulven that I noticed is her personality, perhaps it’s because she is still a relatively small artist, but she made sure to talk to audience members before, after and during the show. Joking around about relatable things such as procrastination and having a caffeine addiction.

Her quirky and fun-loving attitude resonated differently than her angsty and dark music.

Ulvan has been featured on several up and coming artists to look out for lists, including Ones to Watch, praised for her ethereal voice and modest behavior.

The style of bedroom pop has been on the rise with famous artists such as Clairo, Foxes of Fiction and King Princess. They all feature similar music of complex or poetic lyrics accompanied by heavy-lidded artists who sing alongside intense guitar and drums.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos courtesy of worldinred.com

Art on campus: Bellamy Hall and a Self-Reflection Progression

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Walking on the main street of campus, it might not be apparent that Bellamy Hall holds a series of three sculptures meant to encourage self-reflection.

The first piece: Created by Colin Lambert and Peter Adams in 2009, titled “Self-Reflection Progression: Line Drawing” is placed on the wall outside of Bellamy, facing towards the science building on the ground level. The sculpture features a human face made of mild steel and seems composed of only one single line.

The plaque below this piece reads, “The first of three portraits that make up Self-Reflection Progression, map the development of an individual’s personal humanity, from a linear outline to a fully dimensional ‘colossus’ peering back through a polished brass mirror.”

The second piece: Inside the south entrance of Bellamy Hall, the second piece in this collection titled, “Self-Reflection Progression: Portrait,” presents a more formed version of the face outside. Rather than simple line work, it has dimensions using faux limestones and brass.

The plaque below this piece is far longer, but the most important part of what is shared is, “The work alludes to the potentiality for an ever increasing depth and dimensionality of our humanity.”

This artwork carries a deeper meaning than one may originally assume, as it tries to make people reflect on who they are and how they develop over time.

The third piece: The last piece for this collection is “Self-Reflection Progression: Tonal Torrazzo.” It’s made of stainless steel and, rather than protruding like the second piece, it is one dimensional like the first piece, but with much more detail for the image.

The plaque beneath says essentially the same as the first, and yet the meaning is still valuable, to take time to reflect on who you are and how you got there.

For those who have a little free time on campus, swing by Bellamy Hall and take the time to look at an artist’s reflection, and maybe join in as well.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy

Power Puff keeps tradition alive with Off-Campus victory

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

In 1978, one of the first recorded Powder Puff games — now referred to as the Power Puff game — made its way to Oregon College of Education. Off-campus, dressed in all black, took on On-Campus, sporting lighter colors. In an intense match — with the male cheerleaders hyping up the spectators — the Off-Campus team took the win 22-0. Flash forward to 2019, and the scoreboard looked pretty similar.

Although this is being referred to as the 40-year anniversary, the game actually goes back at least 41 years. 41 years of On-Campus versus Off-Campus with a very obvious trend — the win typically goes to Off-Campus. 2019 was no exception. 

The cold weather and rain couldn’t put a stop to the energy of the two teams on Oct. 18. As the black-shirted Off-Campus went head-to-head against the pink-shirted On-Campus, it was clear that the ones in black wouldn’t hold back. Immediately, player D-Dre Wright caught a pass and ran the ball all the way into the end-zone without being touched by a single player. The Off-Campus team took the first touchdown of the game just 20 seconds into the competition. In 2018, when On-Campus narrowly lost to Off-Campus with a tight score of 7-6, D-Dre Wright was one of the On-Campus MVPs. 

After the first touchdown, the play continued to be one-sided with On-Campus constantly on defense. Score after score, the game went into halftime with Off-Campus up 19-0.

The teams huddled at the half to figure out adjustments needed for the second half. After a lengthy break, the teams made their way back and the play began again. Similar to the first half, Off-Campus was on offense for most of the remainder of the game. However, On-Campus was able to hold them off, preventing them from scoring again in the entire half. But, On-Campus wasn’t able to find the endzone either, leaving the final score 19-0 in favor of Off-Campus. In the common theme of Power Puff competition, Off-Campus was once again victorious.

Senior Mikaela Wong, a fourth-time Off-Campus player and fourth-time winner, shared how the win felt for her and her team.

“You’d think I’d get used to it by now but it’s the same level of excitement every year,” Wong said. Wong went on to explain how the team was able to secure the win more easily this year, rather than the narrow win in 2018. 

“We really just settled in and had three really simple plays and kept running those over and over again. Last year, the plays were more complicated,” Wong explained. Player Rachel Koljesky added that, “everyone was definitely open with communication if they didn’t know or if they weren’t comfortable with their position so we could change it.” 

To close out, Koljesky explained, in brief words, how the team felt after securing the win: “Oh, fantastic. Four-peat, let’s go.” 

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy

Western Football defeated in Homecoming nail-biter versus Central

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

Packed stands and a mix of sun, rain and wind made for a day of intense competition as Western Oregon prepared to take on Central Washington University for their annual Homecoming game. Taking place on Oct. 19, fans of all ages watched in anticipation with high hopes for the Wolves, who were riding the high of a four-game win streak. Prior to this game, the last time Western played Central was Sept. 28, where it ended in a 36-26 win in favor of the Wolves. 

The sound of the marching band and the cheers of the audience could be heard all around Monmouth right from the start; just 18 seconds in, quarterback Ty Currie found wide-receiver Jarren Ford with a 75-yard catch-and-run that gave the Wolves their first score of the game. With 14:42 left on the clock, Western was up 7-0. 

The energy kept up throughout the first quarter, as nearly three minutes later, the Wolves found themselves in the end zone again. Spirits were high and Wolves were up 14-0. But right before the end of the quarter, Central Washington answered back and found themselves on the board 14-7.

The competition was intense as the game continued with a back-and-forth momentum that led the two teams to the half with a score of 28-21. Coming out of the half, the game continued in this trend; the Wolves would score and the Wildcats would answer immediately. With just 58 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Western’s defense struggled to put a stop to Central, who brought the score to a tie 35-35. The Wolves and the Wildcats went into overtime — the first time Western had gone into overtime since Sept. 23, 2017, and the first time since 2012 for Central.

The Wildcats were quick to score in OT, pulling ahead of the Wolves for the first time in the game 42-35. The Wolves weren’t ready to give up and answered back with a touchdown, putting the scoreboard 42-41, with the Wolves behind by just a single point. Following the touchdown, the Wolves decided to go for the win and missed the conversion, ending the game in favor of the Wildcats 42-41.

While the Homecoming loss was heartbreaking for the fans, it was still a lively game with Western finishing with a 497 total yards and Central with 503. The Wolves play again Oct. 26 at home against MSU Texas. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m.

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy