ANSWERS: Helter Skelter 3

Before I reveal the answers to "Helter Skelter 3" from roughly two weeks ago, I just wanted to plug my Patreon once again. As you most likely already know, if you pledge a certain dollar amount, you'll get an exclusive Patron Puzzle every month, and this month's offering is a pair of Overstuffed Sandwiches, so be sure to check those out if you haven't already! Now then, here are the seven people who have solved my third "Helter Skelter" puzzle:

• Grant Fikes *** (He wanted to subtract 1 star for looking up an answer)
• Sam Levitin ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Dan Simonds ****

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a comment from one of my solvers!

And here are the answers in text format, in case you can't make out the above letters:

1) Day-O, 2) Orgy, 3) Grohl, 4) Lemmings, 5) Gumbel, 6) Mugs, 7) Sieged, 8) Dentyne, 9) Elderly, 10) Rem, 11) Mensch, 12) Hesperus, 13) Sure, 14) Remix, 15) XIII, 16) Icicle, 17) Earth, 18) Times, 19) Sinatra, 20) Achier, 21) Hit Me, 22) Emmy, 23) Meal, 24) Lox

The gray letters unscramble to spell out YEARLONG

A belated Happy New Year from Holiday Lemmings 1993 

Solver Sam Levitin said "If you hadn't said the answer is 1 word, I might have been more tempted to reply LONG YEAR, which 2017 was for many people. Thanks for all the entertainment in 2017; happy 2018."