If neighborhood Halloween displays seem bigger and scarier this year, that’s because they are.

Halloween spending is expected to top $10 billion in the US for 2021, the highest total ever. A lot of it’s going toward spiders, ghosts, and skeletons for the front yard. There are also homes across America that are grabbing attention for a deeper, more important purpose.

“I love Halloween,” said Jennifer Corcoran with a smile, standing in front of her hugely elaborate outdoor display in Nashville.

A connoisseur of all things jaw-dropping, Corcoran wears her title as a badge of honor: Halloween Queen.

“I have a mug that says that,” she laughed. “I’m gonna go big or go home. We have the rooftop skeletons, 12-foot skeletons, talking skeletons, the hitchhiking ghosts. Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite.”

That doesn’t even begin to cover the skeleton squirrel, gargoyles, and the grave of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetle...well, you know the rest.

“I love this place,” said a little boy in a car seat.

His mother pulled the car over so he could see the display. They do this on most days of the Halloween season.

“I love Jack!” he said, motioning to the yard’s tall Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The way Corcoran sees it, this is a little joy she can bring. Who knows what the people driving by have dealt with in this time of the pandemic. Corcoran’s faced something very difficult in this time, too.

“My cousin Fred Santoro died of cancer last August,” she said. “Because of the travel restrictions, I wasn’t able to go to the funeral.”

Like for many people, the pandemic made grieving the loss of a loved one harder for Corcoran. In the midst of all these Halloween things that catch attention in her yard, Corcoran’s just added something. It’s a QR code you can scan and donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, treating childhood cancers.

“This was a cause Fred believed in, so I’m raising money in memory of him,” she said.

Corcoran is part of a team that’s launched Skeletons for St. Jude, a group that has now grown to more than 200 homes across the country, raising money with their Halloween displays. Together, they’ve brought in more than $30,000 so far.

For Corcoran, being Halloween Queen is so much more than just decorating a yard. It’s a new tradition, something to enjoy in what can be a hard time, and part of a legacy for someone she loves.

“We have more and more people getting on board every day,” she said. “I’d love to hit $100,000 and do it again next year and make it even bigger. The sky is the limit.”

To get involved, visit the Skeletons for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital group on Facebook.

MENTOR, Ohio (WEWS) — Halloween is just around the corner and holiday lovers are preparing their costumes. While, most of the time, children are the center of attention with cute costumes and masks, pet owners are preparing to spend the big bucks, too.

The National Retail Federation reported one in five people will dress up their pets for Halloween this year.

For pet owners in Ohio, a shop based in Mentor sells handmade pet costumes.

"I just go and I look at fabric and we decide 'Oh, that would be cute as such and such...," said Jennifer Brhel. "I'll look on the internet and get different ideas."

Brhel is the owner of The Posh Pet Boutique.

"Cause I love animals and dogs are my life," she said. "Like, my whole world revolves around dogs."

Brhel, who's worked several other jobs in years past, said hand making the pet costumes brings her joy. She's held several pet fashion shows, dressed pups for game day and everything in between. And with Halloween rapidly approaching, she said the business is booming.

Meg Shaw

"I've been kinda busy, and we have the two shops now so I'm like trying to keep up," Brhel said. "I've made a ducky with a hood, some pumpkins, a peacock. Just fun. Whatever they come up with I'll make."

The National Retail Federation says the top five pet costumes are: pumpkin, hot dog, superhero, bumblebee and a ghost. Costumes at the Posh Pet Boutique range in price from $20 to $50, depending on their size and amount of embellishments.

Meg Shaw

The small business owner said she's thrilled to be busy again because the pandemic put a screeching halt on sales. At times, Brhel said she wanted to give it up, but her business partner convinced her to stick it out.

"It was kind of a year off, as much as I hate to say that, like we don't even count last year," she said. "So many businesses, little businesses like this, went out of business and I'm thankful we didn't."

With holidays approaching, health experts said some festivities can start to return to a sense of normalcy — but they also warned that COVID-19 isn't defeated yet.

Experts said Sunday that outdoor trick-or-treating — particularly for children who are vaccinated — should be fine this year.

"It's a good time to reflect on why it's important to get vaccinated. But go out there and enjoy Halloween as well as the other holidays that will be coming up," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN Sunday.

Dr. Megan Ranney, associate dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, cautioned against indoor Halloween parties for children too young to be vaccinated and encouraged parents in areas with high virus transmission to mask their children, but agreed that Halloween fun could go on this year.

