THE GRACELAND AND BRIDGE CITY BRINERY | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

We’re thrilled to spotlight Kristy Locklin’s sandwich round-up on Pittsburgh Magazine’s October cover. As our new(ish) food editor, she’s been writing a bounty of tasty stories, all served with lots of flair and a side of puns. You can read about her assortment of sandwiches — from the Hitch Pretzel to the Grilled Kim Cheese Monster — here. She recommends three sandwiches in the city, three in the suburbs and three from food trucks.

You can see even more of her food coverage in our free PGHEats newsletter that arrives weekly in readers’ email boxes. Recently, she’s written about the new Wieners on the Water floating hot dog boat, a list of breweries in the region that are adding locations and an update on what’s coming to The Terminal in the Strip District. You can sign up for this and other newsletters at: pittsburghmagazine.com/signup

Another attribute that Kristy brings to the magazine is her passion for all things paranormal. She fits right in with the staff, as many of us are huge fans of Halloween. In this edition, we’ve made sure to highlight All Hallow’s Eve in an array of features, from our masthead quizzing the staff on favorite trick-or-treat candy on page 6 to Sean Collier’s visit to Hundred Acres Manor for Places We Love. You’ll also find local Halloween updates in The Feed on page 19 and Stories of Our Neighbors by Lori Jakiela, who profiles the Northern Appalachian Paranormal Society’s Judi and Kari Danser.

I’m writing this note in late August, when grocery shelves are already stocked with Halloween candy and the seasonal Spirit Halloween stores are opening. It’s the anticipation that I love, and I’m eager to see if this year’s techno-magic in yard decorations can top last year’s. In one Regent Square yard last October, moving silhouettes of roaming cats and hands reaching out of the earth were projected on fake gravestones. On another block, a charming white stucco house built by famed architect Frederick Schreibler Jr. in 1916 was turned into a spooky show. The arched opening of a side porch became a screen for a video loop of flying ghosts, while projections of ethereal spirits moved past second-floor windows. Who needs Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion when you’ve got this in your own neighborhood?

Lately, on my dog walks, I’ve been passing an open garage where a family each year creates hand-crafted electronic characters on a changing theme for their yard. The father this year has tapped his children as apprentices to work in his garage “laboratory.” As his daughter recently sat in the doorway working on a creature’s head, I asked about this year’s theme. She just gave me an evil smile and whispered, “It’s a secret.”

I can’t wait.

Virginia Linn can be reached at vlinn@pittsburghmagazine.com.