#and the forest post office enjoying the spooky season in their own ways

[jitterzart]

Thank you to @dragonwithgoggles and @uppestoftownchics for getting me this new sketchbook and pens! <3 Am having fun, yes yes~

Sea beans for @risto-licious and some Hildon holiday doodles~

[glitterghost]

Okay friends, here we go. I recently stumbled upon author Claire Cray. Their slogan according to the official website is "Gay Romance On The Weird Side". And let me tell you, it's pretty fitting for their content.

I came across their most recent release, In Strange Woods (published August 28, 2020) on Kindle unlimited & decided to give it read. It's an m/m mystery/thriller and I found myself throughly enjoying the story and the characters. It's not really lengthy & it kept me engaged the entire time! Honesty, I fell in love with the two male leads. Both their personalities and their dynamic together. The romance spans only over a week or so, but the tenderness and organic growth between them is something I was & still am weak for.

(Ps. I absolutely adore one soft, flannel wearing, Nirvana listening, heart of gold boy, named Hunter!)

Another thing I loved about this book is that the romance didn't overshadow the plot, but accented it. It gets woven into the already ongoing story and I truly appreciated that. I don't want to say too much about the plot itself but I will pull the description and add it below!

In the stormy coastal woods of the Pacific Northwest, roots run deep and passions run wild.

Reeling with grief and hounded by the press after the mysterious massacre of his wealthy family, moody New York photographer James Worthington Crane decides to take his downward spiral somewhere far away: to the rural Oregon Coast, where he’s just inherited a random piece of property hidden somewhere in the woods upriver.

But when James pulls into the decaying seaside town of Brooks, everyone thinks he’s someone else—an elusive local rebel named Beau. Now James must fight through his own grief to unravel a tangled web of family secrets, mysterious doppelgängers, and forgotten history...with help from a soft-spoken local hunk named Hunter Quaid.

Hunter’s been on his own since he left his fundamentalist family at the age of fifteen. It’s taken years of hard work and healing to build the steady, stable life he has now, fixing up seaside houses while living alone in a trailer by the river. Then James blows in like a winter storm, disturbing the peace and stirring up a hunger like nothing he's ever felt.

As Hunter helps James search for the truth, their lives intertwine in unexpected ways—and they begin to discover what it means to find out where you really belong.

From the author of Merrick and Hidden Talents comes a sensual and emotional story inspired by the rugged beauty and offbeat history of Pacific Northwest timber country. In Strange Woods moves through ancient old-growth forests, abandoned logging roads, ramshackle seaside towns, decaying homesteads, coastal highways, and the stories hidden in the trees.

For me, this book hit a lot of things that I love seeing in stories and especially in m/m. Claire's pacing and writing style, for me, was pretty solid. So much so, that I delved into looking more into other works she's published previously, just to continue enjoying the writing. Though I still consider In Strange Woods my favorite of all I've read so far. I feel you can see the writing evolve more strongly than in some of their past titles. That and I just really am in love with James x Hunter! ♡

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Freebies

Many titles such as Thirsting For More & Backwoods Beast are free on Amazon. Both are paranormal shorts. Both published in 2012. The writing isn't as strong to me in these as it was in In Strange Woods but that's also an 8 year gap in writing. However, I like Claire's story ideas and to me it was still worth checking out!

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Classic Tales Gone Gay

I also just finished Spooky Smutty Stories, (also available on Kindle Unlimited) which highlights a handful of classic tells, well, gone gay, just as it says! This collection also features Backwoods Beast as the first entry but there is also a sequel of sorts in it, with the last story being Backwoods Boomerang.

Each story (seven in total), are uniquely written but also familiar to most of us. They hold just enough eerie, spooky and sometimes frightful content to maybe give you a goosebumps or two. Definitely a delightful read just in time for spooky season right around the corner!

Ever wished your favorite scary stories had more steamy gay scenes? Now they do. This collection of seven creepy, delicious m/m stories is filled with ghostly hitchhikers, haunted ships, seductive witches and more classic tropes from urban legends and oral traditions around the world. There's a tale here for everyone who likes it weird, so dive in and treat yourself to a good shiver.

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Historical

Oh, did I mention Claire's also done historical as well? I've yet to read Merrick & William but will definitely be making my way to them in the future.