The big picture for COVID-19 in the U.S. is looking a little brighter as new infections and hospitalizations decline. The average rate of daily new cases has dropped below 100,000, to 93,814 as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Fauci said he would like to see new daily cases well below 10,000, but the decline is a start. "Hopefully it's going to continue to go in that trajectory downward," he said.

While conditions are improving and the sense of normalcy is expanding, Fauci warned that the fight against the pandemic is not over.

"We have to just be careful that we don't prematurely declare victory in many respects. We still have around 68 million people who are eligible to be vaccinated that have not yet gotten vaccinated," Fauci said.

About 56.4% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although experts don't know the exact percentage of vaccination coverage needed to control the spread of the virus, Fauci has said the "vast majority" of the population will need to get vaccinated.

"We're not there yet," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said. "This virus can continue in those places where vaccination rates are low."

The potential for spread is especially concerning as winter holidays — often accompanied by gatherings and travel — approach.

Health experts have promoted vaccination requirements for air travel this holiday season; and while Fauci declined to offer his stance on the matter Sunday, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University Dr. Esther Choo weighed in.

"Now is the time for mandates for airlines," Choo said. "It should happen quickly because people are making plans right now for our fall and winter holidays."

Death isn't the only terrible outcome with COVID-19

It's important for people to understand "not dying from COVID is a great thing, but that isn't the only metric we should be using," Michigan emergency room physician Dr. Rob Davidson said Saturday.

He said at his hospital, some COVID-19 patients have been on a ventilator for more than a month, and some have endured invasive procedures to stay alive.

Even if they recover physically, some COVID-19 survivors end up suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, due to time spent in the ICU, Davidson said.

A study published in February found 30% of COVID-19 survivors experienced PTSD, which is a psychological illness that usually occurs after someone has a life-threatening experience.

The virus can also have negative effects on pregnant people infected during their third trimester and their babies, research shows.

Between March and September of last year, symptomatic pregnant people at one Israeli hospital had higher rates of gestational diabetes, a lower white blood cell count, and experienced heavier bleeding during their delivery. Their babies also experienced more breathing problems, a research team reported in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.

The study has limitations since it only looked at women in one hospital, so its findings may not be true for all people who are pregnant.

Then there is long COVID-19 — when symptoms can last months after infection.

A large study published last month showed more than one-third of COVID-19 patients suffered symptoms three to six months after getting infected. Some had multiple, long-lasting complications.

Breathing problems, abdominal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, pain, anxiety and depression were among the most common issues reported.

Accompanying data showed as many as 46% of children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 22 had experienced at least one symptom in the six months after recovering.

Vaccines for kids under 5 may not come until next year

The Food and Drug Administration is considering a proposal to expand vaccines to children as young as 5, and those younger may not have a dose authorized for them until early next year, former FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said Sunday.

The FDA is likely to ask for more data and perhaps for studies involving more children, because it is a new vaccine and a new virus, Gottlieb told CBS.

"And that could push it into 2022. Previously we had talked about trying to have that data available before the end of this year, which could have prompted an authorization perhaps by the end of the year, at least in kids ages 2-4. I think that it's more likely that it slips into the first quarter of next year at the very least, but not too far into next year," said Gottlieb, who is also on Pfizer's board.

The FDA has called a meeting of its independent vaccine advisers, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), for Oct. 26 to discuss pediatric vaccines. Pfizer has submitted data and a formal request for authorization for its one-third dose vaccine for use in children 5-11. But Gottlieb said he expects VRBPAC to also discuss what might be needed for authorization for the youngest children.

Having more information to consider can raise public confidence in the vaccines, Gottlieb said. He is already confident and plans to vaccinate his own young daughters.

"There's a lot of parents like me that, as soon as the vaccines available for their children, are going to go out and get their kids vaccinated, that see the benefits of vaccination," he said. "There's a lot of parents who still have a lot of questions around vaccination. I think for them, they should have a conversation with their pediatrician to try to get comfortable with the idea of vaccinating kids."

Gottlieb said he thinks it will be years before the CDC recommends making COVID-19 vaccines part of the regular childhood vaccination schedule, which would open the door to school districts mandating them.

"I think it's a very long way off. Certainly, CDC's going to look at children ages 12-17 differently than 5-11," he said.

