Day 15: Eerie Events, The 2015 Edition

As I like to do once a year, let's explore a round-up of kickin' Halloween events forthcoming in the tri-state area!

This festive pup commands you to enjoy the holiday!

This weekend starts off strong with my perennial favorite, Witches Night Out in Volant, PA. I'm pretty obsessed with this event, so if you're in the western Pennsylvania area, it's highly recommended. The town is also hosting an Autumn Pumpkin Festival in October, so consider patronizing that as well!

For you Ohioans, check out the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Lisbon this Saturday and Sunday. We've been there a couple times in the past, and it's always a great family event. So many fall shenanigans, so little time!

I'll get you my pretty! And your little Halloween cat too!

Good news for fans of the epically awesome Owl-O-Ween at the National Aviary! The event has been expanded from its usual two weekends to three! You can now catch this massively cool affair on October 17th, October 24th, or October 31st! Or go crazy, and visit the owls all three days! Tell Pumpkin and Tootsie I said hi! I'm also pleased to note the Aviary has added a new event for this year: an owl pellet class! Yes, you might just see me dissecting yet another owl pellet on this blog. Bones, vomit, and death, OH MY!

Owls: making vomit cool since the Cenozoic Era

At the Hollywood Theater, my favorite old-time cinema haven in Pittsburgh, there's a huge weekend in October with a Joe Bob Briggs-hosted Halloween party on Saturday the 17th, and a double feature of Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari featuring live music accompaniment on Sunday the 18th.

In beautiful West Virginia (and that's right: I love West Virginia, mean jokes notwithstanding), there are plenty of cool fall events at Oglebay Resort, including Boo at the Good Zoo and Oglebayfest. Outside of Morgantown, you can celebrate fall with an oft-overlooked bastion of the season at the annual Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 11th.

A little more far flung, you can cast a spell at the Witches' Halloween Ball in Salem, Massachusetts. Sadly, we won't be returning to the Magic City this year, but maybe you'll go and spot a witch for us!

Finally, to wrap up today's blog, a bit of self-promotion: if you want to catch the 60 Days of Halloween in person, I'm tentatively scheduled to speak at a Halloween Tea next month in Ohio. I say "tentatively" because since it's at my own mother's (very cool) store, Lucille's Artisan Cottage, I'm giving her a barrage of requirements before I'll formally agree (for example: NO. WIRE. COAT HANGERS). Career-wise, I'm fairly accommodating with people, but if you're a member of my family or one of my close friends, you often don't get the same consideration. Lesson to be learned: The nearer you get to this Halloween fire, the more likely you are to get burned. So provided my mother can meet all my Scarborough Fair-esque demands, I will be discussing A Shadow of Autumn and other generally festive high jinks!

So that's about it for this year's Halloween events! Attend one or all of them if you're in the OH-PA-WV area and beyond!