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Spooky Season Newsletter Event 💀

I'll leave you all with one last bit of information. Since spooky season IS right around the corner, Claire is holding an event for newsletter subscribers and y'all should sign up for all the free spooky content to come! (I swear no puns but, well, yeah 🙃)

"Stories will be written in real time as Spooky Season goes on, and I’ll consider any prompts and ideas that come my way on Twitter!"

So be sure to sign up for the newsletter, as not to miss out on this event. You can do so by going here

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Links

For more information on Claire & Claire's books, as I'm sure I could go on but this is already a long post. You can find Claire at/on:

Claire's offical website

Twitter: @claire_cray (give a follow!)

Goodreads

Amazon

Tumblr- @clairecray-blog (but not sure if active)

[nobelmemories]

                    SLIDING ROCK NOBEL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL

          More Nobel Memories – Along The Nobel Road

                                       Part III

       The photograph I have attached to this post was only taken a couple of years ago, and most likely will only be recognized by someone who has attended Nobel Consolidated School. It represents a school time activity that we all enjoyed in the winter time back in the 1940’s. Can you remember or guess what it was?

       Today's first story is about Oscar Mace. He was married to Winnie Philips the daughter of Bob and Charlotte Phillips who had lived up the McDougall Rd. I only remember going to the Phillips farm once with the Mace’s when I was very Young. Oscar”s Story is as he told me was one of the most interesting I have ever heard. It is about the love and great length grandparents will go to for their grandchildren. It kind of reminds me of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Oscar was born and raised in the Mountains around Sutton West Virginia. I have traveled through Sutton West Virginia several times. The mountains seem to be an average of 2 to 3 thousand feet. Many places you can see little houses away up on the mountainside; that look like they are glued to the side of the mountain. The majority of people I have met from that area are built like Oscar was tall and long-limbed. They have a sort of drawl to their speech. This fits Oscar and he could tell the most interesting stories which were accentuated with his accent. His mother had married to Oscar’s stepfather and he had other siblings, but for some reason, his stepfather was exceptionally abusive to him. When Oscar was about 14yrs it had come to a point where something was going to happen. In 1927 his grandfather and grandmother Foley took Oscar and I believe their youngest boy Mose and traveled by train to Parry Sound from Sutton W.V. to get Oscar away from his Stepfather.  They bought a farm in Carling Twp. on the then Snug Harbour Road now Hwy. 559. It was located off the highway on the west side between the Billy Ramsay’s and the Hailstone farms. Oscar grew up in Carling and was well known throughout the township. Around 1935 he married Winnie and they bought property on the corner of Nobel Road and Portage Lake Road (now Pineridge Drive) from Dave Lumsden and became our next door neighbors. I believe it was In 1937 that the Foley grandparents then sold their farm in Carling and moved back to Sutton where they lived the remainder of their lives and are buried there. Now anyone who knew Oscar, new that he was an avid hunter, fisherman, trapper, and hunter. He sometimes bent the rules a little. He survived the thirties and liked the taste of venison and found he could make a little extra money trapping beaver etc. I remember him making his own leg hold beaver traps out of steel barrels. Most of the old timers have heard of Neil MacNaughton. He was good Game Warden. I got to know him when I first started to work for the old Lands & Forests. He was the head Game Warden in Parry Sound District and took down many old-time poachers, but he never caught Oscar. I think it was because he never could catch him with the fur. I remember at a very young age knowing that Oscar kept his beaver pelts stored in Dave Lumsden’s attic.  My Uncle Harry Calow was also raised in Carling Twp and was of like character. He was also a good friend of Oscar’s. It turned out that through my life I spent many a hunting season hunting with the two of them. The best part of all those hunts were the stories told by Oscar during the evenings. He had that special way of telling a story that had you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the punch line. He was mischievous to a fault. We always had the rule in the hunt camp that the first one who complained about the cooking would have to take it over. I can still remember one night we were hunting out of Van Wagner’s cottage on Deep Bay up in Carling. Norm Knechtel was cooking and had really salted the potatoes. Oscar said: Boy there sure is a lot of salt in those potatoes, but before Norm could take off his apron, Oscar added but its just the way I like them.

