The Monroe County Museum System (MCMS) invites all to a special series of educational seasonal activities throughout the month of October: Shadowed Sips: Dramatic Readings of Historic Halloween, and YesterWays Eerie Edition.

Shadowed Sips: Dramatic Readings of Historic Halloween is presented on Wednesdays at Nocturnal Monroe (2 W Front St., Monroe, MI 48161) from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. All are invited to experience select chilling tales of yesteryear, by dropping in to catch one of several repeat performances throughout the evening. Performance Schedule:

• October 9: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley (1818)
• October 16: The Signal-Man, by Charles Dickens (1866)
• October 23: Some Words with a Mummy, by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
• October 30: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving (1820)

YesterWays is a free hands-on drop-in activity that focuses on a skill or craft from times past, inspired by our Monroe county history. It’s held Saturdays and Sundays at the County Museum (126 South Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan 48161) from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. A different activity is offered each month, and participants can expect one-on-one instruction from museum staff in a fun, beginner-friendly make-and-take project.

October’s YesterWays is inspired by a special item in the collection: a decorative wreath of human hair (Accession # 462.1558), woven by Mrs. Prudence Paxton Crauder, which is currently on exhibit. A favored folk art of the 18th and 19th century, hair art was a sentimental expression of grief and love. Human hair (from both living and deceased persons) was used to make flower bouquets, wreaths, braided jewelry chains, weeping willows, and painted scenes of mourning.