As everlasting as a gobstopper and packed with significantly more sugar, Leelanau’s celebration of fall things sweet and spooky started weeks ago with hard cider and giant pumpkins, and much like our autumn leaves, will peak this weekend!

Boo Cheer
For the second year in a row, Leland Lodge will host a longtime Leland Township Fire & Rescue tradition: a free-to-all-who-dare-enter-here haunted house.

Leland firefighters have built their annual haunted house in many places over the years: the old fire station, the new fire station, and, once even, inside an empty house.

But last year, Tony West, Leland Lodge’s food and beverage director offered up much of the Lodge’s lower level as the new home to LTFR’s haunted house. Despite that event’s smoke machines setting off a few false fire alarms, the firefighters and West’s crew are teaming up to wow guests again with their biggest haunted house event yet, Boo Cheer.

Leland Lodge staff spent last week conjuring up magical drink and food specials (a green “potion” cocktail is served inside a smoking cauldron); this week, firefighters are hauling in and arranging into a dark maze their years’ worth of accumulated fog machines and animatronic creatures—several built by self-professed “animatronic obsessed” head haunter, LTFR firefighter Russell Korson.

Rather than shelling out thousands for the massive quaking, light-up “monster in a box” he had his eye on last year, he nabbed DIY instructions online and spent only $600 building his own. (It debuts this weekend!)

So just how scary is this house of horrors called Boo Cheer? Hard to say, says Korson: “You get a 2- or 3-year-old who comes out laughing and wants to go in again and again, and then you see a 10-year-old running out, crying.”

Entering is free (though donations are accepted; they fund purchases for subsequent years’ haunted houses).

Korson says reassuringly, “Nobody and nothing touches you—we don’t want to terrorize anybody. So we tell people, ‘You know, if you get in there, you go in 10 feet, and it’s too much, just come out.

Whether you make it through or not, you can still treat yourself to some of the spooky dishes and drinks. Boo Cheer runs 5pm–9pm Thursday, Oct. 27 through Monday, Oct. 31.

Adult Treats
If you’re in your late teens or, worse, not in costume, folks tend to frown on you trick-or-treating. Luckily, Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate has adults in even average clothes covered with sweet yet sophisticated Halloween treats like Honeycrisp apples coated in honey, caramel, and chocolate and goodie bags stamped with local artist Brianne Farley’s work and stuffed with squeal-worthy Halloween chocolates (a rat, a bat, a top-hatted skull, and more, available in white, milk, or dark chocolate). Hint: Grocer’s Daughter’s chocolate cauldrons make only small batches; call ahead or place your order online.

Over at 9 Bean Rows, you can sate your angel side by taking a healthy meander down the farm’s veggie rows, picking a peck of apples, and/or as many pumpkins as you can heft. Or you can give your devilish side its due at the bakery, with some of Chef Trish’s autumnal indulgences: pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cheesecake, pear flan, carrot cake, caramel apples, and caramel popcorn. Is your blood sugar spiking? Relax: The café’s got hot soup and a new fall sammie menu available to level you out.

Speaking of munchies, any costumed adult who makes his way over to Olean's recreational cannabis dispensary in Northport on Saturday or Sunday will receive a free item. Take and tag a photo of yourself standing with Jo’Lean out front (look for the giant woman clutching a skeleton—you can’t miss her), and you’ll be entered to win a free bag o’ cannabis treats.

Wine more your thing? Hit up French Valley Vineyard’s Hallo-Wine Spooktacular 11am–6pm Saturday, Oct. 29 for food and drink specials, a costume contest, games, hayrides (noon, 2pm, 4pm by reservation: info@fvvineyard.com), and a dangerous yet delightful wine-drinking accompaniment: on-site pet adoptions, courtesy of Cherryland Humane Society, which will receive a portion of the Spooktacular’s proceeds.

Should you require the other hair of the dog (or cat), pick up a birthday bottle of Leelanau Cellars’ Witches Brew. Since Leelanau Cellars brought the bewitching OG WB into the world in1997, the nutmeg-, cinnamon-, and clove-flavored sweet red wine has become a Halloween staple sold in 35 states. Its younger sisters, WB Pumpkin Spice and WB Apple Spice, have attracted a little fame of their own; lil’ Pumpkin once even showed her legs on NBC’s TodayShow.

Just For Kiddos
Lest we not forget the reason for the season, don’t forget the many fun events for kids:

• 1pm–3pm Saturday, October 29, the Glen Lake Community Library (10115 Front St., in Empire) will stuff kids with cider and doughnuts while screening the 1989 film version of Roald Dahl’s book The Witches.

• Noon–3pm Sunday, Oct. 30, costumed kids can trick or treat their way through Glen Arbor’sbusiness district—and give back by donating non-perishable pantry items and household goods for the local food bank by way of the trailer parked outside of Art’s Tavern.

• 3pm–5pm Monday, Oct. 31, the Suttons Bay Government Center will open its ground floor for Halloween crafts, games, smoothies, cider and doughnuts. Right after, kids can make their way to the Suttons Bay Fire Station, 201 S. St. Mary's, for a 5pm-8pm Trunk or Treat.

• On Empire’s Front Street, there’ll be another Trunk or Treat on Halloween, 5pm–7pm—if the Empire Area Community Center can get enough volunteers there by 4:30pm: Email March Dye, marchdye@gmail.com to pitch in.