     Oscar loved to tease and I remember another night in the camp the boys were playing cribbage. Oscar was winning as usual and suspected of cheating. One of the guys got ticked off and wouldn’t play anymore so he went to bed. I was being entertained by it all, and just laid in the top bunk and watched and listened. It finally dawned on me what he was doing. It was his count. He would say 15 -2, 15-4 and a pair is 7 and he would peg 7 points.

     Oscar and Winnie had five children. I remember he had pet names for them. Marilyn (Molly), Gary (Guy), Louise, Ted (Jimmy) and Terry.  Everyone pretty well burned wood in those days and it would be dumped in a pile in our yards and then split and piled in our wood sheds. We had a beaten trail across the field between our house and Mace’s. One night we had all made a hole in the woodpile at Mace’s and got down in the hole telling each other ghost stories. It was pretty much dark when I left to go home. It was kind of a spooky evening, especially after all of those stories and with the shadows and what not. I must have been between eight and ten years old. I was running pretty well full tilt, about halfway across our field was a big maple tree with a cluster of cherry brush growing at the base of it. My brother Deane had heard me coming and hid in the brush. Just as I got there he jumped out of the brush in front of me and gave a big growl. He scared the dickens out of me. I ran into him full tilt fists flying, knocked him down and kept right on running. I knew it was him, but he scared me so bad that I could not stop. He could have affected me the rest of my life and probably did. It took me years to get him back, but I did again and again and again.

     Another story that I remember was that Oscar owned a 1936 blue sloped backed Ford car. One night I was standing at the kitchen sink helping mother with the dishes. I would probably be about twelve so that would make Guy about eleven. Oscar was trying to teach Guy to drive. The car was not going fast, but it came down the Side Road, Hammill Ave to the end and where they should have turned right to their driveway, the car came over the end of the road, as it was turning right it dropped onto the old roadbed and rolled over onto its roof. I saw Oscar’s passenger car door open quickly.  He looked back made sure Guy was alright then continued to the house, where he stopped at a pile of wood, grabbed the axe and started splitting wood as fast as he could. It was their family car which did not come too cheap in those days.  I guess he was just frustrated.  The tires were still turning in the air. I don’t think Guy stopped to help him. The car disappeared for a while and the next time I saw it, The body had been all stripped off. Leaving the chassis with the seats dash and windshield, I guess it was the first homemade dune buggy I had ever seen. Oscar would drive all over the ice of the Bay with it. One weekend he took a whole group of us kids ice fishing out to Kill Bear Point.  It sure was a lot of fun.

     Oscars mind remained sharp well into his senior years. He was in his ninety-second or third year when he was coming out of Parry Sound on church street one day. He stopped at the 3 way light at Church and Rosetta St. Years ago it had been a flashing red light and before that, it was just a stop sign. Oscar seeing the red light stopped, couldn’t see anything approaching so he drove on. Unfortunately, an OPP officer saw what happened and stopped Oscar. He asked Oscar if he knew what had happened and Oscar’s response was: I stopped, checked for oncoming traffic and there was none, so I drove on. The officer said would you do that if that happened again. His response was; of course not l would wait till the light changed next time. The officer let him go with a warning

      Winnie had been sick for several years and Oscar was her caregiver. It finally got to a point where it was just too much for him and he finally consented to have her put in a home where she could be better cared for.  She eventually died and Oscar spent a few years on his own. He eventually had a foot problem and was in the hospital waiting for an opening in a Long care facility.  He died like a true mountain man. First, he anticipated that his death was imminent and said his goodbyes to his family. That night he started experiencing chest pains and the nurse called the doctor. I was told he got halfway through one of his stories to one of the nurses when he suddenly passed on.

     We went to his funeral and he is buried under a cedar tree in the Carling Cemetery. I found it appropriate that a mountain boy from the mountains of West Virginia should spend his years in Carling and be buried there under a cedar tree. Not only was he my brother's father in law, but he was a good friend to many of our family and a pioneer who died along the Nobel Road.

     If you cross the road from the Mace’s driveway in my early years, you would have found the home of Stella and Tuck Ryder. They were a very friendly couple.  I don’t remember them having any children. Tuck had an injury to one his arms. I believe he had been shot in a hunting accident and the bullet had traveled through the arm effecting the elbow and the wrist. He had worked in the bush as a young man and loved to tell the old stories. It seemed whenever he had an audience of young kids around he would have another story. Some probably true and some not so much, but we sure did enjoy listening. Stella was a kind person and as I remember was a pretty good cook. I seem to remember them having an old rust-colored pickup truck.

