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20 classic games to play with family and friends

Board and card games to revisit this season

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor 

Between the stress of buying gifts for the holidays and the building excitement of the incoming new year, a classic board game can be all anyone needs to destress. Tabletop games are about coming together with family and friends to have a lively, fun and lightly competitive time together. Some games are straightforward and lighthearted, like Candy Land or Connect Four, while other games seem like they are designed to cause an all-out debate about the rules and technicalities at the table, like with Scrabble or Clue. 

In any case, here’s a list of classic board games that everyone loves to play and hates to lose. Nearly all of these can be purchased online or in stores; thrift stores are also a good place to check for more unique games or neat card decks to try out. These games are ranked from the least to most likely to start a debate about the rules and who won. 

  1. Uno
  2. Marbles
  3. Mancala
  4. Connect Four
  5. Dominoes
  6. Hungry Hungry Hippos 
  7. Candy Land
  8. Chutes and Ladders
  9. Operation
  10. Don’t Break the Ice
  11. Sorry!
  12. Jenga
  13. Battleship
  14. Checkers
  15. Chess
  16. Twister
  17. The Game of Life 
  18. Scrabble 
  19. Clue
  20. Monopoly

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Nostalgic spooky movies to watch this Halloween

A list of spooky movies that are sure to please

Cora McClain | Editor-In-Chief

Stephanie Moschella | Digital Media Manager

Halloween is fastly approaching, but with social distancing guidelines, it seems as if the holiday has essentially been cancelled. Since there’s not much to do on All Hallow’s Eve this year, a movie marathon would be a nice alternative. Here are a few nostalgic movies to get comfy and watch on Oct. 31.

Classic

“Beetlejuice” (1988) (Amazon)

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1992) (Amazon)

“Casper” (1995) (Amazon)

“Corpse Bride” (2005) (Amazon)

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) (Amazon)

“Ghostbusters” (1984) (Amazon) 

“Goosebumps” (1998 ) (Netflix)

“Gremlins” (1984) (Amazon)

“Halloweentown” (1998) (Disney+) 

“Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge” (2001) (Disney+) 

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001) (Amazon)

“Hocus Pocus” (1993) (Disney+) 

“House on Haunted Hill” (1999) (Amazon)

“Matilda” (1996) (Amazon)

“Mean Girls” (2004) (Amazon)

“Return to Halloweentown” (2006) (Disney+) 

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” (1969) (Amazon)

“Sleepy Hollow” (1999) (Amazon)

“Teen Wolf” (1985) (Amazon)

“The Addams Family” (1991) (Netflix)

“The Craft” (1996) (Amazon)

“The Haunted Mansion” (2003) (Disney+)

“The Night Before Christmas” (1993) (Amazon)

“Twitches” (2005) (Disney+)

 

Horror

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984) (Amazon)

“Annabelle” (2014) (Amazon)

“Blair Witch Project” (1999) (Amazon)

“Carrie” (1976) (Amazon)

“Child’s Play” (1988) (Amazon)

“Children of the Corn” (1984) (Hulu) 

“Halloween” (1978) (Amazon) 

“It” (2017) (Amazon)

“Monster House” (2006) (Amazon)

“Paranormal Activity” (2007) (Amazon)

“Pet Sematary” (1989) (Amazon) 

“The Amityville Horror” (1979) (Amazon)

“The Conjuring” (2013) (Amazon)

“The Conjuring 2” (2016) (Amazon)

“The Exorcist” (1973) (Amazon) 

“The Nun” (2018) (Amazon) 

“The Shining” (1980) (Amazon) 

“The Sixth Sense” (1999) (Amazon) 

“The Ring” (2002) (Amazon)

“Scream” (1996) (Amazon)

 

Honorable Mention

“The Haunting of Hill House” (2018) (Netflix)

Contact the authors at howleditor@wou.edu and howldigitalmediamanager@wou.edu

Beat holiday stress with some funky tunes

Enjoy a playlist that travels through the ‘60s and ’90s

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor

The holiday season is finally here, and while it’s an exciting time to spread cheer, some days are longer than others. People need ways to unwind and kill time in between the holiday get-togethers. Here are 15 songs to help distract from the stressfulness of the holidays, ranging from the 1960s to 1990s; there’s bound to be quite a few throwbacks and other well-loved tunes. Find a few artists to revisit, and add some of these groovy classics to a playlist. Don’t forget to check out the playlist with all these hits under “Beat the holiday stress with some funky tunes~” on Spotify at TheWesternHowl.

  1. “Just the Two of Us” — Bill Weathers ft. Grover Washington Jr.
  2. “Give Up the Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)” — Parliament 
  3. “Juicy” — The Notorious B.I.G.
  4. “What’s Going On” — Marvin Gaye
  5. “Love Train” — The O’Jays 
  6. “Blue Bayou” — Roy Orbison 
  7. “Play That Funky Music” — Wild Cherry
  8. “Little Lies” — Fleetwood Mac 
  9. “Boogie Wonderland” — Earth, Wind & Fire and The Emotions
  10. “Funky Town” — Lipps Inc.
  11. “Get Down on It” — Kool & The Gang
  12. “Love Her Madly” — The Doors
  13.  “I Wish” — Stevie Wonder
  14. “Night Fever” — The Bee Gees 
  15.  “Get Down Tonight” — KC & The Sunshine 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

 

Don’t miss out on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Thanksgiving Day debut of balloons, floats and clowns 

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor 

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marks the official start of the holiday season for many, and it has become a tradition to get comfy and watch the four-story-high floats and balloons; for a lot of families, this year will be no exception. 

