Wanna Be Scared on Halloween?

It’s the time of year when the leaves turn and everything is pumpkin flavored. It also means festivities and haunted houses around the area.  Here are some of the fun to be had on Halloween--click on the headings for more details about each event!

Terror on the Fox

"Pale Eye Productions and the Green Bay Preble Optimist Club once again bring you world class dark attractions at the area’s most unique location, Terror on the Fox. Whether it be the train ride, the walk through the woods, Camp Ash, Pandemonium or the Ominous Sanctum, one can always be certain that within the shadowless areas, darkness looms."

Green Bay Fear

"Awaiting inside Green Bay Fear Haunted Attractions are the terrors plucked straight from your nightmares. Our pets are biding their time, anticipating you and the delicious screams you'll bring. Housed in these roofs are the stalkers of the night, just waiting for you to round the corner in darkness. This isn't your average haunted house, this is Green Bay Fear Haunted Attractions.... where terror calls home."

The Morgue

"Save yourself while you still have a chance…
Featuring:

• Haunted woods
• Best wait area in the region - NO STANDING in lines! Hang out around the bonfire and wait for your group number to be called!
• HUGE bonfire all night long
• Concession stand
• Free parking
• Big screen for movies and videos
• Three-floor haunted house
• Slide to Hell"

Burial Chamber

"Wisconsin's Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex houses three large, full-size Wisconsin haunted houses for Halloween entertainment--located off of Hwy 41 in the Fox Valley (Appleton, WI), just 30 minutes south of Green Bay, WI or 20 minutes north of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. We are an hour and a half from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Madison, WI and less than 3 hours from Chicago, IL.
We're located just 5 minutes south of the Fox River Mall in Appleton, Wisconsin.Open Rain or Shine!"

A Night to Dismember

"This year’s house will include many new rooms and hair-raising surprises. Over 100 members of North’s Drama Club create the spine-chilling cast of characters that inhabit the house. The popular non-scary flashlight tours will continue to be available during all hours the house is open for younger children or those “weak of heart.” Carnival games, a mini-inflatable haunted house for little ones, a costume contest, and a bake sale in the commons will also be featured. Proceeds from the haunted house will help fund theatre activities and productions at [Appleton] North."

Greenville Station Ghost Tours

"Come join the Fox Valley Ghost Hunters on all new tours for the first time invited into the most terrifying place in Wisconsin the Greenville Station just west of Appleton a few miles"

Trail of Terror

"Trail of Terror takes pride in a quality scare. Trail of Terror, located in Oconto, Wisconsin, is big into sound effects, special effects, quality make-up and an environment guaranteed to make your spine tingle. Trail of Terror is the longest haunted trail in Wisconsin. With over 20 acres of eery woodland, we have a opportunity unique to any other haunted house or trail you’ll explore this Halloween season."

Zombie Shoot

"The Zombies are attacking and it’s up to you to stop them. Take the 20 passenger zombie slaying vehicle into the heart of the zombie village and try to eliminate them. You will be shooting them with special “zombie stopping” TRACER paintballs. They will not be shooting you but they will be trying to infect you and turn you into the walking dead! This is Wisconsin’s best interactive haunt that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Set in a creepy area, zombies will be coming out of castles, pirate ships, and the woods to attack you. Try to survive until the end!!!
Every Friday and Saturday night in October from 7pm-11:30pm at Commando Paintball Sports. Call 920-826-5554 or go to www.commandopaintballsports.com for more details"

Dead by Dawn

"After check in, you are invited to join the daunting host family, who resides in the building permanently, for a bit of an "unhappy" hour. This gathering takes place at the in house watering hole, named the Shrunken Head after it's unique décor, and includes pocket billiards, cold beverages, and hors d’ oeuvres. After 6:00pm you are welcome to roam. Historical downtown Manitowoc offers many wonderful restaurants, pubs, shops, and our very own Maritime Museum all within walking distance.
But…make sure you are back in the building by 11:00pm when the doors will be locked! For your own safety, lights must be out and guests must be in bed by midnight, to accommodate the things that go bump in the night. Remember, you will not get a good night's sleep here…muahahaha!"

Camp 5 Terror

"We are a medium sized haunted house that's very scary and detailed! . Very cost effective. Lots of screams, laughs and family fun."

