The unexplained phenomena of the “Hidebehind”– A spine-tingling tale for a dark winter’s night 

By Matthew Smith

Strange sounds of footsteps or other non-animal like sounds have been reported by many who roam the woods at night. But what could be making these sounds? Is it an animal, or is someone following them? Could there be an unexplained explanation to these strange events? Maybe. 

There has been a legend going around ever since early colonial loggers began disappearing, about a creature that stalks them as they roam the woods, especially during the night. They blamed this strange occurrence on a “creature” they called the “Hidebehind” due to its seeming ability to shift its body to hide behind most objects and sneak behind its prey, human beings. 

According to legend, when the “Hidebehind” catches someone it takes them to its lair to be devoured. There are still claims that people hear someone or something following them even as they come to a stop they can hear steps behind them but as they turn to investigate they are shocked to find that nothing is there.

The Hidebehind has appeared in pop-culture such as in “Gravity Falls” and “Harry Potter.”

 So does this explain the strange sounds people are hearing? Or is there something else out there? Something…unimaginable?

Blue moon over the Bluegrass

Jan. 31 brings spectacle to the sky with moon trifecta

By TIMOTHY M. MATHERLY

DHS

On Jan. 31,  there was a spectacle in the night sky; a combination of three individual lunar events; a blue moon, a supermoon, and a lunar eclipse. These three lunar events have been deemed “Super-Blue-Blood Moon,” or as you may have heard from LEX 18’s own Bill Meck: “Super-Duper-True-Blue-Blood Lunar Eclipse.” Fitting for the Bluegrass state, isn’t it?

If you’re not familiar with the terminology of lunar events, the “Super-” prefix is a full or new moon that is at its closest point of orbit with the Earth. The “Blue-” prefix means that it is the second full moon in a calendar month, and the “Blood-” prefix means that the moon is in a total eclipse and appears as a reddish color due to the refraction of light over earth’s atmosphere and casting over the moon’s surface.

Visible by millions of people over all 50 states, Eastern Asia and Australia, the Eclipse started at 5:51 a.m. with the Earth’s shadow slowly beginning to sprawl over the surface, and by 7:51 a.m. the Moon’s total eclipse had begun, with the Earth’s refracted light causing the red sheen over the moon’s surface, creating a spectacle to behold for onlookers and skywatchers across the US.

With this 150-year-awaited event passed; the next rendition of supermoons in 2018 will be in the months of June, July and August; the only other lunar eclipse that will be this year, will be a total eclipse occurring on July 27. Although they will not be such a trifecta of oddity as the 31st’s Blue-Blood-Moon, the events will still be something to see.

Hats off to DHS Forensic champs

Danville High School’s Forensics team are regional champions. They not only took home the overall title, but the regional champ of seven individual events and runner up in seven more. The champs are, from left: front row, Libby Hale,runner-up in POI; Summer Quinn, runner-up in broadcasting; Haley Hopkins, improvisation regional champ, runner-up in duo interpretation; Lina Morales, runner-up in poetry; Emma Merryman, runner-up in impromptu; Natalie Grubbs, runner-up in POI, second place  in prose.

Middle row, Sara Barringer, duo interpretation regional champ; Kelsie Steber, duo interpretation regional champ; Becky Mohr, impromptu regional champ; Caroline Bugg, extemporaneous speaking regional champ.

Top row, Joseth Warner, improvisation regional champ, runner-up in duo interpretation, runner-up in dramatic interpretation; and Charlie Hall, humorous interpretation regional champ, original oratory regional champ and storytelling regional champ.

Many thanks to our Forensics winners!

By Sara Barringer/DHS

DHS Survey of Valentine’s Couples

By The Log Staff

Throughout history, love has been a powerful force. Love influences everybody, and this can be especially important with people of influence, whether they are influential in politics, entertainment, etc. Recently, The Log Staff surveyed Danville High School students to find out who their favorite couples are — from ancient times to modern day.

Our famous entertainment couples range from Jay-Z and Beyonce, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Rose and Jack (Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio from “Titanic”), James Bond and his multiple mistresses, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (from “Sleepless in Seattle”), Julia Roberts and Richard Gere (from “Pretty Woman”), and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (from “I Love Lucy” and married in real life).

Historical favorites ranged from Cleopatra and Julius Caesar/Mark Antony, George Putnam and Amelia Earhart, Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King, John .F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, to Bonnie and Clyde.

Even notorious duos made the list of bandits: Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as the evil criminal Adolph Hitler and his wife Ava Braun.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

Salute to our DHS Academic Team:

Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Farmer

The Danville High School Academic Team are District 46 Governor’s Cup champions, District Quick Recall Champions for the 17th straight year, and second-place winners in future problem-solving. Our district’s individual and team winners include: quick recall, first place — Eli Gooch (captain), Anas Gondal, Saif Siddiqui, Sofie Farmer, Elizabeth Joiner, Blake Quinn, Emma Webb, Ben Link, Ethan Scott, Christian Howe and Timmy Oxley. Future problem solving, second place —Grace Crawford, Emma Merryman, Blake Quinn and Morgan Vest. Arts and humanities, first place — Sofie Farmer. Composition, third place — Emma Webb. Language arts, first place — Eli Gooch; fourth place, Sofie Farmer, and fifth place, Ben Link.  Mathematics, first place —  Anas Gondal. Science, first place — Anas Gondal; fifth place, Emma Webb. Social Studies, fourth place — Timmy Oxley Congratulations for all your hard work and dedication!