Vol. 13: Spooky Season, Warrior Spirit, & Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day

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Spooky Season is here! Normally that would mean that we would have a plethora of  in-person haunted attractions to experience, with the creme of the crop of special effects artists, scenic designers, and witchy writers itching to show off their beloved creepy creations. But this is 2020, and there is nothing normal about this year. So, rather than looking to see which haunt or latest immersive experience will scare the bejesus out of us, this year is all about rollin' with the unexpected... this time in the form of drive-thru experiences! Throughout October, there are several drive-thru attractions that are not only fun and innovative, but also designed to be completely safe for both patrons and workers during these strange and somewhat eerie pandemic times. Of course, please always do what you feel is most comfortable and safe! Below are a few picks that piqued our spooky senses: "Attention all Stranger Things fans! It’s time to travel back in time to 1985 and become a Hawkins resident - in real life. Adventure calls, so gather your friends and drive to the Starcourt Mall. Immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Stranger Things, where you will take part in a "drive-into" experience like no other. You will unlock the untold story of Hawkins in this unique format event - all from the safety of your car. In a central DTLA location, you’ll dive into and explore a living, breathing story to savour some of the best moments from the Netflix series and maybe even witness some unforeseen and unusual occurrences. Book now to unlock the secrets that await..." -StrangerThingsDriveInto.com STRANGER THINGS "From Meyer2Meyer Entertainment, the creators of House of Spirits: A Haunted Cocktail Soiree, Kaleidoscope Experience, co-creators of Rated R Speakeasy and the former creative director behind 8 years of the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and Great Horror Campout, comes: THE BITE LA: Halloween Food Crawl and Creature Safari at LEGG LAKE​ This unique twist on the drive-thru/drive-into haunted attraction offers a delectable Halloween food crawl that snakes its way around eerie Legg Lake, includes 8 Bites, campfire dessert, fall-favorite warm beverage and immersive entertainment that guests can enjoy from the safety of their own vehicle." -TheBiteLA.com THE BITE LA "Guests will enjoy in the safety of their own vehicle a drive-thru where scare seekers will experience immersive story-telling and terrifying sets. Guests will be entertained by live performances throughout their drive, plus experience 4 interactive show zones and an immersive show of lights, sound, special effects and monsters will come alive." -UrbanLegendsHaunt.com URBAN LEGENDS HAUNT "A first of its kind immersive experience from the creators of LA's favorite Halloween event. Not just a drive in! Experience this reimagined haunted “drive up”. An original haunted show featuring a multimedia story displayed on a 40 foot screen, as well as horrifying sets and characters from Midnight Falls that surround the theater and bring the story to life!" -LosAngelesHauntedHayride.com LA HAUNTED HAYRIDE In this family friendly drive-thru Halloween experience, guests will get to pick pumpkins and "trick-or-treat" with costumed actors (all from the safety of their own vehicles), Guests will also be able to enjoy fully immersive installations and environments with plenty of opportunities to take photos and videos. Dressing up is encouraged! HAUNT 'O WEEN LA WARRIOR Game Night is this week! Tune in to watch the Warrior cast battle it out in a Twitch game night this Thursday, October 29th at 8pm ET/5 PM PT, hosted by Mari Takahashi, aka AtomicMari. Which tong will come out on top?!  Warrior Season 2 is now streaming on Cinemax! Be sure to tune in and catch up on the latest episodes. If you're not yet familiar with the show, Warrior is a lush action drama based on the writings of Bruce Lee. Set within the underbelly of San Francisco in the 1870s, the show takes place against the backdrop of economic depression that led to anti-immigrant policies. In this world, Chinese secret societies (known as Tongs) fight for money, politics and dominance. Start Streaming Now! WARRIOR Game Night is TONIGHT! You won't want to miss the epic face-off between Tongs! Tune in to watch the Warrior cast battle it out via Twitch TONIGHT Thursday, October 29th at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Hosted by Mari Takahashi, aka AtomicMari! Tune in HERE 5pm PT! Yesterday was Columbus Day. As a way to call attention to the real history of Columbus and his legacy, we would like to honor and continue to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. Let