Anyone can tune in to NBC to watch the viewing live from 34th Street, all the way in New York, NY, alongside familiar hosts Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. NBC will be starting the parade bright and early at 6 a.m. and ending at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. All the performances, gigantic balloons and fantastic floats can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. 

The lineup is pretty impressive this year: 18 different giant balloons with great measurements. For example, their balloon of Boss Baby is 45 feet tall (roughly the size of a four-story building), 28 feet wide (six taxi cabs wide) and approximately 32 feet long (the length of five bicycles). Fans can look forward to some old favorites, like the holiday Pikachu or the 67-foot-tall Ronald McDonald, or new and improved balloons, like Boss Baby. 

If that isn’t enough pizzaz, there will be 17 performances from artists like country music legend herself, Dolly Parton, who will be performing “Home Sweet Home,” on the float for the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. To go with the wide-ranging music selection and balloon parade, there will also be two “balloonicles,” which is Macy’s term for a “balloon-based vehicle.” Instead of the balloons being filled with helium like the giant balloons, they are filled with cold air and are powered by the driver of the car.

Additionally, there will be 19 different groups of clowns running around, all of which have their very own themes. Included clown groups will be the pirate clowns, the nutty-cracker ballet clowns, the city tourists clowns and the classic circus clowns. 

But it doesn’t stop there; nine street performers like “The Big Apple Circus” and NYC’s Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps Marching Band, “Heritage of Pride,” will be out and about, along with 25 elaborate and fantastical floats — all of which will top off the extravagant event. 

So come Thanksgiving Day, make sure to grab seconds, thirds and extra dessert, and catch up on all the excitement for this year’s coolest holiday event. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

 

Catch the latest episodes of “Big Mouth” online

December starts off with new episodes of “Big Mouth”

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor

“Big Mouth,” the raunchy and relatable adult-animated sitcom is returning for a fourth season, which will be available on Netflix on Dec. 4. 

Netflix released an official trailer on Youtube in mid-November, giving fans a sneak peek of Coach Steve supervising the pool, Jessi attending therapy and learning about anxiety and chaos caused by the young tweens’ Hormone Monsters. Guest stars will include Maria Bamford as Tito the “anxiety mosquito,” and Zach Galifianakis as “Gratitode.” 

Along with the latest fourth season, Netflix announced on Twitter last July that “Big Mouth” has also been confirmed for a fifth and sixth season in the near future. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Christmas events to rock your stockings

Celebrate the season in style

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor

There’s no shortage of holiday events in Oregon that anyone can go to ⏤ including virtual and drive-thru events as well as in person events with social distancing measures. 

First, is the virtual ScanFair from Nov. 29 through Dec. 6, where shoppers can find handcrafted gifts from online vendors. There will be a great variety of vendors, including Gnome Werks Toys, Swedecraft and Folk Art of Norway. Extra information on this virtual holiday event can be found at nordicnorthwest.org/scanfair. 

The holiday fun doesn’t stop there; families can visit Santa at the Riverfront Carousel in Salem at “Santa’s Carousel Workshop,” where participants can snap a few pictures with ol’ Saint Nick before he returns to the North Pole. Visits are always free, and folks can look into the many photo options they have. There must be no more than six people in one group, but there are also options for virtual visits from Santa. Anyone can schedule Zoom meetings or get a custom video message from Santa, where it would be available to view on Christmas Eve. 

If nothing else, make sure to send a letter to Santa this year, so he can decide if you’ve been naughty or nice. Forms for the letters are on their website or in person next to Santa’s bright red mailbox by the carousel. More information and details on reservations are located at, salemcarousel.wixsite.com/salemcarousel/santa-at-the-carousel. 

Even though the holidays will look a little different this year at the Portland Zoo, that won’t stop this year’s special drive-thru experience and holiday get-together. ZooLights Drive shows off the elaborate display of 1.5 million lights that are strung throughout the zoo. Viewers can take in the eleven brilliant light displays, some of which include: fantasy lane, glowing grove and light tree lane. This event will run from Nov. 23 to Jan. 10, 2021, with the exception of Dec. 25. Tickets range in price and can be purchased up to seven days in advance on their website, shop.oregonzoo.org/#/SpecialEvents. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Reviews are in for Sony’s anticipated PS5

Console gaming gets an upgrade with the PS5 

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor

The PlayStation 5 had to be one of the most talked-about releases for many, and it’s been a little over two weeks since it became available in the U.S. on Nov. 12. It was also released in the U.K. a few days later on Nov. 19, and since hitting the markets, the PS5 has proven how advanced the gaming industry has become. 

Initial reviews raved about the incredibly fast loading times and the technology in the DualSense controller, as well as detailed 4K visuals and a sleek interface. 

While people have found aspects of the device that they enjoy, like any product, there is always room for improvement. Some drawbacks have been found in the DualSense wireless controller, which some found to be bulky. Other reviews point out the considerable 15.4 x 10.2 x 4.1-inch console, which may not be the most effective for smaller storage spaces. 

It’s no doubt that the PS5 was one of the most highly anticipated releases this year, and the time has finally come for gamers to experience the PS5 for themselves and see if it’s been worth the wait. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

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