CINCINNATI — It's Spooky SZN. If you're looking for some Halloween themed things to do this weekend, here are a few options:

Halloween Booze Crawl
Cincinnati
Saturday, Oct. 9
2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
https://stayhappening.com/e/halloween-booze-crawl-cincinnati-2021-E2IST1RW6AT

The Great Pumpkin fest
West Chester, Ohio
Saturday, Oct. 9
2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
https://www.westchesteroh.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/6612/19?sortn=EDate&sortd=asc&seldept=1&toggle=allupcoming&folder=119

Haunted Village
Saturday, October 09, 2021
6 pm - 10 pm
Lebanon, Ohio
https://browncountypress.com/calendar?/event/8224794/52497739/visit-with-easter-bunny#!/details/Ha

Annual haunted hayride
Hidden Valley, Indiana
Saturday
5 PM – 10 PM
https://m.facebook.com/events/hidden-valley-indiana/annual-hvl-haunted-hayride/921956788589364/

A finance company will pay an individual $1,300 to watch 13 scary movies in October, in an effort to find out whether the size of a movie's budget impacts its effectiveness.FinanceBuzz is looking to hire someone to be a Horror Movie Heart Rate Analyst. The person will watch 13 of the scariest movies ever made while monitoring their heart rate using Fitbit, the company said in a news release."In honor of the upcoming spooky season, we at FinanceBuzz are dying to know whether or not high-budget horror movies deliver stronger scares than low-budget ones," the release said."You'll help us discover whether or not a movie's budget impacts just how dread-inducing it can be by wearing a Fitbit to monitor your heart rate while you work your way through the list of 13 movies."The chosen participant is required to watch the following films between Oct. 9 until Oct. 18: Saw, Amityville Horror, A Quiet Place, A Quiet Place Part 2, Candyman, Insidious, The Blair Witch Project, Sinister, Get Out, The Purge, Halloween (2018), Paranormal Activity and Annabelle.Related video: Could scary movies help you burn calories?FinanceBuzz will provide the new analyst with a Fitbit tracker along with $1,300 and a $50 gift card to cover the rental costs of the fright fest.To apply, those interested have to fill out a form and tell the company why they are the best person for the job.Applications are due by Sept. 26, and FinanceBuzz will pick a winner by Oct. 1.

The week after Labor Day has historically represented the unofficial start of fall, and though most leaves have retained their green color, the season of pumpkin spice is already in full effect.

On Aug. 24 -- a full month before the official start of fall -- Starbucks posted a tweet that sent half of the internet into a frenzy, while the other half shook their heads in despair: "Pumpkin has entered the chat."

It was a de facto announcement about the return of the coffee chain's cult favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte, a drink some look forward to all year. A week earlier, competitor Dunkin' posted about the return of their own pumpkin coffee confection.

Every year, it feels like pumpkin spice mania comes earlier and earlier. Though some of these products may be blatant marketing ploys, some segments of society seem to welcome it back with open arms every time. From coffee to candles to deodorant, pumpkin spice is ubiquitous -- a signal that fall is upon us once more. Even if it's still 90 degrees outside and there's nary a golden leaf in sight, it's suddenly time for fires, apple picking and cozy sweaters. Fall begins when we say it does!

But why do so many crave the return of this season so much? What are we really reaching for when we cling to the edge of fall's garment, hoping it will envelop us sooner than it has before?

Part of it is nostalgia. Part of it is the warmth the season brings. But it could also just be the events of the past 18 months that are causing many of us to feel ready for fall early.

With fall, comes nostalgia

Some of the joyous anticipation of fall is just that: anticipation. When our mouths drool while imagining warm mugs of apple cider and pumpkin bread, it's the anticipation that gets us excited, rather than the actual reward, one psychologist says.

"So come August, we're like fall is kind of around the corner, we're anticipating all the good things that are coming," said Richard Lopez, professor of psychology at Bard College.

There are powerful cues that play into the nostalgia surrounding fall -- possibly even more so than with other seasons. There's a nip in the air, the leaves are different colors, kids and their oversized backpacks are schlepping to school -- all of these signs are triggers that, oftentimes, remind us of our younger selves, Lopez said.

Think of holidays like Halloween, and the childlike joy it brings, with its costumes and bright orange-wrapped chocolate. Or even specials like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." These are things that bring many of us back to an earlier, more simpler time.

Those layers of positive memories and nostalgia, coupled with the anticipation of what's to come, all play into the excitement many feel about fall, Lopez said.

"It's this change of season; there's a lot of things to look forward to. We had those same experiences when we were young," he said. "Other times of year, there isn't that effect with that nostalgia or that anticipation."

Tom Hanks' character in the 1998 movie "You've Got Mail" sums it up perfectly: "Don't you love New York in the fall?" he asks. "It makes me want to buy school supplies."

Fall can offer comfort in tumultuous times

But when we think of fall, it's not just nostalgia at play. There's a cozy aspect as well, visions of s'mores and snuggly hayrides. Even in beloved pumpkin spice sweets, it's not the pumpkin flavor that most people love, it's the warming spices of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.