     During the winter of 1943,  the next house heading east on Portage Lake Road on the south side was the home of Harry and Olga Calow. My Aunt and Uncle and their two children, five-year-old Ronnie and two-year-old Betty. It was my first year at school and I was home sick with the flu. I can remember it like it was yesterday, looking out the window and seeing flames coming out of the house. My mother was wading snow halfway up the field heading for the house. I learned later that the two children, my cousins had perished in the fire. The funeral was held at our house. I can still see that little white coffin In the corner of the living room. It was a very hard time for the whole family, especially my aunt and uncle. Somehow they continued on and had two more beautiful daughters Sandra and Nancy. Harry was working at the D.I.L. during the war. After the war, the family moved to Espanola where Harry worked as a welder at the Paper Mill the rest of his working career. I and my family spent many holidays with them and they still have a special spot in our hearts. I always felt that I was especially lucky, it was like having a second mother and father. Harry passed on in 1985, Olga in 1993.

     Continuing on east on Portage Lake Road on the north side was Floyd Godfrey and his wife. Her name escapes me now, I do remember their son’s Dale and Alwyn. Dale was close to my age and Alwyn was a few years older. Dale and I spent many hours playing together. I especially remember one time we found some paint in one of the dumps. We had it hid inside a hollow pine log back of some cedar trees on our property. It seemed that summer about once a week we would dig out the paint and paint something. I remember because I was always a messy painter and every time we got into it. I got some on me or my clothes. Mother would have a fit. I always had some kind of an excuse. She never did find the paint. I imagine that hollow log is long gone back to the soil from over 70 yrs of decay, and there are a couple of rusty paint cans laying in it. Another memory I have, happened up at up at Godfrey’s. They had a fairly long driveway that ran at an angle from the road to the house. One day Dale and I got hold of Alwyn’s bike that was at the back of their house. We were practicing learning to ride. We were taking turns getting on the bike while the other held it, gave it a push, then we would see how far we went before we fell off. It was my turn and I was heading out the driveway. There was a flat rock about ¾ of the way to the road that formed part of the driveway then dropped off at the edge about six feet to a field. I had balanced the bike for about 20’ when I suddenly lost it, turned across the rock and went head over heal down the drop into the field. When we got the bike back up, the handlebars were in line with the crossbar. I think there were probably a few missing spokes too. Dale and I pushed the bike back to the house and leaned it up where we had found it. I never did hear what happened when Alwyn went to use it again. I hope you had a good story Dale. Thanks for the lessons.

      Another memory I have of the Godfrey’s happened a little later. I had climbed a large white pine at the back side of our property. Alwyn was standing on top of a rock behind where Herb Pilgrim’s house was eventually built on the old Art Wright property.   He had a BB gun. I san him aiming at me and the next thing I knew I felt a sharp pain on my chest. The BB did not go in, but left a little red welt. I guess Alwyn must have found out who damaged his bicycle. Lol.

    My final memory concerned a generator. The old wall telephones use to have a crank on them. It allowed you to crank out a number. Now how you did it was controlled by the crank on the phone. It was made with a series of horse shoe shaped magnets. A wire winding on a shaft spun inside the magnets. The shaft was attached to the crank. The process produced electricity which caused the others connected to your line to have their bell ring. If their number was three long rings, then you cranked out three long rings. If it was two short rings and one long ring you cranked out likewise. The idea being if it was not your ring you would not answer it. How ever it got to be the Unacceptable (acceptable) practice to listen in. That was how the people kept track of what was going on in your community. I remember when I first started courting my wife, her grandmother was a sweet old lady. She was quite short and had a little stool to stand on when she used the crank wall phone. The phone would ring and she would hurry over get on her stool and listen in. One day I phoned Rhoda’s aunt for something, She lived next door to Gramma. I could hear Grandma come on the phone, she breathed very loud. She was listening and I just said Hello Grandma. The phone went clank. The extra funny thing was that every once and a while you would hear her say: I HEARD ON THE PHONE THE OTHER DAY THAT SUCH AND SUCH HAD HAPPENED. You knew it was not a message meant for her.

