Cornelia Fortier

On Halloween, we dabble in the dark side, dressing up as witches, ghouls and ghosts, and feeling exhilarated when ninjas, cadavers and vampires terrify us. Luckily, Halloween’s off-beat pleasures now begin well before October 31st, with events and activities of varying scare power spread throughout the month.  And, if we find we’re feeling just a little too spooked by it all, there’s always all that Halloween candy to soothe us and give us our second wind.

Bethel
Bethel Jaycees Haunting at Bethel's Meckauer Park, October 12th-27th.
Known in New England for scary, over-the-top haunting, the Bethel Jaycees
continue the tradition by turning a Meckauer Park public walking trail into a nightmare when the sun sets! The event runs Fridays and Saturdays in October (Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27) from 7:30 - 11 p.m. Admission is $8 per head (the rest of your body is free!) Not recommended for children under 8. For more information, call 203-798-0201.

Brookfield
Fright Nights in the Haunted Corn at Larson's Farm, October 5th through 28th.
Larson's Farm offers 10 frightening nights in their haunted corn fields, Fridays and Saturdays in October, with 2 Sunday nights, October 7th and 28th, from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM. Besides their haunted corn maze, this year there is a bigger zombie graveyard, a towering pumpkin, spiders and scares from unexpected places. Admission is $12. For more information, visit http://www.larsonsfarmmarket.com.

Bridgeport
Boo at the Zoo, Halloween Happening at Beardsley Zoo, October  28th.
The Beardsley’s  Boo at the Zoo Halloween event features free admission for children under 12, as well as music, crafts, a magician, games and candy. From noon to 3 PM.  For more information, visit http://www.beardsleyzoo.org.

Historic Halloween Postcards at The Barnum Museum, October 27th.
Local historian Bob Berthelson gives a presentation at The Barnum Museum on holiday traditions from the early 1900's, including Halloween, when penny post cards first emerged. His talk takes place at 3 PM and is free with admission. For more information, go to http://www.barnum-museum.org.

Danbury
Ride a Vintage Train to the Pumpkin Patch, October 13th - 28th.
The Danbury Museum's ride on a vintage train to the pumpkin patch takes place Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sundays, noon to 5 PM. Children get to carry away a free pumpkin from the patch. Admission is $9 for adults and $7 for children 2 to 12. Trains run hourly beginning at 10:30 AM on Saturdays and 12:30 PM on Sundays. For more information, go to http://www.danbury.org/drm/.

Oktoberfest Jazz at Ives Concert Hall, October 26th.  WestConn holds its annual Oktoberfest Jazz concert at 8 p.m. in Ives Concert Hall. Concertgoers are invited to attend in Halloween costumes. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit  http://www.wcsu.edu.

Fairfield
The Ahlbin Rehabilitation Centers Auxiliary presents The Enchanted Castle: A Magical Storybook Experience, October 20th through 30th. With its colorful storybook theme rooms and friendly costumed characters, the Enchanted Castle is a non-threatening, entertaining Halloween experience for young children. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 20 and 27; noon-5 p.m. Oct. 21 and 28; and 4-7 p.m. Oct. 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30. Admission is $5. School-sponsored trips are scheduled 9:00 a.m.-noon weekdays from Oct. 22 to 30. For general information, call 203-336-7364 or visit www.enchantedcastle.org.

Greenwich
Greenwich Chamber's Scarecrow Festival 2007,  October 14th.
The Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and the Bush-Holley Historic Site sponsor the annual Scarecrow  Festival, from noon to 4 PM, in Mill Pond Park, Cos Cob. Celebrate the fall season with a day of traditional entertainment and crafts. Paint pumpkins, take a horse-drawn hay ride, explore a hay-bale maze and enjoy a special music program for children. Activities take place at Bush-Holley Historic Site, Mill Pond Park, and along Strickland Road in Cos Cob. $10 adults, $5 children. For more information, go to http://www.greenwichchamber.com.