Haunted Sub & Pub

"Join us for a haunted submarine experience aboard our WW II submarine USS Cobia! Our haunted tours will take place October 30th & 31st from 7:00pm – 11:00pm. Are you brave enough to discover what lurks beneath the surface at night? Cost is $5 per person.
If you survive the tour, hang out in our Sub Pub and enjoy some Halloween-themed refreshments! (Cash Bar)
October 30th & 31st, 7:00pm - 11:00pm
May not be suitable for children under 10."

Scare USA 2015

"Controversy has elevated this event to a new level of fear! A new addition to Scare USA, Toxic Terror, darkly morphed, pressuring you to find your way through the distortion. This side attraction is a trip; your first destination before entering Just About Dead Haunted Attraction. Just About Dead is your classic haunted house that features insanely detailed sets, advanced technology, mixed in with old-school effects and scares. Just About Dead uses the arts of disorientation, phobias, and intense startles to evoke rapid fear. Nothing will prepare you for what's ahead. Escape before you're just about dead."

Halloween Recipes

The SPOOKtacular season is upon us! Whether you’re hosting the big Halloween bash this year, or your kids need to bring a snack to pass at school, I’ve got you covered! Halloween has been around for over 2,000 years, so you can just imagine how many awesome Halloween recipes have been created over that much time. Don't file through the thousands of recipes out there, I did the leg work for you! 

Let’s start with this awesome Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe.  You can bring this as an appetizer to any party this season! This simple-to-make pumpkin uses delicious ingredients like cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and paprika. It’s as simple as mixing all the ingredients together, and forming it into a pumpkin. Believe me- you don’t have to be an artist to master this one.

Here's a elementary recipe that you can send along with your kids to school parties: Trash mix! Some of the suggested ingredients include: candy corn, caramel corn, pretzels, and gummy worms. When you’re shopping for these items, feel free to bring the kids along to let them pick out their favorite snack to add! After the trash mix is complete, it can be thrown in a big mixing bowl and passed out on napkins... How simple!

I know Halloween isn’t complete without a delicious drink or two--don't you think? What better than a Blood Orange Martini! As you can imagine, most of the ingredients are orange, such as the blood orange juice and orange liqueur. But we also need some Vodka, apple juice and red food coloring. By simply mixing these ingredients together we have a EXQUISITE Blood Orange Martini, ready to go for any party!

Would you look at that! Three SPOOKtacular recipes ready at your fingertips! Click here to get these recipes and more Halloween-themed recipes and ideas. 

Written By: Emily P.  

October is National Cookie Month!

This holiday is for honoring and enjoying the sweet flavor of cookies and sharing them with friends and family. This holiday can bring new fond memories of days to come. Go out and buy a new cookie cutter and enjoy using it by baking cookies for your family. Let today be the day you learn to bake new cookies and learn to decorate them in a new way. Let today be the day you sit down with a glass of cold milk or hot coffee, a plate of fresh made cookies, and have no guilt eating them all.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for a least one hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on un-greased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Post by: Alice E.

Safe Shopping Tips:

http://ow.ly/TbfhJ 

• Always get your card back. Make sure you get your credit card, debit card, or driver’s license back after completing your purchase. *Keep your cards in the same place in your wallet all the time so you know when one is missing!

• Save your receipts. Keep the receipt for every gift you purchase and ask for a gift receipt to make any returns or exchanges easy for the recipient.

• Keep credit card info at home. Make a photocopy of the front and back of your cards, or write down account numbers and customer service phone numbers in case they are lost or stolen. Don’t forget to update your records when you get new cards in the mail!

• Watch out for scams. Only buy gift cards from reputable retailers (like HCCU), not online auction sites as they could be counterfeit. 

• Be careful with your cash. If you prefer to pay with cash, don’t flash your cash around. Count your cash discreetly out of sight of others. Keep a couple stashes in your wallet and purse instead of just one, that way it doesn't look like such a big stash to the nosey person behind you in the checkout line. Plus if your wallet disappears only some of your cash is gone and not all of it. 

• Keep your browser updated. Whether you use Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Firefox, updating your browser helps ensure you’re getting the most up-to-date security protection.

• Update your anti-virus software. Before shopping online secure your pc by updating your anti-virus or security software.

• Look for the lock online. Only use secure websites for purchases. Look for the icon of a locked padlock at the bottom of the screen or “https” in the URL address.

Yummy Apple Cobbler Crisp

What you’ll need:
7-8 large cooking apples that are peeled, cored, and sliced (An apple cutter works great!)
¾ cups sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ salt
2/3 cup melted butter
Ice cream

Directions:
Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly place your apples in a 9x13 ungreased baking pan. In a bowl, combine ¾ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Once you have that mixed, sprinkle it over the apples. Combine remaining ground cinnamon, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix until mixture looks like crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Pour the melted butter over the top of the crumbs. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve the apple cobbler warm with ice cream.

