School children parade the streets and visit the shops of Downtown Pittsboro

At the General Store Café, we are all very excited with the upcoming holiday season. And Halloween is certainly one of our favorites! We are eagerly looking forward to receiving the 150 or so children who will be trick or treating in their costumes as they parade through downtown shops during Halloween day. We'll have our goody bags ready in one hand and our cameras raised in the other! In the spirit of the festivities, we will be offering goodies to all of our costumed trick or treaters (of all ages). So, if you decide to stop in--- in your ghoulish attire, please leave your tricks at the door, and come in for a complimentary holiday treat and a hot cup of cider!

1st Annual Halloween Costume Contest Thursday October 31st, 8:30PM ! - Win Dinner for Two!

We are also holding our first annual costume contest for men and women on Thursday. The honorable staff of The General Store Café has the privilege of picking the winner! Each winner receives a gift certificate of a dinner for two! To compete in this event - please arrive no later than 8:30PM. The line up of contestants will be held at 9:00pm on Thursday, Oct. 31. May the spookiest costume win!

Highly Anticipated - Jazz Presented by Mahlon Hoard returns next week - Thursday November 7th!

The General Store Café is thrilled to re-introduce the Jazz Series shepherded by Mahlon Hoard. After a brief summer hiatus, the jazz series returns to the store on November 7th. We are incredibly grateful for Mahlon's dedication in bringing outstanding jazz to Pittsboro! Come share the excitement one week from Halloween.

General Store Burrito Bash - Art Council Fundraiser - Wednesday November 13th

Mark your calendars for the big burrito bash. Our Chatham County Art Council needs your support. Come out and show them your appreciation. The Chatham County Arts Council, founded in 1982, is a non-profit art service organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Chatham County by cultivating an environment of creativity and diversity. Half the proceeds will go to the Chatham County Art Council. Band to be announced.

Come in and Experience Our NEW Local Specialty Food Items for Sale!

• "Breadshop" bread loaves
• Counter culture coffee (regular and decaf)
• Fresh honey
• General Store Café Salsa

Calling all Artisans and Craftmakers!

As the holiday season approaches The General Store Café will sell locally crafted gifts and specialty items. We plan to sell handmade, original crafts that make nice holiday gifts or personal items. So - if you create greeting cards, children's sweaters, pottery, candles, soap, etc. please come by and show us your work (talk to Joyce). We will be happy to display your work on consignment.

Coming Soon - www.GeneralStoreCafe.com !

With eager anticipation, we are proud to announce that within a few weeks, we will be launching our website! Soon you will be able to login to see our daily specials, musical guests, and upcoming events and updates at the click of a button.

Traditionally, a general store has been a local meeting place or a trading post, providing both necessities and information for its' patrons. In keeping with the spirit of a general store, it is our hope that this website can enhance these characteristics that make the café so unique in today's impersonal business world. The website will include a community forum to allow a space for thoughts, reflection, and conversation, as well as act as an old fashion trading post, where users will be able to post things for sale, wanted, or lost/found, etc. In addition to this forum, we would like to include any literary talents of our fellow neighbors, all ages welcomed. Please submit any poems, comic strips, short stories, political commentaries, etc. that you would like to share to info@thegeneralstorecafe.com (this address will be operational after November 1st - in the meantime you can email generalstorecafe@earthlink.net). Literary Pieces will be included on both newsletter and website

We'll have we been cooking up a feast for you! Once again Jenny-Lynn has come up with a divine menu sure to tantalize your taste buds!

Dinner Specials this week:

• Chile Rellenos stuffed with fresh cheese, served with Spanish rice and black beans
• Pan Seared Catfish with savory basmati rice and sautéed bok choy with fresh ginger
• Tri-Colored Cheese tortellini with artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, calamata olives and Parmesan in a white wine garlic sauce

Vegetable Plate Options:

• Fresh Snap Beans
• Sautéed Bok Choy
• Beet Walnut Salad
• Dill Past Salad
• Herb Roasted Potatoes

Music this week

Friday November 1st - Peter Waggoner
Peter Waggoner is a solo artist who draws his influences from Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. He has played in various bands since 1995 including Betsy in the Gene Pool, The Two Dollar Pistols, Memphis and Greg Hawks and the Tremblers. He plays guitar and harmonica and recently released his debut CD "So Low" on Ten21 Records in June. He is also busy in the studio with the roots rock trio the Televandilists working on the bands first CD to be released in October. His song styles range from blues to country to traditional folk.

Saturday November 2nd - Open Irish Session!
Come hear the gaelic inspired jam session while having a pint or two!

We Want to Know your Suggestions!!!

The General Store Café appreciates any feedback, suggestions, or comments you may have as to how we can fulfill your expectations. Suggestions cards will be available at the counter shortly, or you can send them via email to info@thegeneralstorecafe.com (this email address will not be fully operational until Friday, Nov. 1.) Your comments are important to us - please allow 3-4 business days to receive a response.

The café is open Mon-Friday 7:30am-3pm, serving lunch 11:30-2:30. Saturday 8am-2:30 pm. We reopen Thurs.-Sat. nights serving dinner from 6:30-9pm, with live music from 9pm-10:30pm. Sunday we rest.

