Southeast Community College

[ Photo: Brad and Tracy Moul of Lincoln stand next to some of the Halloween props they've produced. The couple spends virtually the entire year preparing for Oct. 31. ]

To say Brad and Tracy Moul love Halloween would be the understatement of the year.

The former co-owners of the haunted house in downtown Lincoln started a Halloween Fan Club and spend literally 11 months out of the year in preparation for Oct. 31.


[ Photo: Examples of Halloween props constructed by past class members. ]

To help other Halloween enthusiasts prepare for this year's big day, the Mouls will be teaching a Halloween Prop-Builders Workshop for Southeast Community College's Continuing Education Division. The workshop will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 22 and running through Oct. 13 in Room 102 of SCC's Continuing Education Center, 301 S. 68th St. Place, Lincoln. The workshop costs $69 per person, and additional material fees will apply and are due the first night of class. Brad Moul said amounts will range from $20 to $85 depending on projects chosen.


[ Photo: This is a tombstone under blacklight that was constructed in a previous workshop. ]

To register, go online at www.southeast.edu, click on the WebAdvisor button, then Continuing Education. Click Register and Pay for Continuing Education Classes, then enter the word Halloween in the key word search box. Students can also register by contacting Nancy Holman at 800-828-0072 ext. 2712, (402) 437-2712, or nholman@southeast.edu

Moul's workshop is an attempt to show people how to create unique, realistic props that are cost effective.

"One thing we try to do every year is offer different projects for the students," said Brad, who has taught the workshop for SCC the past five years. "We'll mix it up a bit in those terms. Tombstones are a standard that we offer in the class."

This year's new project is called the "Ground-Breaker." Tracy will be teaching this segment of the workshop.

"She literally is as much of a Halloween fanatic as I am," Brad said. "We are two peas in a pod. We go all out."

Brad explained "Ground-Breaker."

"The final project looks like a corpse coming up out of the ground," Brad said. "Students will build the armature, then build skeletal arms and a head and then use a latex technique to fabricate skin."

Brad Moul said many people make stationary figures out of PVC pipe in which a number of costumes and masks can be applied. Last year, he used a material called "Monster Mud," a mixture of drywall joint compound and latex paint.

"It's basically using chicken wire for armature, then burlap over that with compound and paint," he said. "This one is more flexible in that you can change out costumes and heads."

It also will allow people to position the arms and legs in different poses instead of one stationary position.

Working adults have comprised most of Moul's past workshops, with an occasional high school student. Helping people create cool Halloween props is what the workshop is all about.

"I got into this business years ago because I was tired of getting the mass-produced stuff you get in a department store," Brad said. "In my opinion, they're cheaply made and not realistic."

The Lincoln area Halloween Fan Club has about 30 members who meet quarterly, Brad said. For Brad and his wife, Halloween is a passion.

"We go to conventions across the nation, and we've been to some of the best haunts in the country," he said. "Halloween is 365 (days) for us. It's become a big part of our lives. It's a lot of fun."

The Mouls are working to get a retail Halloween site up and running in 2010, Brad said. Tracy maintains around six Web sites devoted to Halloween, including http://www.haunting101.com

For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401