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October has begun, which means the season of ghosts, goblins and other spooky creatures is officially under way. Of course, there are those of us who have been observing that time of year since mid- to late-August, but celebrate as you will.
West Virginia has opted to mark the time of year as it has with many other things in recent years, by turning it into a marketing campaign.
West Virginia is pretty well known for its haunted locations, legendary spots and native cryptids. From Mothman to Sheepsquatch, the West Virginia Penetentiary and spots on just about every college or university campus on the state, it seems just about every corner of the Mountain State has some tale or legend to tell.
As it is tasked, the West Virginia Department of Tourism has opted to make efforts to encourage visitors to those locations. So, a contest has been established, marking out West Virginia's Paranormal Trail.
People planning to head out on the trail are encouraged to sign up for a digital "passport" through a dedicated website set up by West Virginia Tourism. You'll receive a link allowing you to check in on the passport through your smart phone whenever you visit a site on the trail.
Of course, there are prizes involved.
According to the website, those who check in at three of the locations will receive a "Paranormal Explorer" sticker. Ten locations will get participants a beanie (or toboggan depending on where you grew up) with the trail logo on it.
Checking in at all of the locations will get you a limited edition art print, featuring depictions of the Trans-Allegheny Asylum, Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster. As a bonus, the first 13 people (yes, they went with 13) to finish the trail will get a copy of the poster signed by artist Liz Pavlovic. For the record, I've checked out some of Pavlovic's work the last couple of years and have become a bit of a fan. She has an Etsy shop where she sells prints, shirts, stickers, cards and other trinkets featuring her work.
There are 14 sites included on the trail, and visitors can "check in" through the digital passport within a quarter-mile of the location in the event they have difficulty with a cell signal at the spot itself (This is West Virginia, after all).
The trail includes the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park in Rock, the West Virginia Penetentiary in Moundsville, the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, Ghost Tours of Harpers Ferry, the Hotel Morgan in Morgantown, the Flatwoods Monster Museum in Sutton, the Old Hospital on College Hill in Williamson, the Historic Glen Ferris Inn, Shepherdstown Mystery Walk, the Haunted Haymond in Sutton, the Flinderation Tunnel in Salem, and the Bigfoot Statue on the Elk River Trail near Ivydale.
One of the nice things is that the pass doesn't expire until the end of the year, so it's possible to get to many of these spots later on. No need to limit yourself to October.
This has a similar feel to Tourism's Waterfall Trail promotion, and, while I was a bit skeptical when that was first launched, it apparently has been received quite well. I understand, of course, it all has a point of getting visitors to our state, as well as encouraging state residents to explore our back yards a little more.
I don't know if I, personally, will have an opportunity to get out to all of these spooky spots as selected by our state government officials, but maybe this is something they plan to do every year. After all, there are a lot more scary tales to tell in the dark in our mountains and hollows.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @ChowellWDT)