Image courtesy of mygoodnessgracious.com

Post by: Chelsea F.

Changing the World, 83 Acts of Kindness at a Time...

Credit unions across the world celebrate International Credit Union (ICU) Day each year on the third Thursday of October.This year, the theme for ICU Day was "People Helping People." At its most basic level, a credit union is people pooling their money to provide each other with affordable loans—it is literally people helping people. This is why Horizon Community Credit Union celebrates ICU Day. Because credit unions empower people, wherever they are in the world or life, to take control of their financial future.

We decided to celebrate by performing 83 Random Acts of Kindness--one act of kindness for each year HCCU has been helping members achieve success. Each staff member was asked to perform a minimum of 5-6 random acts of kindness and live the theme of People Helping People. Some of our staff got particularly creative--take a look!

1. Gave "thank you" note to mailman for delivering my mail to be even when the address is incorrect
2. Paid for coffee/meal for someone at Starbucks
3. Donated products (toiletry, personal care, etc) to UWGB students
4. Helped someone save $10 on their purchase with coupons!
5. Donated diapers to families in need
6. Gave someone $5 in an envelope
7. Bought a young lady a Starbucks coffee ($4)
8. Printed something for a friend
9. Cleaned room for a resident at nursing home me and my grandma visit
10. Made cookies for my Grandma’s neighbor
11. Helped lady with kids at the store with bagging groceries
12. Helped older gentleman put groceries in his car
13. Bought older lady $7 meal at McDonalds
14. Dropped off money at my local utilities office so that funds could be applied to a deserving persons bill especially since weather is getting colder
15. Donated food to the local food pantry via a food drive at Copps grocery store
16. Donated Cat food to the local shelter via a drive at the local Petco
17. Purchased Breast Cancer Awareness flowers and gave them to someone who is a Cancer Survivor
18. Tipped waitress 100% of my total bill at my networking lunch
19. Made baked goods for my boyfriends work crew
20. Gave someone my cart
21. Baked cookies for my neighbor
22. Paid for the order of the person behind me in the McDonald’s drive-thru
23. Wrote a thank you to the mail person
24. Gave my seat to someone
25. Bought coffee for an outgoing GM
26. Bought coffee for an incoming GM
27. Printed something for a friend
28. Opened door for stranger
29. Paid for someone’s dinner
30. Let someone merge in front of me during rush hour
31. Helped someone with a work challenge
32. Took a picture for someone per their request
33. Bought tickets to a concert for a friend
34. Gave $5 to the Kwik Trip cashier to pay for part of the next customer’s purchase.
35. Baked a nice warm meal for two friends so they could eat something hearty for lunch, versus a sandwich.  
36. Bought lunch for someone
37. Let a lady with two anxious kids and a huge cart of groceries check out before me at Target.
38. Paid for the person behind me in line at McDonald’s drive thru
39. Left a $5 tip for the bartender who got me a water during my volleyball game.
40. Printed something for a friend.
41. Said “Yes” when Goodwill cashier asked if I wanted to round up for a charity.
42. Made copies of old photos and sent them with a handwritten letter to a good friend who I haven’t talked to in a while.
43. Bought a $5 Starbucks gift card and gave it to the gentleman who held the door open for me and was so cheerful.
44. Brought a package of cookies to the workers at Maple Ridge Nursing Home
45. Brought snacks to the teachers at LearningRx along with a thank you note to everyone working there because they are so great with the kids and so happy all the time!
46. Gave a package of cookies to the girl working the drive-thru at McDonalds to share with her co-workers.
47. Left a pack of gum with the McDonalds drive-thru worker to give to the car behind me in line.
48. Brought snacks to the staff at Bright Beginnings Daycare, where my daughter went years ago, and her favorite teacher was still there!
49. Bought coffee for someone
50. Made pies, dropped them off at my grandma’s nursing home and visited.  
51. Got stopped at a drawbridge and I let cars from side road and other oncoming traffic go in front of me.
52. Dropped books off at a few Little Free Libraries around town.
53. I was getting pumpkins at a roadside vendor and gave $10.00 to some kids that were there to buy pumpkins also.
54. Donated some clothing to Goodwill.
55. Let a shopper go in front of me at the grocery store.
56. I go to the Y almost every day and one of the ladies at the front desk always calls me by name and has a huge smile on her face when I come in.  I look forward to it when I arrive and somehow every day she is there I am just happier going in the morning.  So today, I dropped off two $5 Starbucks gift cards with a note saying thanks for the bright smile so early in the morning….I asked her to use one for herself and to hand one off to someone that inspires her day!
57. Bought coffee for the person behind me
58. Bought lunch for the person behind me
59. I left a thank you note in our mailbox at home for our mail carrier because he is always so friendly and says “hi” when the kids are outside playing. He really enjoyed it. He said he has been with the US Postal Service for 8 years now (retiree) and no one has ever done this. I was really glad he liked it and my kids really appreciated it.
60. I purchased a beverage through the drive thru at McDonalds for the person behind me.
61. I bought the person behind me in the car wash line an ultimate wash. I got a honk and a wave when I was leaving the lot.
62. We donated our unused Nintendo Wii to Goodwill on the east side. Hopefully some other children can enjoy it and put it to use.
63. I opened the door for a member’s grandmother who came in to deposit a check for her granddaughter who was traveling outside of the country. The doors at Eastman are quite heavy and she would have struggled with them.
64. Paid for the people behind me at Culver’s drive thru. They actually turned it around and bought me ice cream with the money instead. So nice!
65. Paid for the car behind me at Wendy’s drive thru.
66. Gave up my seat for someone.
67. Donated some of my unused clothes.
68. Mowed my neighbors lawn after I mowed mine.
69. Made my neighbor’s dinner.
70. I used $5 to buy two people sitting outside McDonalds a coffee and Sausage McMuffin.
71. I used 5 dollars to prepay a gas pump (I left a note saying it was prepaid)
72. I went out to eat this past weekend and between me and a friend we paid for a couple’s 10th anniversary dinner.
73. Paid  $4.19 for the person behind me at McDonalds.
74. I opened the door for a lady at a restaurant
75. I opened the door to the credit union for two ladies. I gave one a hug!
76. I opened the door for a member as he was entering the credit union.
77. I opened  the door for a member as she was leaving the credit union.
78. Let a person go ahead of me in line at the grocery store.
79. A guy I see everyday standing at the bus stop, I stopped and gave him coffee one day and found out his name (Lenard).  He was very surprised and happy, we wave to each other everyday when I pull up at the stop he is waiting at. 
80. Gave a ride to one of my son's friends at school for a school activity they had last weekend. He wanted to go but couldn’t because he didn’t have a ride and wasn’t allowed to ride with other kids who had their licenses as the parents didn’t feel they had enough driving experience.  Happier than a pig in mud.
    
