Halloween in July

Dave and I, Halloween 2005

So, you might think I'm weird, but I've already begun getting into the spirit of Halloween.

True, Halloween is still 93 days away, but that doesn't mean I can't get into the spirit of my favorite holiday a little early.

For one thing, the odds are already against me. Stores are starting to put out their fall & Halloween merchandise (despite the fact that we're still in the dead of summer). Haunted houses are beginning to post their schedules online.

And, of course, I've been reading a little book entitled Weird Illinois. Popularized during Dave's time at Barnes & Noble by large displays full of books proclaiming to divulge Illinois' most ancient, hidden, and spooky oddities, Weird Illinois certainly is an interesting journey through the backroads of my home state.

We bought a copy of the book a few months ago, and I just picked it up on a whim. I will say that I was able to pinpoint a few locations around my area that I might like to visit in the months leading up to Halloween, including some supposedly haunted cemeteries and spooky roads. (Hey, not that I believe in that stuff, it's just neat!) The Leaning Tower of Niles is even in there!

However, what disappointed me about the book was how few oddities were listed in the Chicagoland area. Let's face it: most residents of Illinois live in Chicago. We're a bluer than blue state as far as presidential elections are concerned, and believe me, most residents south of I-80 wouldn't have it that way.

So, you can imagine how a spook-loving Halloween-o-phile like myself would get disappointed when I read about a really cool cemetery in...Taylorville. Or Ashmore. Or an abandoned mausoleum in...Valmeyer. Or that half of the attractions listed in the book seem to be located alternately in Alton and Quincy.

I realize the book wasn't only written for the people in the most populous areas - but large sections of the book should just be rearranged and entitled, "Weird things that local villagers invented to try to get tourists to visit their burgs."

However, don't get me wrong. It's a good book, and as I said, I enjoy reading about Illinois history and oddities; if nothing else, I've got some new information and interesting places to drive by this October while gearing up for Halloween. And, who knows, maybe someday I'll be in the vicinity of De Witt County and get to visit the ghost lights of Old Union Cemetery.

Who knows - we Illinoisans are pretty weird, after all.

Ed and Dave, Halloween 2005