Norwalk
Halloween Hoot Party at Norwalk's Maritime Aquarium, October 31st. Ghouls, goblins and ghosts prowl for free among the sharks, seals and sea turtles from 3 to 5 p.m., during the annual Halloween Hoot  party at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Arrive in costume between 3 & 5 p.m. and receive free general admission to the Aquarium. The "Halloween Hoot" also includes safe trick-or-treating and a costume contest with prizes for three age groups. For more information, visit     http://www.maritimeaquarium.org.
    
Halloween Monster Mash at Stepping Stones Museum for Children, October 26th through 27th. Young witches, ghosts and goblins are invited to celebrate Halloween at Stepping Stones with live animals, art activities, nibbles, games, dancing and storytelling from 6 - 8 pm. Members $10/person Non-members $12/person. For more information, www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.

Ridgefield
Halloween Party for Children, October 31st,  6pm-9pm at Ridge Road’s Yanity Gym.  The Ridgefield Police Department, Ridgefield Youth Commission, and Parks and Rec  sponsor this annual event for children, pre-school through sixth grade.  The event is free to all ghosts and goblins.  An adult must accompany children under 10. For more information, call 203-431-2739.

Stamford
Stamford Museum and Nature Center’s Maximum Terror’s Haunted House, October 5th through 7th, 12th-14th, 19th- 21st, 26th - 28th & 31st. Once again, Stamford Museum and Nature Center offers a frightfully good time with Maximum Terror  to thrill and scare. It’s a scream. Appropriate for children ages 10 and older. Fridays & Saturdays, 7-10 p.m.; Sundays, 6-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Spooky Halloween Hayride at Stamford Museum & Nature Center, October 21st.  Visit Stamford Museum & Nature Center's haunted house for a "spooky" hayride, hot apple cider, a corn-shucking contest, and pumpkin painting. Wear your costume and enjoy some Halloween treats. Bring the whole family and spend the day from 11 am - 4 pm. The cost is $10 with admission and parking included. For more information, call 203.322.1646 ext. 6521or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Westport
Westport Country Playhouse’s Halloween Spooktacular, October 27th at 11:30 AM. Westport Country Playhouse artistic director Tazewell Thompson reads spooky stories and tells spooky jokes for kids, who should wear their costumes.  A costume parade across the Playhouse stage and dancing to songs such as “Monster Mash” and “Ghostbusters,” as well as trick-or-treating in the Playhouse lobby and garden are part of the free celebration. Appropriate for children of all ages. Reservations in advance are required. For more information, visit www.westportplayhouse.org.

Westport Historical Society's Something Wicked in Westport, October 26th-27th, dusk to 9:30 PM. This House of Terrors, located in Westport's Post Plaza next to Barnes and Noble, promises to be the experience of an “after-lifetime.” Appropriate for adults and children over age 10. Admission is $10. Not recommended for younger children. For more information, call 203-222-1424.

Wilton
Wilton YMCA's Halloween Spooktacular, October 26th-27th, 5-8 PM. For the Wilton Y's 2007 Spooktacular, there is a Haunted House at Westy Storage, 65 Danbury Road. Several spooky Halloween-themed rooms and costumed characters are waiting for visitors! A suggested donation of $5 benefits the Y's Fund for Community. Fun for the whole family. For more information, visit  www.wiltonymca.org.

Westchester
Legend Weekend Evening Event, Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow, NY, October 19th-20th, 26th-28th. Lit by candle lanterns and bonfires, Philipsburg Manor is a haunted landscape of insanely popular family fun. Enter through the ghastly gallows, and see the goblins come out to greet the Headless Horseman! Ghouls, witches, pirates, ghosts, and characters from folklore come eerily to life. Jonathan Kruk dramatizes The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Tickets must be purchased in advance online at www.hudsonvalley.org.   

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, NY October 5-7, 11-14, 18-21, 24-31. This popular Halloween event at Van Cortlandt Manor is among the largest and most innovative in three states. The incredible path of pumpkins, different this year, features a spectacle of 3,000 hand-carved, illuminated jack o’lanterns, with spooky music and sound effects, delighting  the senses. Advance tickets must be purchased online at: www.hudsonvalley.org.