this day be a reminder of the resiliency of the Native peoples who have endured ah so much. As someone who is of Piro and Apache descent, yours truly (Ali, GreatCo's resident writer) encourages you to take the time to fact check the mythology of Christopher Columbus and learn about the real history surrounding his conquest. Instead of Columbus Day, let's celebrate indigenous culture. Italian-Americans also deserve to honor and celebrate a better hero, one who is more representative of the beauty and joy of Italian culture. One day, all cultures and traditions will be woven into the fabric of everyday society, and we will live in a just and harmonious world. Until that day, let's honor Indigenous Peoples' Day as a time to reflect, correct the historical inaccuracies, and celebrate the beautiful peoples who were always here and who are still here. As children in the United States, we learn how Columbus "discovered" the Americas as he "sailed the ocean blue in 1492." But like so much of the disinformation that we are inundated with today, the Columbus mythology is due for some serious fact checking. Columbus did not discover the Americas. Instead, he accidentally landed in the Caribbean while trying to find a new route to Asia, or what he and Europeans of the time generally called the "Indies." Of course Columbus was nowhere near the "East Indies." He landed in what is now the Bahamas, and he met the Lucayan people. Later he would go on to explore more of the Caribbean and meet the Taino people. What happened afterward would set the precedent for European conquest, colonization, enslavement, and brutal mass genocide of the indigenous peoples all across the Americas. Christopher Columbus never set foot in the United States of America, but he certainly left a legacy that we are still left coming to terms with today. Learn more about the history of Columbus Day below: How can you continue to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day? See below for a list of ways you can support! Relive a virtual celebration through the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Learn more about indigenous cultures around the world through the Native-Land.ca app. Donate to Indigenous Rights Groups. Support Native Artisans Support Native Food Businesses Yours Truly, Ali Mariko Dressel What do you do to help cheer yourself up when you are feeling a dip of energy in your day? Here are a few of our favorite things to help lift our spirits or simply give us a laugh when we need it most! Daily Dose of Internet The YouTube Channel, Daily Dose of Internet, is sure to provide a healthy dose of laughter, bizarre things you never thought you'd see, and, yes, plenty of cat videos! On your way down the rabbit hole of YouTube Videos, be sure to check out The Dodo!  With inspiring videos from all over the world, The Dodo never disappoints with providing the sweetest stories featuring the most lovable animals.  Mmm did someone say ice cream?! No matter the occasion, ice cream is a treat that is sure to lift taste buds as well as spirits. Rocky Road from Baskin Robbins anyone? No doubt you have a few go-to TV shows to turn to when times get rough. For us, Friends will always be there ;) Not sure what do watch? This list of shows are sure to provide some much needed stress relief. Sick and tired of hearing nothing but doom and gloom from the news? Perhaps you're familiar with the increasingly problematic habit of "doom-scrolling" through an endless barrage of negative news. Well, fortunately not all news is bad, and there are plenty of people in the world doing amazing things as we speak! Take a break from doom-scrolling and instead immerse yourself in the The Good News Network to find a wonderful collection of uplifting content, inspiring stories, and best of all, good news.  What helps cheer you up when you're feeling down? Reach out to us and let us know! Here at GreatCo, we strive to connect with our community in the most transparent and authentic way possible. When discussing what to cover in our newsletter for this week, we had difficulty deciding what the most relevant and poignant current topic should be, much less how to talk about it. We came to the conclusion that amid all of the wild, unprecedented events within the past week, one message remains as clear as ever: Stay Safe.  We want to take this moment to genuinely wish good health and safety for everyone, regardless of who you are or what you believe. We're all human, and we are all in this pandemic together. And together, we will get through this, one crazy day at a time. Feeling lost? Confused? Overwhelmed? Please don't hesitate to reach out to us for any reason! Even if it's just to chat, we're here for you. Enjoying our newsletters? Check out our website updates for all past monthly issues! #InGreatCo