Saturday was just one of those amazingly gorgeous fall days in which I wanted to pass by my exit and keep driving down the interstate, windows down and music loud.

Alas, responsibilities and work were calling my name.

Fall is absolutely my favorite time of year. All the things BuzzFeed pokes fun about this time of year — pumpkin-flavored everything, leaves changing color, bonfires — I love each and every one of them.

If that makes me a walking cliché, then so be it. I’ll be the one going out of my way to step on crunchy fallen leaves.

I went to the Ironton Farmers Market last weekend and bought a fantastic selection of pumpkins and a huge mum, which are proudly on display on my front porch. And before it’s all said and done, I’ll probably buy more pumpkins for carving.

Fall is also just a fun time of year. Every community seems to be in festival mode. Music and arts festivals, Greek festivals, festivals celebrating pumpkins, apples, corn and even the Mothman.

With my days filled with leaf peeping and festival, my nights are filled with scary movies.

As I’ve mentioned before, my mom was a huge horror movie fan and one of my fondest memories of her is going to the video store and picking out an arsenal of VHS tapes to watch over the weekend.

I was always captivated by the artwork on the horror movie boxes, and for some reason, my mom didn’t have any qualms about me watching those movies with her.

My earliest memory of watching a horror movie with her was “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” It scared me senseless and I’m still a little wary of clowns and I don’t eat cotton candy. But that is always one of my go-to movies during the Halloween season. It’s delightfully campy and, let’s face it, it’s a cult classic.

I haven’t gotten into the full swing of my horror movie viewing yet, but so far I watched John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” and the 1956 classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

But probably my favorite weekend activity during the fall is going to haunted attractions. Whether it’s a haunted house, trail, hayride, maze, prison, asylum or tunnel, I love the adrenalin rush from walking through dark places and having the daylights scared out of me.

This year, I’m fortunate to be a part of a long-running tradition in Ironton — the Lions haunted tunnel.

The attraction opens Friday Oct. 3 and runs each weekend, including Halloween night. It is the largest fundraiser for the Ironton Lions Club and members spend countless hours getting the historic State Route 75 highway tunnel ready for visitors. The upkeep of that tunnel is a project that goes on year-round, from general maintenance to cleaning and refurbishing.

I’m really looking forward to the experience of working at the tunnel this year. Although I won’t be in the tunnel scaring people this year, I can’t wait to see the reactions on those who come running out.

It’s only $5 and well worth the experience. In fact, come multiple times and bring your friends, too.

The haunted tunnel is something the Lions Club really puts its heart and soul into and I encourage everyone to check it out this year and show your support.

 

Michelle Goodman is the news editor at The Tribune. To reach her, call 740-532-1441 ext. 12 or by email at michelle.goodman@irontontribune.com.