News Photo by Julie Riddle Ready for an exciting Halloween, Vanessa Paquin and Andy Grulke, of Rogers City, spend time with the marshmallow-roasting skeletons in their front yard as friendly ghosts peek over their shoulders from their home’s window on Saturday.

ALPENA — Loved by many for its thrills, chills, and eerie vibes, Halloween will have a special spooky twist this year. For the first time since the 1940s, a full moon seen around the world will coincide with the holiday that evokes werewolves, vampires, and other nocturnal visitors.

A round and vibrant blue moon — a name given to the second full moon in a calendar month and unrelated to its color — will keep trick-or-treaters company on Halloween night, though whether they will be able to enjoy its light remains to be seen.

October 2020 has been bookended in full moons. A harvest moon — the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox — rose on Oct. 1.

The last Halloween full moon was in 2001, and the next will be in 2039. A full moon on Halloween visible to the whole world — cloud cover-permitting — hasn’t happened since 1944.

The weekend will also mark the end of Daylight Savings time, which officially ends at 2 a.m. Nov. 1.

According to the National Weather Service in Gaylord, Alpena skies will probably be cloud-filled on Halloween night, but forecasters predict at least an hour of clear skies for moon-gazers.

A full moon always rises near sunset. On Halloween, the moon will crack the horizon at 6:44 p.m. When it passes its highest point — at 1:05 a.m. — the not-blue blue moon will be 252,484 miles from earth — or, about the distance a well-maintained Toyota Corolla can drive in its lifetime.

Vanessa Paquin and Andy Grulke, who embrace the fun of Halloween and decorate their Rogers City home for the October event every year, aren’t particularly superstitious about the holiday.

This year’s Halloween could be interesting, though, Paquin surmised, sitting on a hay bale next to a marshmallow-toasting skeleton in her front lawn.

“It’s Saturday and a full moon,” said Paquin, who is planning a family trick-or-treating outing dressed as mummies and pharaohs. “It’s going to be one of those crazy Halloweens, I’m sure.”

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.