     To get back to the crank phone at the Godfrey’s, They had one that was taken out of its box. Everything else was working. Floyd,  Alwyn and Dale would take turns holding onto two wires connected to the output and see how long the could hold on while the other was cranking. At times their whole body would shake when the electricity came through. Dale was average size until he got to be 15 or 16 and then he just sprouted. I often wondered if the electricity had anything to do with his growing so tall. Lol. Going east from the Godfrey Driveway you would come to what was the original Nobel Road at the top of the hill. It crossed Portage Lake Road the left side (north)  went down and connected to Nobel Road now Hammill Avenue just west of the old Claudney house,  later Collison property. There was a house on the right side just east of where Greg Lubbelinkhof has built. I do not remember the name and it was torn down after the war. The right branch of the old Nobel Road, went down past the McDougall office. In the early years the left side was an open field. I think it was after the war that Herb Pilgrim and his wife built a house in the middle of that field. Their two sons Bob and Harold was a well known fiddle player. Their daughter married Iris married Vaughn McCoubrey and built a house on the north end of the field facing Portage Lake Road.

     The next house was just past the first little hill on the left. It was built about 1946 by Peter Johnston and his wife Dorreen. I remember going back and helping him to cut wood in the lot behind the house. I was only about ten years old. Peter told me a story just a few years before he died. He could remember me helping him and cutting my finger with an axe. He said he couldn’t get over the fact that I would calmly take a band-aid out of my wallet, patch my finger and go on helping him. Peter was a well known trapper in the area and he always had good stories to tell. I remember going to Marsh Lake on the 4 wheeler a few years ago. Peter was on the plus side of 85 yrs. then and I met him on the trail. He had a little spot between Marsh and Wolf Lake where he had a bit of a tree house. He would get his deer almost every year out of that tree house. He had a little roof on it and stove. He would simply put on a pot of tea and wait for the deer to come to him.

     Peter has passed on now and is often spoken of. He was a thoughtful person and trapped that area for over 70 yrs.  He lived to be a year or two past 90, much of the meat he ate was wild game, it certainly did not affect his longevity.  

      Continuing on east the next house was also on the north side during the war, but the occupants escape my memory. It was on top of the next hill past Peter’s. I believe it was abandoned and tore down after the war. The next house was a small cottage owned and lived in by Merle Sly Holtby while Joe was overseas during the war. My memories of visiting this house were of the kindness and the welcome us kids always received from cousin Merle. I have spoken in a previous posting about visits to the next place. Uncle Elmer Sly and Aunt Olive’s farm. I know it is hard for some readers to believe me when I tell of some of the mischief that went on at the Sly farm. My cousin Florence Sly Mortson would lead you to believe that she never got into any mischief with me. I will admit to being a leader in that category, but there are times I was egged on. She just pointed the way.

     As you travel past the Sly farm you came to the road into Portage Lake Cottages. There were two older ladies who owned and ran these cottages.  Louise Holland and Cora Puckett. They were very good to us kids. We had a very large vegetable garden in the 40’s and mother and I would pick the vegetables, wash them and brush them clean. Then bundle them into little bundles or bag them in brown paper bags. I had racks on my wagon and we would load it to the top. Mother would give me a list of the prices and I would haul the wagon load back to the Portage Lake Cottages. I was always made welcome by the two ladies and their guests. I don’t remember ever coming home with any leftover vegetables. Sometimes I would get other things given to me as tips for my efforts.

     Getting back on the Portage Lake Road heading east again there was a long driveway that went in at an angle to the Bert Brookland farm. The house was first and in front of the farm building. This farm was where I first saw a Guinea hen or Guineau fowl. They are interesting as an exotic bird, but have a very loud and annoying call. They have a pecking order within the flock and are quite protective. They really like to wander. At the back of their field was a bridge that crossed Scott’s Creek that drains Nine Mile Lake. That bridge was our favorite place to catch chub and other minnows.  The next driveway east was the Charles and Ena Hammel’s Farm. I remember visiting there often as a kid with the old people. They had a grown family. Gord and Jim Hammel were two of their boys. As was the case in a lot of the old farmhouses, the basement walls were often built leaving a stone, block or poured wall with a dirt floor. I was pretty small but I remember visiting there with my parents the night they finished pouring the basement floor. It was the first time I saw how they use to finish a floor, using a wooden float with a handle on it and a hand trowel. There were no gasoline finishing trowels in those days. It was hard work on your knees with the float and finishing trowel.