    
81. A gal pulled up to me at stop light asked me how to get to a business. She was lost and had an appointment was going to be late. Rather than try to explain, I told her to follow me and drove her to the parking lot of the building and got her there in time.  She was very happy.
82. Purchased ten dollars worth of tickets from a gal for a raffle. She was trying to raise money for a cause and couldn’t get anyone to contribute. She was so happy she let me know it encouraged her to keep plugging away and ended up selling $332.00 for the cause.  It was nice of her to let me know she far exceeded her goal and that I helped in a small way to motivate her.
83. Boys Scouts were trying to sell their goods to raise funds out in front of Festival.  Everyone was walking by and saying maybe later, no, too expensive. So, I bought a can of one of their goods and turned around and gave it to someone who was trying hard to ward them off.  They were shocked.  They bought something as well.  Not sure if they gave it away, I left before I could see if they did.  Great feeling.

We were inspired to perform these acts by the theme of ICU Day 2015--- but you don't need any excuse to be kind. Give yourself a random acts of kindness challenge, and pay attention to how you feel!  Also, if someone is kind to you, pay it forward! If we all act in kindness, we just might change the world!

Written/Compiled by: Breanna B. 

Holiday Shopping Tips!

Holiday shopping is just around the corner, and HCCU has a few tips for you this holiday season:

http://ow.ly/TbdyC 

Tip #1—Use the Right Card.

Before you start shopping check your credit cards and see which card has the best rewards program so that you get the most back.
If you spend more than you saved, check which card has the lowest interest rate before you start charging.
HCCU offers VISA® Credit Cards with lots of great benefits! If you don’t have one yet. get the details or apply today: visit our website at www.horizonccu.com or call (920) 433-0122.

Tip #2—Check out the EXTRA perks your HCCU VISA® Credit Card get you.

