Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

If you are in your mid-twenties like I am, I would hope that you have seen the movie "Halloweentown".  If you are like my husband and have not, it might seem kind of cheesy now but you should still watch it.

If you have been following My Mind's Lens for awhile, you may recognize the background of the cast photo above. Yep - that's right.  That building has made an appearance here before!  That's because Halloweentown was filmed in MY sleepy little town.  It is also home to many scenes from Twilight.  In fact I live just blocks away from the "Charlie's house" *So yes...I admit I have watched the Twilight movies and, while I'm not obsessed, they aren't bad!* However, I have never actually driven by.

With this type of history, on top of numerous supposed haunted buildings and locations throughout town, St. Helens, Oregon gets very into the Halloween season!  Throughout the month of October they are hosting "haunted tours" and in Old Towne, the grassy area in front of the courthouse boasts a Halloween scene, replicating that of the Halloweentown movie photo above.

One of the most well-known "haunted" places in town is the old St. Helens Hotel - now Klondike Restaurant and Bar.  Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the building has changed hands, been partially demolished, and been converted from a hotel to restaurant.  But over the years, one thing remains the same: numerous accounts of various supernatural experiences have been told.  Anything from young children appearing at the bar, to strange voices, to objects being moved on their own and electronics being turned on and off without anyone flipping a switch.  Part of me says that stuff isn't true, the other part thinks it's exciting to believe it.  I have eaten there twice, but neither time noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Every year as Halloween grows closer, the town really reaches out to those spirits.  The local business owners set up scarecrows outside their storefronts, and the telephone polls are decorated with corn stalks.  The scarecrows actually do catch me off-guard when I'm driving through town at night.  I think it is more because they aren't there all the time and the figures catch my eye - but still!

I love all the variety in the different figures - some are themed after the place of business (love the Monopoly guy outside the bank!!) while others are more traditional scarecrows.  They are all fun, though!

For #backthatazzup Friday, we're gonna stick with the Halloween theme.  And let's be honest, who doesn't love a little MJ?

I am grateful that it is the start of the weekend . . . but in what seems to be becoming a trend, it appears to be shaping up to be even busier than the work week!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!