Mount Hood

Catch a bite to eat at Greece Lightning Express

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida

Greece Lightning Express is located at 156 Catron St in Monmouth — specifically on the corner where Catron meets Jackson Street. It’s owned and operated by Pete Kalogeras, who chose to open a food truck due to their apparent popularity in Oregon.

The food truck opened on July 20, 2017, making it open for nearly two-and-a-half years. Kalogeras decided to open in Monmouth because of the town’s growing size, and chose to serve Greek food in respect  to his personal heritage.

“There are very few Greek food carts and (coming) from an ethnic Greek background I decided to open one up.” Kalogeras said.

The dish he recommends to first-time customers is a traditional beef and lamb gyro, and the truck’s signature meal is the Original Gyro. The Original Gyro consists of beef and lamb cooked with seasoning on a spit with tomatoes, red onions and tzatziki sauce all served on warm pita bread.

Greece Lightning Express also carries a Veggie Gyro, which comes with feta cheese, red onions, tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, tzatziki sauce and lettuce put together onto pita bread. Other than gyros, the truck additionally serves fries — regular and Greek-style loaded fries. Both are made from fresh-cut potatoes, but the Greek fries have feta cheese, Greek seasoning and lemon.

If customers want something sweet, the food truck offers Baklava, a dessert that’s made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey.

In addition to staying in Monmouth, Greece Lightning Express occasionally moves to Dallas and travels for events. Their hours of operation are 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in Monmouth, and the same hours on Tuesdays in Dallas in the parking lot of the “Some Things” furniture store. Kalogeras posts events that the food truck will be at, along with additional information on Facebook and Instagram (@greecelightningexpress).

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo by Cora McClain

Opportune locations for autumn photoshoots

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida

Autumn brings a prime opportunity to take some aesthetically pleasing photos, whether it’s for a holiday card or just for the perfect Instagram post. Here’s some locations that could provide great photo opportunities.

 

Outside of NS (bench) – On the edge of campus lies the Natural Sciences building. In addition to the bench right outside the building, the newly renovated pond provides an opportune photo.

Monmouth Ave Stretch – The street that runs through campus is lined with trees; the changing leaves will be perfect for your fall aesthetic.

Fountain – Near the center of Main Street in Independence, the water glistening from the fountain enhances your photo.

Park near waterfront – Just behind the fountain and near the waterfront lies Riverview Park. The changing leaves and amphitheatre are ideal for both portraits and group pictures.

Póngase en contacto con el autor en rhorrall17@wou.edu

Fotos de Cora McClain

Spice up your pumpkin pie with this recipe

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida

Family recipes are something that are often protected and cherished – this is true for my family as well. Once fall rolls around, my mom takes the time to start baking fall inspired goodies for the next three months. One dessert she never fails to prepare is a delicious pumpkin pie, here’s the recipe she follows. Happy baking season.

 

PUMPKIN PIE

De principio a fin: 1 hora 10 minutos

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust

¾ cup of white sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ teaspoon of ground cloves

2 huevos

1 (15 ounce) can of 100% pure pumpkin 

1 (12 fluid ounce) can of evaporated milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F°

Combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in a larger bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and the sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour the finished mixture into the pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F°. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Do not freeze — this will cause the crust and filling to separate.

 

To create a more festive Halloween pie, try using cookie cutters to create some spooky shapes to place on top of the pie, such as a ghost, bat, spider, or pumpkin. Cookie cutters in the shapes of various leaves are an alternative for a general fall look.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en rhorrall17@wou.edu

Pick the perfect fall pumpkin patch near Monmouth

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida

Need to grab some last minute pumpkins to carve? Want to get into a festive fall spirit and potentially decorate for the holidays? Check out these nearby pumpkin patches to satiate that gourd-geous desire. 

 

Davis Family Farm not only has pumpkins galore, but customers can also enjoy hayrides directly to the pumpkin patch and a trip through their corn maze. Located in Corvallis at 4380 NE Highway 20, the pumpkin patch stays open from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31, but stays open further into the year.

Various seasonal fruits and vegetables can be bought after pumpkin season has passed, and are available to be hand picked directly. In addition, it has cider and doughnuts available to purchase. 

Admission costs $4, and can be found on Facebook, on Instagram (@davisfamilyfarm.inc), and Twitter (@RussellDavis4).

 

Vince Woods Farm is located at 6435 62nd Ave NE in Salem and stays open for pumpkin picking during the month of October. Pumpkins, gourds, squash and wheat are available for low prices.

Along with their Pumpkin Forest, the farm has a corn maze and a caboose. The corn maze takes up two-thirds of an acre, and, according to their website, is deceptively simple. The caboose goes in hand with the Pumpkin Forest, and is supposedly “gently haunted,” according to their Facebook page.

Admission for this year is $1 for the Pumpkin Forest and an additional 50 cents for the corn maze. Vince Woods Farm can be found on Facebook and at their website vincewoodsfarm.com.

