Halloween Around Town!

The chilly breeze cuts into your face as auburn leaves flutter to the ground. These are sure signs that fall has finally arrived. School is in full swing, with students trudging through the halls day after endless day. It’s only natural to look for fun and different activities to do outside of Blacksburg High School. And, given the season, what better way to celebrate than engaging in Halloween festivities? These range from wholesome tractor rides at the pumpkin patch to late night horrors in a haunted house. Or, if going out isn’t the cozy autumn vibe you’re looking for, staying in to watch a movie or carve pumpkins works, too. There are endless ways to appreciate fall and Halloween around Blacksburg this year!

“I went to the pumpkin patch, it was so fall!” Morel Boyer, a student at Blacksburg High School, said when asked what fall activities she’s enjoyed this season. She went to Sinkland Farms, located in Christiansburg. While the pumpkin patch is a little out of the way for Blacksburg residents, it is packed with fun activities like hayrides and a corn maze that make the drive worth it! “I got to see the baby pigs race and I bet on one pig named Pumpkin. It was a lot of fun!” Morel said. If scary isn’t the way you wish to celebrate Halloween, Sinkland Farms offers cute and interactive entertainment. 

On the other hand, some people enjoy the frights that come along with the spooky season. Local haunted houses are the main attraction when it comes to horrors around Blacksburg, with the top two being St. Albans Sanatorium and Hexed. “I went to St. Albans with my pals and we had a pretty good time. The best part about it was they had a room dedicated to Freddy Fazbear.” said BHS student Beckett Socha. Every year, St. Albans has a different theme for their haunted house; this year being “Screams from the Screens.” The theme entails that each room is dedicated to a classic horror movie, including ones like Annabelle and Terrifier. Beckett, for example, particularly enjoyed the room dedicated to Five Nights at Freddy’s. There truly is something for everyone. Hexed is a bit different. To even get to the line for the attraction there is a haunted bus ride, complete with maniacal driving and blaring music. Inside… Well, I won’t spoil it for you, but it checks all the boxes for a terrifying haunted house. If screams are what you’re searching for this Halloween, make sure to check out one of these attractions!

Not everybody enjoys being scared out of their mind, though. “If I had a fall night to myself, I would either spend it sleeping, baking cookies, or carving a pumpkin.” said a Freshman at BHS, Sullivan Shealor. Carving pumpkins and making sweet treats offer calm, fun alternatives to a heart pumping haunted house. They’re also certified classics, as carving pumpkins is something (almost) universally agreed upon as a must-do during the fall season. 

From screeching to being curled up in bed with a freshly baked cookie, everybody can find something enjoyable about fall. Whether you sip on your pumpkin flavored coffee while walking through the fall foliage or hide under your blanket during Scream; it’s exciting all the same. Just like the leaves on the trees, the attractions and atmosphere around Blacksburg change during the fall season.

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Written by Molly Nelson

Photography by Elayna Weatherspoon