Paraskevidekatriaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13th. The proverbial day of dread has virtually achieved holiday status in Blairstown and environs. This is where the original 1980 horror movie “Friday the 13th” was filmed, so when the diabolical date rolls around, fans of the film travel here from far and wide to partake in festivities dedicated to the picture’s hockey-mask-wearing, machete-wielding protagonist named Jason Voorhees.

Cathy Miller’s People Photo of the Week highlights two individuals helping to keep the movie, Friday the 13th, alive and well in Blairstown. This past weekend sort of straddled Friday the 13th on the calendar, but Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick (Camp Crystal Lake, in the movie) nevertheless hosted sold-out daytime and overnight tours, so there were plenty of movie buffs in town. The Blairstown Museum, 26 Main Street, featured a small “Friday the 13th” movie exhibit, along with a large selection of licensed and movie-inspired souvenirs for purchase, and a handy “Friday the 13th” movie location map.

Photographed on Saturday, October 13, Jeanette and Tony Iurato, founders of the Blairstown Museum, stand with the “severed head” of Pamela Voorhees, in a re-creation of her son Jason’s shrine to his mother (as seen in the movie still on the wall). Across the top of the photo are the actual letters from the diner’s roof in the movie. They were donated to the Museum by a family from Hardwick, who received them from Pete, the original owner of the diner. Some other items on exhibit were movie stills, which hung in theater lobbies prior to the screening of the movie, along with signed movie promotional packets, and a heart-stoppingly-real statue of Jason.

Come September 13, 2019, Blairstown’s population will practically triple for the weekend, as “Friday the 13th” aficionados converge on the area once again to revel in all things Jason. There will be costumes, and Jason, and other sinister characters, and Jason, and screenings of “Friday the 13th” at Roy’s Hall, and Jason, and ticketed tours of “Camp Crystal Lake,” and Jason, and…something brand new!

Jeanette Iurato shared this scoop with InsideWarren.com readers: In March/April of 2019, at 27 Main Street in Blairstown, directly across from the Blairstown Museum, a permanent “Friday the 13th” museum will open. It will include a large exhibit space and an extensive gift shop. There are already offers from actors and others involved with the movie, to lend props, costumes, etc., for display.

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THE FOLLOWING TEXT INCLUDES IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT THE MUSEUM

A little background on the Blairstown Museum may be in order. It’s located at 26 Main Street and was founded in 2015 by Blairstown residents Jeanette Iurato, Historian, Museum Curator, President of the Blairstown Museum Board of Directors, and her husband, Tony. The Museum had its official ribbon-cutting on October 1, 2016 and is a 501(C)(3) non-profit charitable organization. It currently operates with 41 volunteers.

With thousands of historic artifacts, the Museum preserves Blairstown’s unique history while educating the public through programs, collections, and special events. Every thirty days, the display cases are changed, so there’s always something new to explore. A life-size bust of John Insley Blair, a remarkable man, founder of Blairstown, and a 2017 Inductee into the Warren County Hall of Fame, is always front and center to greet visitors. Admission to the Museum is free, but donations are greatly appreciated, with visiting hours every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Cathy Miller has been capturing the people and places of Warren County on camera for many years. The award-winning photographer, whose photos also frequently are seen in magazines throughout New Jersey, has the eye for the best that the county has to offer.