Lots of stuff going on this weekend with Halloween-themed parties galore. Check out The Local Q for a list of activities.

I leave with you with this from one of the best movies of all time, Young Frankenstein ….

Some people will do anything to look younger.

Click here for the story about the “Botox Bandit.” The Orange County district attorney’s office said in a statement Wednesday that 46-year-old Melissa Chesney earned the nickname for “committing fraud in search of a wrinkle-free face.”

We assume the wrinkles were not laugh lines ….

Halloween is Sunday, so it’s time to get the kids ready for the annual candy-overload.

Here’s some safety tips from the Quincy Police Department’s Pro Act Unit ….

• Don’t go out trick-or-treating alone or late at night.  Go before dark if you can with friends or, even better, with an adult you trust.

• Stay in your neighborhood.  If you go out after dark, stay on well-lit streets and carry a flashlight.

• Wear a costume that can be seen in the dark, is non-flammable, and fits well so you don’t trip when you walk.  Use makeup instead of a mask.  Masks can be hot and uncomfortable and, more importantly, they can obstruct a child’s vision- a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.

• Make sure that kids know not to enter strange houses or cars.

• Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends.  Together, map out a safe route so parents know where they’ll be.  Tell them to stop only at familiar homes where the outside lights are on.  The Quincy Police Department recommends that Mom, Dad or other responsible adult accompany the trick and treaters, particularly if young children are going out.

• Don’t eat any treats until you get home and an adult has examined them. Eat only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers.

Here’s a story about a phone application you can use to check for sex offenders in the immediate area. Click here to read more.

For the “You Can’t Make It Up” factor, here’s a YouTube video with a rather unique pitch for the product ….

Alex Sanders is not your normal Dead Person.

Alex, pictured above at right applying Zombie makeup to fellow dead person, organized a Zombie Pub Crawl tonight. They are walking to various establishments in the downtown area. It’s the second straight year for the unique Saturday night event, and there were more than 70 people by O’Griffs to participate, a lot more than last year.

“It’s just something a little different and it’s fun,” says Sanders, the “El Presidente” of the Not So Fine Arts Society in Quincy (click here for the Facebook link).

The best part is that the Zombies are walking, not driving, from bar to bar.

“Zombies don’t have driver’s licenses,” Sanders explained. “They are hard to acquire in Illinois if you are a dead person.”

No fair having so much fun!

From our friend Kevin Reed at Reed Promotional Media …

rpm 1010-1

I highly approve of this message, too.

ONE OF THE great things about this job is going out to talk with people.

Today I interviewed a couple for an upcoming column who live on the northwest side of town. They have a great house in a quiet neighborhood with all kinds of homes, ranging from larger brick residences to well-kept bungalows.

I once got mad at somebody who made a crack about “living west of 12th Street.” Well, I live west of 12th Street and have since moving here in 1996. Still, when you think of Quincy, there are mistaken notions about certain parts of town.

Sometimes you just gotta go see them yourself to figure it out.

Some chilling info in this story about college journalism …. Click here.

J.G. Duker sent us this photo he snapped of the Quincy Junior High School Marching Band practicing last week. As you can see on the right, a friendly canine really got into the performance.

Or perhaps our canine friend was auditioning for next year’s drumline.

I got a call last night from a guy who left a message using foul language. He was upset about comments I made on WGEM News Talk Live concerning a recent story.

I have no problem talking to people. This guy was upset and rightfully so. But leaving me expletive-laced messages won’t get you anywhere.

I am guilty of being a potty mouth on occasion. Here is one Oregon principal’s attempt to curb bad language, and I think it’s a great idea.