     Continuing on down the hill and crossing the bridge over Scott’s creek you came to the road into Alexander Browns’s cottage  and property. I remember him as being more of a reclusive person. I don’t remember ever meeting any of his children, but many years later in 2001. I met a  young lady at an auction sale we were having after my mother passed. I believe she was Alexander’s granddaughter.  We had an old green recliner rocker that had been my father’s favorite. The girl was about 11, I seen her admiring the chair and told her how it had been my father’s favorite chair and that he would have been so happy to know that a young beautiful girl was enjoying it. Her mother reluctantly agreed to let her buy it for $10 to put in their cottage. I have since often thought about how that turned out. I must admit I had a little chuckle from time to time.

     As you passed the Alexander Brown driveway the Portage Lake Road took a sharp turn to the North for approximately a quarter of a mile running along open fields then turned due west into the Henry and Mable Scott farm. We also visited this farm many time over my younger years. Henry’s family had pretty well all grown up and were on their own too, but I do remember Jim who was just finishing up school when I started and Ken who was a mechanic at Uncle Sarnie’s garage and also one of his bus drivers for years. Ken was married to Rita. I chummed with Allan in grade school and I think his younger sisters name was Sharron. The buses I remember Ken driving were the old homemade ones. Many a time one of us would displease the drive with something we said or did. We would be ordered off the bus to walk the 2 plus miles to home. The worse thing was for our parents to find out, then we would probably end up with a licking too. Sometimes Uncle Sarnie would drive the bus although he usually drove the north bus that brought the kids down from Shebishekong Lake way. Ivan Hunt also drove part of the time. It was easy to get back on the bus at a later date, we just had to do a hat in the hand apology and we better sound like we meant it too. The other thing I remember is we had very few snow days in those years.  The bus always seemed to get through.  

     I hope by reading these writings it has helped to stimulate some of your own. I also hope you treasure and appreciate yours as I do mine.  Great memories, great people.  Garry                                        

