H-AL-loween 2022

A call went out to volunteers who wanted to give H-AL-loween a comeback in 2022. A ‘ween team made up of people from Shipping/Receiving, HR/Finance, Marketing/Special Projects and Production followed through on a zany concoction of ideas. From “Witches’ Stews” to “P-AL-let Painting” to “Party Mixer Bingo,” this day had it all. A carving contest, “Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin,” the “Candy Corn Count,” and the Costume Contest completed the program. Hats off to Missy Hamel and Nikki Deraps shown below organizing the buffet, Kathy and Adrienne (accountants by training), Angela, Ruth and Kayla for a day that demonstrated clearly that “Team work makes the dreamwork” (Walt Disney).

Kathy Clancy, our intrepid HR/Finance Manager, really applies herself to H-AL-loween. She had a vision of painted pallets and patiently spray painted the backgrounds, involving a bunch of teammates along the way. Flexo press operator Andy L’Esperance helped stabilize her pallets; Ricky Ek, Jason Clark, Cassie Geddes, Aaron Johnson and Mark Gendron all consulted on the project and Diane Jarest and Lynne Gillis made the art sing. Adrienne Crocker and Katie Putnam took the lead on all the other decorating.

Hollywood Hillary Sterling, the daughter of our Marketing Manager, gave us a boost again (she has made videos for us in the past) with a Jack Skellington that would be the envy of any stage manager anywhere. John Johnson, our multi-talented printer, posed Jack to run the ancient flexo press he had restored, which was Amherst Label’s first press back in the late 1970s.

Healthy appetizers preceded a spread of chilis, soups, BBQ pulled chicken and a prize-winning bacon macaroni and cheese. The dessert table demonstrated some of Amherst Label’s creativity—eyeballs and bat balls and monster squares that tasted way better than that sounds.

When the company’s newest team member, whom few people have met, shows up as an incredibly scary devil, you have the makings of a great costume contest. Aaron Johnson did win, beating out Ted Lasso (Nye Hornor), Frida Kahlo (Angela Hornor), Professor Minerva McGonnagall (Stacie Aho), a working gum ball machine (Katie Putnam), Forrest Gump (Jack Kern) and others.

Clockwise from upper left: Michael Myers put his (her) knife to good use carving an amazingly realistic jack-o’-lantern face, which impressed Amherst Label owner Nick Calvetti (in the festive orange shirt). So Jeannette Sanborn handily won the Carving Contest. Mary Rae brought her husband as part of her Sally/Charlie Brown costume and won big for her unearthly delight of Mac&Cheese. Missy Hamel won the dessert category with her chocolate oreo bats and monster cookies. Andrea Smith guessed 879 candy corns in a jar and won that contest. The 22-pound pumpkin was an easy guess for our Receiving chief and a Production/Shipping ace, both of whom guess the weights of things all day long. And lastly, we celebrated Halloween birthday gals Kayla and Ruth.

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