CRESTVIEW — Lake Silver Road neighborhood trick-or-treaters will have some swashbuckling entertainment to go along with their treats.

"You can't miss it; I’m going to have lights pointing at it," Ron Medlock, 80, said, referring to his pirate ship display, the "Carib Witch" and its crew. The setup has been a Halloween fixture at his house for three years. Medlock will reprise his role as Capt. Gray Beard while entertaining visitors on Oct. 31. The show should run 5-8:30 p.m., or until his candy runs out.

"I have a lot of fun with it, especially when the kids come around," Medlock said.

The captain also will introduce a familiar jolly elf, making an earlier-than-usual appearance. 

"Santa pirate is the ship's navigator and he is the best there is," Medlock said, referencing the elf’s ability to deliver presents to every child in the world all in one night.

Medlock also has gags for adult audience members; among them is an introduction to the captain's girlfriend and her son, Hagga Lee and Ug Lee, respectively, who will be stationed near the ship.

"If you drink enough rum, you'll think she (Hagga Lee) is Miss America," Medlock said in his deep pirate voice. "If you think she's pretty, then you've had too much rum."

Medlock said he has had 60 people stop by to see his show, and expects to see more this year.

"People (who) have seen it last year said that they plan to bring their friends to the show next year," he said.

Medlock’s experience with sea vessels extends well beyond his Halloween tradition — he served in the U.S. Navy as an electrician on submarines. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1971. Medlock and Donna, his wife of 41 years, moved to Crestview three years ago from Illinois.

"You can take a sailor out of the water, but you can never take water out of a sailor," Medlock said.

He drew from his military experience to create a homemade cannon that fires off ping-pong balls and baby powder, an addition to this year’s festivities. He used cardboard and a washing machine water valve for the project.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview man’s neighborhood Halloween pirate show returns

LAUREL HILL — Clifton Hall during Tuesday night's regular meeting was voted to fill the council's seat that has been vacant for the past 18 months.

"He is a smart man," Mayor Joan Smith said after the meeting. "He will definitely be an asset." Hall wasn't present at the meeting, but he is expected to be sworn in as a council member at the next meeting.

Hall has been listed as a potential candidate to fill the seat for the past several months. His candidacy joined that of former council member Johnny James, Charles Lennard and Mike Blizzard.

Members couldn't fill the seat due to a lack in majority votes.

All of the council members were present, except for Willie Mae Tolles. Her absence allowed council members Betty Williamson and Larry Hendren to vote in Hall 2-1 against councilman Robby Adams, who was looking forward to meeting Hall.

"I would just like to welcome him aboard," Adams said. "I'm glad we can put this behind us so we can move forward."

Also that night, the council voted in favor of lowering the transaction fees for water bill payments to $2.75. Customers were paying a $3.50 fee to use a credit or debit card to make payments.

During the meeting, city water clerk Cindy Oloughlin announced her resignation from her position. Oloughlin, who served at the position for more than a year, said her last day would be on Oct. 10.

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything that you have done for me and giving me the opportunity to serve the citizens of Laurel Hill," Oloughlin told city officials.

Oloughlin stated that she had found another job opportunity closer to where she lives.

The council voted to hold the next meeting on the second Tuesday of next month so that it wouldn't coincide with Election Day on Nov. 6.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council appoints new member