If you wish to discontinue receiving these weekly emails, than please just send it back and say remove. Thanks

Halloween Extras

(for this very extra special Halloween newsletter)

The History of Halloween

Did you ever wonder how this peculiar custom originated? Did you know that...

The Halloween as we know it today, originated from a melting pot of multiple sources. For thousands of years, people have been celebrating different holidays and festivals at the end of October. While Americans celebrate Halloween on October 31, Mexicans celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, and Sicilians celebrate "Festival of the Dead" on November 2nd.

The story of Halloween begins over 2000 years ago, with the ancient Celts who celebrated the end of the harvest, also the end of their year on October 31st. Not only was it their day for celebrating the year's harvest, but October 31 was also the day of Samhain, a festival for honoring the dead. The Celts believed that on the evening of October 31 the heavens and the earths were aligned so that all the spirits could roam the earth and intermingle with the living for that night. These spirits comprised of all those who had died throughout the preceding year and on this day, they would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was their only hope for an afterlife.

As any rationale living person would not want to be possessed, so the villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in horrendous and frightening costumes and noisily parade around the village, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

When the Romans conquered the Celts in the first century AD, they added parts of their festivals, Feralia and Pomona to the tradition. Pomona, was the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, and the symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

Around the eighth century, the Christian church who tried unsuccessfully to get the villagers to stop honoring the pagan holiday of the Celts on October 31 made November 1 All Saints Day to honor all of the saints that didn't have a special day of their own. Over the years, these festivals combined. The night before All Saints' Day became known as All Hallows Eve. Eventually, this name changed to be called Halloween.

Over time, the belief in spirit possession waned and the practice of dressing up like goblins and witches took on a more ceremonial role. The history of "trick o' treating" can be traced back to the early celebrations of All Soul's Day in Britain. The poor would go begging and the housewives would give them special treats called "soulcakes." This was called "going a-souling," and the "soulers" would promise to say a prayer for the dead. Over time the custom changed, to include the town's children who also practiced the ritual of the beggars. As they went from house to house they would be given apples, buns, and money.

Irish immigrants brought the custom of Halloween to America in the 1840's. At that time, the favorite pranks included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

It wasn't until after WWII that the present day trick or treating as we know it began. Evidently, the reckless behavior and the tricks played on neighbors by impetuous youth, got to be so bad, that to prevent this behavior housewives began to give children candy to keep from being trick. Hence, the children would shout, "Trick or Treat!" Soon, Halloween transformed into a family event that included dressing up in costume, going "trick or treating," parades, and parties.

So, although some pagan groups, cults, and Satanists may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. Today, most Halloween celebrations are still celebrated with the idea of the end of summer, with decorations of scarecrows, festivals of pony rides and apple bobbing, the carving of pumpkins, dressing up in fun creative costumes, and telling ghost stories around a bonfire. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

(http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm)

History of the Jack O'Latern

People have been making Jack o'Lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The custom originates from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed, "Stingy Jack." According to the tale, Jack, invited the Devil to have a drink with him at a nearby pub. True to his name, Stingy Jack had no intention on paying for the drink, so he coaxed the Devil to turn himself into a coin so that Jack could buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back to his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil under the condition that the Devil would not bother Jack for at least another year, and that he would not claim his soul.

The next year, Jack tricked the Devil again to climb up a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised not to bother Jack for another 10 years.

As the legend goes, after Jack died, he was denied entrance into heaven because of his evil ways, and the Devil, so upset by the tricks Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then simply "Jack O'Latern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began making their own versions of Jack's lantern by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them in windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'latern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make an ideal jack o'lantern.

(http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm)

Just for Kids!

Spooky, kooky, creepy, and fun! Here are some Halloween things to be done!

Halloween Riddles:

Why didn't the Skeleton cross the road?
He didn't have the guts.

Why are there fences around cemeteries?
Because people are dying to get in

What kind of mistakes do spooks make?
Boo boos

Why do witches fly on brooms?
Vacuum cleaner cords aren't long enough

What did the ghost buy for his Haunted House?
Home Moaner's Insurance

Where do baby ghosts go during the day?
Dayscare centers

Halloween Carol:

(sung to the tune of "Over the River")

Over the graveyard and through the tombs,
To the haunted house we go.
The ghosts are a fright,
This spooky night
So come and join the show

Over the graveyard and through the tombs,
Just hear the dreadful cries,
The banshees howl,
The black cats yowl,
Their shrieking fills the skies

Over the graveyard and through the tombs,
Where all the goblins meet,
Witches and ghouls
They are no fools,
They all yell, "Trick or Treat."

Over the Graveyard and through the tombs,
The jack-o-lantern gleam.
Bats fill the skies,
With glowing eyes,
Hooray! It's Halloween

(http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/halloween/games/jokes.html)

Halloween Fun Foods!

NightCrawlers
You Need:

• 12 Large Apples
• One 8oz Jar of Boysenberry Jam
• 4 Tbsp. of Butter
• 12 Gummy Worms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples from the stem end to ½ inch from the bottom. Do not push through. Stuff each hole with 1 tsp. each of jam and butter. Place in a pan and bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, depending on the size of the apples. When done, the apple should be tender but not mushy. Remove the apples from the oven. Let cool 15 minutes. Now set each apple in a bowl and spoon syrup from the baking pan around it. In top of each apple, insert a gummy worm with at least half of its body protruding. Makes 12.