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Fall is here in Memphis, and that means it’s time for pumpkin patches, Halloween parties, haunted houses, corn mazes, ghost tours, and plenty of costume contests. Here are a bunch of ways to celebrate this time of year in Memphis. – Historical Haunts Memphis (ongoing) Historical Haunts hosts ongoing spooky tours, haunted pub crawls, and ghost hunts at various downtown locations, plus the Woodruff Fontaine House. This goes on year-round, not just during this spooky season. – Backbeat Tours (ongoing) Backbeat hosts walking Ghost Tours downtown on a regular basis as well as a haunted pub “crawls” where you pedal the Sprock ‘n’ Roll pedal bar to three stops with a side of haunted history (Wednesdays and last Fridays). – Mid-South Corn Maze (Sept. 15 – Nov. 4) Get lost in the annual corn maze at the Agricenter September 15 through November 4. It’s open Thursdays through Sundays in September and Wednesdays through Sundays in October. It is HAUNTED on September 30, October 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, 31 and November 3 and 4. Check out their website for exact hour. It’s $7 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12, and free for kids 5 and younger when it’s just corn. When the maze is haunted, it’s $15 for everybody. My pro tip is to go early because the line when it’s late and haunted can get long. – Zoo Harvest Fest (Sept. 23 – 24) Head to the Once Upon A Farm exhibit inside the Memphis Zoo for some old-fashioned fun. You can “learn from local craftsmen, hear folk music, churn your own butter and even stamp your own leather”. This is included in entry to the Zoo, but I imagine the vendors’ stuff might cost extra. – Priddy Farms Pumpkin Patch (Sept. 29 – ?) Head out to Priddy Farms (4595 N. Germantown Rd.) opens on September 29. You will have to contact them directly to confirm exactly the prices and activities available, but in years past they were open Wednesdays through Sundays with pumpkin patch, train, and hayride. It’s been free to enter, but $1-$5 for activities and $1 – $12+ for pumpkins. – Falcon Ridge Farms  (Sept. 29 – Oct. 31) It’s a 1.5 hour drive from Memphis, but Falcon Ridge in Toone, Tennessee, has a Fall Festival that will be open September 23 – October 31 every day of the week (click here for hours) with a pumpkin patch, pre-picked pumpkins for sale, a hayride, pony rides, petting zoo, corn maze, and more. It’s $10 general admission plus extra for pumpkins, rides, food, etc. Details here. – Dia De Los Muertos Parade & Festival Preview (Sept. 29) Get a taste of what to expect at the October 7th parade (see below) at this Preview Party from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Tower Courtyard at Overton Square. – Wicked Ways Haunted House (Sept. 29 – Oct. 31) I’m no haunted house aficionado, but I hear this one’s the scariest in town. They make it clear that it’s NOT for the faint of heart. It’s in a warehouse at 160 Cumberland Street near Wiseacre Taproom. Tickets, as far as their website says, are $20 for adults or $13 for kids – or pay $35 to skip the line – and some proceeds benefit St. Jude. They’re open on select days (mostly Wed. – Sun.) from September 29 through October 31. Hours here. – Second Baptist Church Pumpkin Patch (Sept. 30 – Oct. 31 + Festival on Oct. 21) Purchase your flowers, hay bales, and pumpkins (prices vary) at 4680 Walnut Grove this fall from September 30 through October 31. It’s open Mondays – Saturday from 10 a.m. ’til sunset and on Sunday from noon to ’til sunset. There’s also a free-to-attend Pumpkin Festival on October 21. – Shadowlands Festival of Fear at Jones Orchard (Oct. 6 – 31) For more than ten years, Jones Orchard has turned their picturesque farm into a scary Halloween horror story. They have a creepy corn maze ($13) and a haunted hayride ($10) – $21 for both – open on Fridays and Saturdays in October only, plus on October 31. – Dia De Los Muertos Parade & Festival (Oct. 7) The Brooks Museum, Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, and Danza Azteca Queztalcoatl will host a parade and fest in midtown this year to mark Dia De Los Muertos. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Tower Courtyard and makes its way to the Brooks Museum for a fest with face painting, art-making, music, dance, theatre, and more. It’s free. Click here for details + parade route. – Shelby Farms Fright-Day the Thirteenth Outdoor Movie Night (Oct. 13) Shelby Farms will host a movie night on October 13 and screen Hocus Pocus at 6:15 p.m. and Friday the 13th at 8 p.m. on the Great Lawn. It’s $10 per car for non-members or free for members. Bring your chairs and blankets, buy food/popcorn, and leave your booze at home. If you keep your kid there for the rated R movie at 8 pm. they might get scared or hear a swear, so keep that in mind. – Elmwood Costume Twilight Tour (Oct. 14) Tour guides dressed as Elmwood Cemetery’s residents take you on an all-walking tour of the historic resting place with groups departing from the Cottage every ten minutes starting at 3:30 p.m. You must buy your ticket ($20) online ahead of time; there are no gate admission – also, this event will sell out if it hasn’t by the time I publish this post today. – Creepshow Peepshow Burlesque (Oct. 14) Sock-It-To-Me Burlesque hosts a tribute to George Romero and scary movies with burlesque, song, and dance, at the RockHouse Live on Raleigh Legrange. GA tickets are $12 and VIP seats are $20. Music at 9 p.m.; burlesque begins at 10 p.m. – Cerrito Trivia Halloween/spooky themed nights (Oct. 17 – ?) Cerrito Trivia will host a couple of spooky-themed trivia nights: The Walking Dead (+ costume contest) on Oct. 17, Friends Halloween on Oct. 19, The Office (+ costume contest) on Oct. 24, Stranger Things (+ costume contest) on Oct. 25, Hocus Pocus (+costume contest). Check out his website for more details and locations, or to reserve your team’s spot. – Zoo Boo (Oct. 20-22, 27-31) Take the kids to a Halloween-inspired Le Bonheur Zoo Boo visit after regular hours on October 20-22 or 27-31. They’ll have a “frightening” forest trail, haunted hayride, singing pumpkins, crafts, trick-or-treat, straw maze, kiddie rides, magic shows, and more. Advance tickets are $13 non-members; day-of tickets are $15 non-members. Members get discounts. There are additional fees for some of the activities. Keep in mind that most of the animals are asleep at night. The Zoo recommends that you go the first weekend or avoid Saturday nights to skip some of the crowds; or get there right at 5:30 p.m. – Haunted Happenings at the Woodruff-Fontaine  (Oct. 27) Take a guided tour of the Woodruff-Fontaine House and enjoy Victorian-themed fun like fortune telling, a paranormal investigation, and treats. Costumes are welcome; tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for kids. – Elmwood’s Spirits With The Spirits (Oct. 27) If you’re looking for a fancy soiree in a cemetery this fall, this event – on Friday from 7 p.m. – til is for you. Dress is casual black and white or costumes; expect food and drink, tarot readings, music, wagon rides,  a silent auction and more. Tickets are $70 “per body” or $125 per couple, which includes drinks. – Festival of Fun and Fright (Oct. 27) Put the kids in costumes and head to the Bob Hailey Athletic Complex in Germantown for the Fairy Tale Trail and/or the haunted Trail of Terror from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will also be concessions, games, and moon bounces. Tickets are $4 per trail. – Day of the Dead Fiesta (Oct. 27)  This fall festival is a celebration of Latino culture, food, and fun, held this year at The Columns from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Friday October 27. Your $50 advanced ticket gets you entry, apps, and plenty of live entertainment. You can also purchase a $10 or $20 bar pass for beer, wine, and liquor. Don’t wear Halloween costumes; this isn’t a Halloween party. Do wear your snazziest black and white getups. 21+. It’s $65 at the door and online tickets sales end on Oct. 26. The Witch’s Dungeon Halloween Party (Oct. 27) The Mystic Krewe of Pegasus hosts their third annual Halloween Party at 1819 Madison Avenue from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. Tickets are $30 and include food, open bar, and entertainment all night. Costume contest at midnight; proceeds benefit The Metamorphosis Project. – Whatever Dude’s Halloween Rocktackular (Oct. 27) Murphy’s pub hosts a Halloween party on Friday night from 10 p.m. to 1 p.m. – Millington Farmer’s Market Fall Festival (Oct. 28) The market at 5152 Easley St. in Millington hosts a fun day with yoga, bouncy house for the kids, food truck, vendor booths, crafts, storytelling, and a cornhole tourney. – Elmwood Scandals & Scoundrels Tour (Oct. 28) Learn about Elmwood Cemetery’s most famous and infamous residents in an all-walking guided tour. Advanced registration ($20) is required. The tour is 90 minutes, starts at 1 p.m., and is for grown-ups only. – Flick-or-Treat at the Botanic Garden (Oct. 28)  This not-so-scary movie night is in My Big Backyard at the Memphis Botanic Garden and includes activities related to the Big Bugs exhibit and screenings of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Hocus Pocus” starting at 7 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m., event ends at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 for nonmembers and $10 for members; reservations are required. They’ll have food and adult spirits, etc., for sale. – Alice in Daisyland Halloween w/ The Crystal Method (Oct. 28) The New Daisy hosts a Halloween bash feat. The Crystal Method, DJ Tree, Scotty B, and Defcon Engaged from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. Ages 18+ only. Tickets are $10 + about $5 in fees if you buy ahead online. Just read the details here. They’re also have a costume contest where the prize is $500. – Spaceface Halloween at the Hi-Tone (Oct. 28) Throw down at the Hi-Tone on Saturday night (doors at 8 p.m.) with a half dozen bands including Spaceface, China Gate, Love Bomb Go Go, Harlan T Bobo, and Louise Page. Tickets are $10, this event is 18 and up. – Sinners For Saints III (Oct. 28) Throw down with half of Memphis at this year’s Sinners for Saints at 345 Madison, featuring tunes from AQUANET, Charvey Mac, DJ Superbrad, DJ Lil’ Eggroll, and more. The party is from 9 p.m. ’til 1 p.m., is 21 and up, and proceeds benefit the Church Health Center. Tickets are $50 in advance or $60 at the door (they sell out/reach capacity every year though) and include open bar (beer, punch, JELLO shots, more), photos from Amurica, costume contest, and some food while supplies last. You will be the only person not dressed up if you don’t wear a costume. – Vine To Wine Spooky Spirits (Oct. 31) The Memphis Botanic Garden hosts a costume-friendly wine tasting event on Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Get your tickets here. Did I miss something? Add it to the calendar. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout http://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

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