Lemonade Day: I Visited The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor

ABOUT LEMONADE DAYS

In 2012, I decided I wanted to make 3 or more Makerspaces here in Long Beach. I set myself a task:100 days of creativity in search of projects, creatives, places, materials and equipment. I made a game and played it. Here in Long Beach, and here on the Belmont Shore Patch. It's been 5 long years and my mission is yet to be completed, but there is progress. And where there is progress, there is hope. The mission has adjusted and grown, and I've taken many paths. Some of those have turned out to be amazing, some less so. They are all learning opportunities. I learned that we all have super powers inside us, we just need to give them a chance to present themselves. Our powers all have levels and with practice those levels rise. I learned that everyone has a voice (some have many), and this forum, the Belmont Shore Patch, gave me one place to present one voice. A very special voice. One of community, of Long Beach. I learned about the internet, about video making, about blogging, about websites, about community building.

I recently tried to restart Lemonade Days, or at least to complete the 100 days of Making Lemonade, which goal somehow got lost as the first Makerspace (at the Long Beach Sea Base) developed. That restart didn't get very far. I have much to do now, and I've come to realize that Lemonade Days in the form of 100 Days of Creativity belongs in 2012.

But Lemonade Days, days of community and creativity; days of connecting with family, friends and those who would be friends still happen. Friday I had a very special Lemonade Day and I want to share it with you.

THE QUEEN MARY'S DARK HARBOR

I visited the Queen Mary, and the annual Halloween extravaganza, Dark Harbor. As I grow older, so does my family, and two new photographers, Braedon Schmidt and Cassie Martinez, joined as my photography crew. This dynamic duo will be helping by taking my photos and sharing my works. Perhaps they, too will find a platform to develop their voices. For now, they will share with me, here on the Belmont Shore Patch.

What makes a Lemonade Day? It is a day of community, of creativity... of shared experiences and laughter.

That night, parents and siblings laughed and shared. We watched the entertainment on the main stage - there's a new group performing every 10 minutes after 7:00 PM (see photo). The view from the "street" level is perfectly fine, but I bet that the view from the elevated cabanas is pretty awesome! We talked of past experiences as we had new ones. For me, there have been many experiences on the Queen Mary, as I visited with the Princess Diana exhibit and volunteered at the Steampunk festival. Experiences had as I blogged about the Art Deco celebration and joined for the ScotsFest activities and Dark Harbor and Chill productions.

I thought, as I admired the set up close, about the incredible work it takes to build and to produce the Dark Harbor. I wonder.... How many people are involved? Who are those people? I suspect some who participated in Midsummer Scream - a summer festival for haunt makers and lovers - were there.

I thought about the community of ghosts and ghouls that gather annually for the Dark Harbor haunt. Here's one.

I thought about Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses. Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, as I relaxed in the RIP Lounge and looked down upon the Queen Mary's domain. I thought about legacies and the fact that everyone can create one.

I thought about the future of Dark Harbor, and how it might interact (or not) with the exciting plans for the Queen Mary Island.

I thought about photographs and missed opportunities for photographs. At the Colorado Lagoon and other locations in Long Beach which have undergone so much change, and at the Queen Mary. I thought about the time I went to the Queen Mary specifically to take photos but came out with a lot of blurry shots and bright lights with aura around them. I've heard that a lot of people have trouble taking photos on the Queen Mary. Something about the paranormal influence.

It was good community, in an exciting and entertaining setting, and I'm glad to have my new photographers with me.

Favorites, Advice and Observations:

• Dark Harbor has a new look! I like the new entrance and open feel!
• Get there early, there's a lot to do!
• You have permission to scream! You'll be relieved when you do! Scream loudly and often. I did!
• Soulmate, Circus! and Deadrise! Mazes. Feast if you want to walk through some very haunted parts of the Queen Mary. Here's information on all the mazes!
• VIP Ticket - Provides access to VIP line for quicker entry to mazes, and to food and drink in the RIP Lounge -A nice place to get away from the crowds and survey your domain.
• For parties - Get your own party room and book a cabana. Great if you are celebrating a birthday or other special event AND halloween! Got a bigger party? Celebrate with a private party for up to 99 of your best ghoul-loving friends.
• Save time! Get your tickets early, print them before you go and read the additional information with your ticket.
• Queen Mary is free after 6 on selected week days. Parking is waived if you eat at Chelsea or Sir Winston's. Check the schedule for blackouts.

Getting there:

Special areas for Uber and Lyft, three parking options (see here). Arrive early for faster fun and quicker parking!

About the Community Lemonade Game

The Makerspace at the Sea Base is one of the three Makerspaces, the mission of the Community Lemonade Game. Others are in the works. The mission continues.

Credit: All photos except the last one are presented in this post with permission of photographers Braedon Schmidt and Cassie Martinez.