The NEW Check It Out!

2009-09-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

Check it Out is ALL NEW with a new co-host, Miss Elaine Volpe!
Watch them each month on BPTV Channel 7(Comcast) and 32(Verizon) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:00 pm.

Miss Ing, the former co-host of Check It Out is now co-starring in a Check It Out spin off, Books and So Much More, with John Klocko. Click here to see the show.
Be sure to watch the February 17, 2009 episode for a special word from Mary Mullen!

This site will no longer be updated, but please enjoy previous episodes of Check It Out below and check the Bethel Park Library website for upcoming Check It Out details!

Welcome to Check It Out!

2009-08-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Join us on YouTube- every minute of every day OR on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 6:30 PM on Channel 7 in Bethel Park, PA OR see the entire show on Google Video.

Your hosts Mary Mullen and Ing Kalchthaler bring you an entirely new look at libraries!

Month to month Mary and Ing fill you in on the latest happenings at the Bethel Park Public Library.

Check it Out's Cultural Correspondant, Randi Morgan reviews and recommends events and activities in and around the Pittsburgh area.

Who says there's nothing on tv?

CHECK IT OUT and see what you've been missing!

Halloween Special

2008-10-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween Special is running on BPTV and on Verizon Cable !

On the show we mentioned old time radio. Check out this site to download free shows- everything from Abbott and Costello to Our Miss Brooks. If you are looking for some particularly spooky tales for this season, go right to the Lights Out directory, The Mysterious Traveler and Murder at Midnight. Please be advised that these shows really aren't for kids. While they don't contain curse words, they are meant to scare.

Also on the show, Ing talks about some of the local haunted houses that she's been to this season. Here are their websites and her comments!

Cheeseman's Fright Farm
Located in Portersville, this is a bit of a hike from Bethel Park, but it is definately worth it and actually easy to get to, as it is located just off I-79. An old fashioned haunted hayride and more. Climb aboard the tractor and then be ready to be dumped off in the middle of the field, where a lot of screams await!
You can purchase your pumpkins and gourds and check out the bunnies in the barn. Also, as is always important at a Haunted Attraction, the food is tasty and priced right! Pizza, nachos, hot dogs and more! The cost is $13 per person and you will not be disappointed. The staff is friendly and the actors take their job seriously. A great time, for sure.

Demon House
Demon House is much closer to BP, just off 43 at the Donora/Charleroi exit. $15 gets you into the house and allows you to hang out in the yard where a horror movie is always playing and two big camp fires rage. The staff is very welcoming and they take obvious pride in their jobs. Terry, our own Bethel Park Library patron haunts the maze, so look for him, before he gets you!
Great food provided by and benefitting their missions.

ScareHouse
ScareHouse is located in Etna, just take 28 North to the Etna exit and drive through the little town and you can't miss it. This Haunted Attraction will be featured on the Travel Channel and has earned a place in HauntWorld Magazine's list of the best HAs in the country. It is ranked number 5! The cost is $17 and the wait is long. Zombies and other scary characters mix with the crowd (we waited 2 hours and 40 minutes) to pass the time. These folks are really excited about what they do and while it seems like nothing could be worth nearly a 3 hour wait, this was. Sadly, we missed the snack bar!

Phantom Fright Nights at Kennywood
I have written a new slogan for Kennywood's Haunted Attraction. Phantom Fright Nights, where the scariest thing is the price!
Okay, maybe I am being harsh, but if you are die-hard haunted house fan, Kennywood is not the place to go. If you want to ride the rides and enjoy the fries and other terrific food while enjoying a creepy atmosphere (fog and orange lighting) then go. But if you are looking to be scared at one of the five different attractions inside the park, set up just for Fright Nights, you will be disappointed.
Also, expect to be treated roughly by some of the security. This was surprising. I went with the children's librarian from Brentwood Library and if you remember Miss Dolores from when she worked here at Bethel Park, then you know she is not exactly a trouble maker, and of course, neither am I! Yet we and most other guests that we saw were often yelled at by security.
Most of the actors were very excited about their jobs. Especially the folks in the Pirate 3-D attraction. If you DO go, don't miss that! But the guy letting folks in at the Kennywood Cemetery was asleep I think.
Expect very long lines and go early and plan to stay unti it closes if you want to get your money's worth. The cost is $23 but you can buy a ticket at Giant Eagle for $20, unfortunately, it doesn't count for Fuel Perks!

Before the season is over, God willing, I hope to visit Freddy's Haunts, Hundred Acres Manor (just down the road in South Park), the Shriner's Temple of Terror and the Tour-Ed Haunted Mine. I will let you know what I discover!

Bottom-line so far-- I rank them as I reviewed them- don't miss Cheesemans and pass on Kennywood!

Have fun and stop by the library and let me know what you think! Also, I really can't recommend these attractions for anyone under the age of 13. Dude, I might even say 14! The scenes and the actors are meant to scare and can be very distrubing. Maybe I'm a wimp, but that's my two-cents! :) Still, you know your kids. My suggestion, if your tween is REALLY wanting to go, is to go with them! Some places, like Hundred Acres Manor, benefit charities and you can have a great time with your kids while supporting a good cause!

UPDATE!

I did have the opportunity to attend The Haunted Mine at Tour-Ed Mine and Shriner's Temple of Terror, or Chilly Billy Cardille's Temple of Terror in one great evening!

Both of these sites are up north, off of Rt. 28.

The Haunted Mine

The Haunted Mine is just past the Pittsburgh Mills and the Temple of Terror is near RIDC Park.

Each house costs only $10 and both benefit charties.

Okay. Those are the facts. Now the raw emotion.

Haunted

Mine

Scared

Death

Sure, a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much! First of all, it is just a lot of fun to be driven in a mine car from the parking lot to the attraction itself. The first part of the experience was outdoors and VERY clever and scary! Just when we thought it was over, we realized it had just begun and a very creepy woman led us into an actual coal car and we went down in the mine for even more terrors. I don't want to give any more away-- just go and experience it for yourself!

Temple of Terror

The picture of the distrubing ghoul above followed my friend Sharon throughout the whole experience. He made it a great deal of fun-- for us-- I'm not sure if Sharon enjoyed it! He was very scary! Temple of Terror is definately worth the $10 bucks. And the food is great! Bill Cardille was even on hand, signing autographs!

Also I want to check out The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum's Fall Festival. Has anyone gone? Let me know!

Freddy's Haunts

2008-10-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Freddy's gets a special post, because we really got the royal treatment last night at this haunted attraction in Aliquippa.
Ten dollars brought us many scares! Truly dedicated actors and a friendly crew. They remembered us from last year! The line to wait s totally covered and indoors. Coffee and snacks are on-hand and one can play creepy games after making it through chainsaws, mazes and many other frightening senarios. Ask Miss Nancy in the Children's Department what she thought of the place. I made the mistake of telling the lead ghoul that she had never been to a haunted house before. Perhaps that was not the best idea! The folks from Freddy's have promised to come out for our next show. Mary and I hope to ask them about the haunted attraction business and much more! Stay tuned! And thank you Freddy's for being the best Haunted Attraction in Pittsburgh so far this year!!!!

Check it Out!

The NEW Check It Out!

Welcome to Check It Out!

Halloween Special

Freddy's Haunts