The season, quite literally, makes people feel warm. And by extension, that could make folks feel safe, or cared for. The general wariness many feel from the last 18 months due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest last summer and climate change-related weather events this year, could also be part of why people are craving fall sooner rather than later.

Human beings naturally want certainty and order, Lopez said. Recent events, amplified by social media and near-instant access to news, have denied that.

"It's just a lot to handle," he said. "All these things were true before, but we didn't have these kinds of events at this scale to force us to think about it."

This could make this upcoming fall a little more difficult, Lopez said.

"We want that feeling of safety and coziness, but ... in previous years, pre-Covid, we'd have an active spring and an active summer, and then we'd love to go home and cozy up," he said. "But home is a strange place now, because we've spent so much time here."

It means that those associations we've had with home, safety, coziness, comfort -- maybe even fall -- could be changing.

That doesn't mean that fall won't be as cozy as it has been in the past, or that those first few sips of sweet pumpkin coffee won't hit. It just means many Americans are different now than they were prior to March 2020. It's OK if fall feels different, too.

Let Summer unofficially end and Fall unofficially begin!

This weekend's things to do includes the traditional WEBN fireworks display along with the opening weekend of Halloween-inspired Terror Town and the ye olde Ohio Renaissance Festival.

TERROR TOWN: 7 p.m.- 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Terror Town, 1449 Greenbrush Cob Rd., Williamsburg, Ohio. $25-$35. More than a haunted house, Terror Town boasts a frighteningly authentic haunted festival. This award-winning haunted attraction features an immersive experience that includes a 19th-century town, haunted trail and horror movie-quality costumes and scenery. In addition to the haunted trail, visitors may enjoy food, drinks (alcohol and non), retail vendors, live music and performances, an outdoor theater and interactive horror games. For more information visit www.allhallowsevellc.com.

NOWHERE ELSE FESTIVAL: 4 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Nowhere Else Farm, 190 Townsend Rd., Martinsville, Ohio. $50-$500. A world-class boutique music and arts festival that feels like an extended musical family reunion in a beautiful green space on a small farm in Ohio. With performances, workshops & readings, and a special VIP farm-to-table dining experience. For more information visit www.nowhereelsefestival.com.

AFRICAN FESTIVAL: 1-7 p.m. Saturday. Burnet Woods Bandstand, 3298 Clifton Ave., Clifton. $60 - $1,500. African Festival Cincinnati (AfriFest Cincy) is an annual festival that celebrates African cultures in the local community, builds cultural awareness and connects people to local resources. This family-friendly gathering celebrates Africa through cultural awareness, enhancing the community’s knowledge of the African cultures represented locally and connecting individuals to resources in the community. For more information visit the event Facebook page.

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: 6:30-11 p.m. Saturday. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $35-$50. Meshell Ndegeocello is a 10-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, rapper and bassist. She will bring her unique blend of soul, jazz, rock, R&B, funk and reggae to Memorial Hall’s intimate stage. For more information visit www.memorialhallotr.com.

POPS LABOR DAY CONCERT: 7:30 p.m. Saturday. City of Forest Park, 1201 W. Kemper Rd., Forest Park. The longstanding tradition of filling communities with music continues with a free performance at Central Park in Forest Park. John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra salute the unofficial end of summer in a program of Pops favorites. For more information visit the event Facebook page.

LUNKEN AIRPORT DAYS: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunken Airport, 262 Wilmer Ave. Linwood. Airport Open House featuring dozens of aircraft on display rides available in historic military aircraft, helicopter rides, classic car displays, military vehicles on display, educational exhibits, food vendors, and a patriotic flag ceremony at noon each day. For more information visit warbirds.clubexpress.com.

OHIO RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL: 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Ohio Renaissance Festival, 10542 E. Ohio 73, Harveysburg, Ohio. $7.50-$19. Cheer your favorite knight to victory as he competes for the queen’s honor in the thrilling full-armored joust. The lanes are bustling with storytellers, strolling musicians, singers, dancers and villagers welcoming you to a festive day of living history. For more information visit www.renfestival.com.

RIVERFEST: Noon-10 p.m. Sunday. Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove, Downtown. Free. Riverfest returns with a day full of live music and fun that culminates with the Western & Southern/WEBN Fireworks at 9 p.m. For more information visit webn.iheart.com.

ART ON VINE: Noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Fountain Square, 500 Vine St., Downtown. Free. Eighty local artists and makers will showcase and sell fine arts and handmade goods in Fountain Square this weekend. There also be a full bar and Reds fans can sit back and watch the game on the big screen. For more information visit the event Facebook page.