Hi everyone,

I've started on the development of our new Halloween display for this year. I felt it was time to change. We always have had the Haunted Mine Shaft. (called the Ghoul Mine) It has been a lot of fun to build for the past 5 years and it has been a pure joy to hear the squeals and laughter it brings to the neighborhood and the kids. We had close to 500 trick or treaters' last year. I felt it was time to re-group and create something new, different and exciting. So, I dreamed this up...Let me set the scene for you so you can better understand the concept and where this is going.

Dragon Head Design I plan to immulate, except for a much longer neck. Courtsey of:

"The Beast" by Cynthia Elizabeth Oakley

Well known over at www.elfwood.com for her dragon sculptures.

First There will be a faux ancient wooden entry with what looks like a massive dungeon door that you have to open to enter with a 10 foot high wall that covers the entire width of my garage with an exit door at the end of that wall.(This entrance will cover my front door where the kids will get their candy) But after you enter and receive your treat there is only one way to leave and it is through the darkened tunnel that goes in front of my garage. So, you walk down the path in front of my garage to the exit at the other end. But before you reach the exit door you will be met with jets of steam and warm air and the guttural sound of a giant lizard beast of which will draw your attention just to your left. There you will notice the concrete floor heaved upwards as if broken through and a huge object coming through it and laying there just a few feet away (Under lit with a red fiery glow as if coming from deep within the violent lava pools of the earths depths.) Then you will see some deep yellowish- red eyes open and look straight at you. With a rumbling growl to a a low roar the object rises and silhouetted against a darkened back drop the black lights will catch the sparkle of its scales...as it shakes it's massive neck, awakening to your presence. Just as you realize you are staring down a DRAGON....he will ROAR a roar that will rumble through you. Tilting his head back and opening his giant maw, widening it to bare is fangs and razor sharp teeth, he will swing his massive head to and fro spewing smoke upon you and your friends as you are hit with another blast of hot air.

Thankfully you will notice that I have him chained to the broken concrete blocks from the floor so then you can leave in peace knowing that at least for the moment you made it out safe.....Till you meet the Troll guard on the other side of the exit door "Muahhhahahahahahahahahahaha" Fun huh?

This is the experience I want to give the kids and all who enter this year. So far, I have built the base and installed the electrical Foot push buttons for the sound, fog, steam jets, dragon eyes and dragons breath. The entire show can be operated by the one puppeteer (me). The viewing area of this show is the entire width of my garage

(24 feet wide) and the field of depth is about 18 feet deep. The dragons head will be a wire mesh covering a wire armature and frame work. Then covered with latex and paper machete. The neck of the dragon is a ten inch in diameter by 8 foot long , black plastic covered flex pipe. ( normally used for heating and air duct work) it will have glitter scales glued to it. The broken concrete floor sections are large Styrofoam blocks, a friend of mine in the stucco business gave me. I have fake flame lights and all the other lighting effects and a couple of skeletons and latex body parts to toss around in the scene. I am currently putting together the PVC piping that will deliver the simulated steam jets and the volcanic smoke and hot air. (this is going to be so cool)
the entire cost of this project so far has been zero. I have most everything I need to build the Dragon and the puppet control chair. The only purchase may be some spray paint and the Black see through scrim curtain that will hang floor to ceiling across my garage. The curtain puts me in the black and hides me and the controls behind the Dragon and the viewable stage area. Even though the scrim curtain is see through, when lighted from the viewers side the viewer can not see through to the other side. It works like a two way mirror.
Well, Now that I've started this, I will post updates and hopefully if all goes well I will post a video debuting My dragon in all his glory just before Halloween. I would also love to have video or even live streaming video the night of Halloween so you all can enjoy it too as you see the kids and adults alike scream with enjoyment. It will be a labor of love to complete. I will be updating this post this year as I continue onward with this project. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I am. and if you all have any suggestions as I'm going along please let me know.

"My Pet Dragon" Sound effect

click my arrow first to set the mood...

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Hear are the sound tracks I'm using to produce the sound track for the "My pet dragon" If you wanna hear what it will sound like please press the forward arrow button on the first two sound tracks then you can play around with the other tracks creating your own complete sound track ....I think this is neat that the computer allows you to play all the sounds at once or in conjunction with.
Just imagine, Dolby surround sound through the computer for that perfect digital sound. Pumped up and delivered to your ears by way of my 150 amp Sony Dolby surround system so it will actually vibrate you and make your skin shiver with anticipation..........

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