Yes, there are all the regular benefits our card offers; low rates, no annual fee, no balance transfer fee, and Scorecard Rewards Points, where you earn 1 Scorecard Point for every $1 you spend with your HCCU VISA Credit Card on purchases.
In addition, VISA® is giving away a Grand Prize trip to Super Bowl 50 and a 1st Place Prize of $5,000 to throw a Super Bowl bash to be remembered. All you have to do is use your VISA® card between now and 11/30/2015.
If that isn’t enough, HCCU is also giving you a gift this season! Use your HCCU Credit Card between 11/1/15 and 12/31/15 and earn DOUBLE REWARD POINTS! That means 2 Scorecard Reward Points for every $1 you spend! When you’re done with your shopping you can redeem your points and get yourself a little something at www.scorecardrewards.com.

Tip #3—Use It’sMe247!

Our online banking is a fast and easy way to get current account balances, transfer money between accounts, reconcile your checkbook, and more, plus it’s available 24/7. Did we mention it’s FREE? Try it today—contact us to activate your online account.

Tip #4—Ditch Checks.

We have a MUCH better solution for you than writing out paper checks at the store—a VISA® Debit Card from HCCU. You can use it at merchants and if you select credit the money still comes right out of your checking account. By selecting credit and signing instead of entering your PIN, it VISA offers you more fraud protection. If you have direct deposit, are a student, or you’ve celebrated your 50th birthday already, your 1st debit card is FREE. Apply today!

Post by: Cari J.

EMV Chip Cards vs. Magnetic Strip Cards

Chip Cards

• Insert card & leave until transaction complete.
• Cryptogram.
• Durable.
• It’s difficult to counterfeit, so less risk of fraud.
• It’s accepted worldwide.
• Computer microchip storage and provides a new, unique code with every swipe.

Magnetic Strip Cards

• Swipe card and return it to your wallet.
• Easy to duplicate.
• Mag-strip easily gets scratched.
• Easy to counterfeit and high risk of fraud.
• Less accepted worldwide.
• Magnetic storage and strip does not change.

Post by: Cari J.

Tools 4 Schools was a HUGE Success!

Thanks to the support of our members and business partners Tools 4 Schools raised $1,572.52! School supplies were provided for Martin Elementary and Nicolet Elementary Schools in Green Bay to give kids the tools they need to succeed. People helping people, that’s what it’s all about!

Since we blew away our goal of raising $750, HCCU’s President, Pat Josephson let all the employees douse him with green jello, and everyone was more than happy to comply!

HCCU President Pat getting SLIMED by staff.

Post by: Cari J.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month   

I think everyone out there has been affected by some kind of cancer sometime during their life. Whether it is a grandparent, parent, sibling, relative, friend or if it is you, yourself. Cancer is a very non-decimating disease that can attack anyone at anytime. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to raise awareness, BayCare Clinic Plastic Surgery has invited all businesses in Green Bay's Broadway district to decorate a bra in conjunction with national B.R.A Day (Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day) - October 21.

Area residents are able to vote on their favorite hand decorated bra October 1-15. Visit baycare.net/BRAday to vote for your favorite hand decorated bra. There are a number of businesses that are participating. On Thursday, October 15, breast cancer survivors will pick the winning bra from the top 10 bras with the most votes.

Check out the web-site, there are very creative ideas out there on these bra’s. Also, you can check out the businesses themselves and see the bra’s in person. What fun would that be to walk Broadway and visit businesses you did not know were out there and see some amazing bra’s on display.

Post by: Karen S.

Tips So YOU Can Enjoy the Party!

• Choose 5-6 different appetizers. Of those, 3 or 4 should be things you can make ahead of time and serve cold, room temperature, or easily reheat. 

• Plan to prepare about 10 pieces or bites per person. Ex: for a party of 6, prepare about 60 pieces. If you are making 5 appetizers, make about 12 pieces of each. Always round up so you don’t run out!

• Plan to serve a couple dips, bowls of nuts, or a cheese platter when guests arrive.

• Write down the menu and print out recipes in advance.

• Try your recipes ahead of time.

• Note any garnishes you want to include with your appetizers so they aren’t forgotten.

• Make a shopping list a few days before the event & try to get most of the shopping out of the way early.

• Write out a schedule of what needs to be done the day before, the day of, and right before the party.

• Take out serving platters and table decorations the day before.

http://ow.ly/Tbdnd 

Relax and Enjoy!

Post by: Cari J.