 

EZ Orchards, open year-round, is located in Salem at 5504 Hazelgreen Rd NE. Pumpkins are located across a field outside of their corn maze adorned with pumpkin-themed decorations.

A shop filled with produce and various Oregon novelties is located outside the field of pumpkins where customers can buy fresh, homemade pumpkin and apple cider doughnuts. Several seasonal crops are available for purchase during and after pumpkin season.

Admission costs $3 per person, which goes towards a discount for final pumpkin pricing; EZ Orchards can be found at their website www.ezorchards.com.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en rhorrall17@wou.edu

Fotos de Cora McClain

Spirits you don’t need sheets to see

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida

Haunted houses begin to pop up once October rolls around, just in time for Halloween. However, there are locations near Monmouth that stayed haunted year-round.

Western’s own Todd Hall is said to be haunted. The legend at Western says it’s haunted by the former Dean of Women and Dean of Dormitories and the namesake of the building, Jessica Todd. According to current and former students, she doesn’t like males being in the building since it used to be a strictly female residence hall.

People have reported hearing footsteps in the hallway and see the lights flicker on and off. Objects such as paper are supposedly moved when no one has touched them.

Todd is also said to move locations to the Cottage, which was where she lived while working on campus according to the Hamersly Library Instagram. Supposedly, she moves there to scare people who have stayed out past dark.

Travel to Salem and visit the Elsinore Theater at 170 High Street SE, where visitors are said to feel an eerie presence when entering the building. It’s considered a historic 1930s landmark, and is a popular location for many modern theater productions.

According to traveloregon.com, there’s a girl in a white dress that is frequently spotted on the upper balcony. She’s said to be the original owner’s daughter, and fell from the balcony where she’s seen. A ‘ghost light’ stays lit on the stage, and workers and visitors have said they see shadows when no one is walking across.

The Bush House Museum is another location in Salem that’s reportedly haunted by Eugenia, the daughter of Asahel Bush II, the one who built the mansion. According to hauntedrooms.com, she’s said to be keeping watch of the building, where her apparition is seen often. Visitors have reportedly said a disembodied female voice can be heard throughout the house.

Salem Ghost Tours offers official history walkthroughs of locations that are considered haunted throughout the year which take place on Friday and Saturday evenings. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for youth aged 7–17. More information and bookings can be found at their website salemghosttours.net. 

Independence hosts a Ghost Walk each year on Oct 5, which tours haunted spots such as the Pink House. Dallas has recently begun the History and Mystery tours of buildings that hold chilling stories throughout the town. It costs $25 a person and takes place Oct 1–Nov 1. Monmouth also hosted their first History and Mystery night this year where they talked about the ghosts of the town.

 NW Ghost Tours hosts a Walk with Spirits tour that takes place in Oregon City from June–December every year, and can be found at their website www.nwghosttours.com.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en rhorrall17@mail.wou.edu

Find your muse in Monmouth with new costume shop “Dancing Muse”

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida

Looking for a costume for Halloween, a party, festival, faire or convention? Search no further than Dancing Muse.

Dancing Muse is a costume shop located at 281 Main St. E in Monmouth — easily identifiable by the giant inflatable dragon in front. Enter through the door on the left and climb the steps to reach the store.

Officially opened on Oct. 18, the store is owned and operated by James Martin and Mary Harper, who bought the original costume shop that resided in Monmouth. The original shop was only open once a week, but Dancing Muse is open seven days a week, all year. 

“We embrace Halloween year round,” Martin said. Dancing Muse is full of costumes that vary from Halloween to sci-fi related to pirate garb. More choices are available for those looking for Renaissance faire outfits or cosplay gear. The center spread of costumes in the store also changes seasonally.

In addition to their current selection, Dancing Muse makes custom costumes and accessories for their customers, and will even repair damaged ensembles that are brought into their store. Presently, Martin and Harper are repairing their sewing machines, which is delaying their current sewing availability.

The store uses the tagline “We Dress Naked People” on their business cards and social media sites to reference their business direction — meaning their business serves to get people fully dressed up for events they are attending. 

“Naked is a community term referring to someone wearing street clothes, rather than garb/costume at a convention or festival,” Martin said. 

Martin also stated that Dancing Muse uses a type of therapy that involves dressing up in costumes.

“Putting on a mask or costume at a party allows a person to become someone else, or to help hide fears and anxiety from others,” he stated.

Dancing Muse is open from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday, and 12–5 p.m. Sunday and Monday. The store can be found on Facebook, Instagram (@dancingmusedist) and Twitter (@dancingmuseshop).

Póngase en contacto con el autor en rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Cora McClain

Six killer costumes on a budget

Rylie Horrall | Editor de estilo de vida 

Caity Healy | Redactor Jefe

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

Póngase en contacto con el autor en rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Caity Healy