South Whidbey is conjuring up some delightfully frightful Halloween festivities.
Langley in particular is aflutter with Halloween activity, from the wooden ravens standing guard around the city to the numerous spooky celebrations to come.
On All Hallow’s Eve, residents and visitors may participate in a Trick or Treat Downtown Langley event from 2:30 to 5 p.m.; merchants will be donning costumes and serving up goodies.
For those who prefer not to gut their gourds, Sweet Mona’s will be offering pumpkin coloring and Callahan’s Firehouse has a chance to blow your own glass pumpkin.
The American Legion Post 141 in Bayview will be hosting a haunted house operated by the South Whidbey High School senior class of 2015. More than 20 South Whidbey High School students concocted the concepts for the house and are responsible for the setup and operation. Each of the rooms has its own ghoulish and ghastly surprises in store, from a dining room fit for Hannibal Lecter to a blood-soaked morgue. According to 2nd Vice Commander Kevin McDonald, nothing in the house will be quite as it seems.
The house will be open from 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, Sun. Oct. 19, Sat. Oct. 25, Sunday Oct. 26 and Halloween night. Haunted House pumpkin hour is from 5-6 p.m. for kids 5-10 years old, Witching Hour is from 6-10 p.m. Treats will also be available each day. Admission is $8 per person ($1 off with a can of food or an ASB card) or $25 for a family of 4-6 people.
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts will host a Wicked Weekend at WICA. This includes a family-friendly Fractured Fairytales Haunted House from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, and Thursday, Oct. 30, as well as from 5-10 p.m. Halloween night at Zech Hall; cost is $5. Once upon an evening dreary, Gwen Jones will read from the works of Victorian era master of macabre Edgar Allen Poe at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Cost is $10. Chris Harshman and the South Whidbey High School wind ensemble will close out the weekend with a bevy of songs from the 1922 horror film, “Nosferatu” and other chilling tunes. Cost for this event is $10.
For those who like to get groovy, Bloom’s Winery Taste for Wine and Art will be holding a ‘70s Freak Out pre-Halloween costume party on Sunday, Oct. 26 from 5-7 p.m. Co-owner Virginia Bloom said Jamie Cribbs, of the Jamie Cribbs and the T. Rust Band, came up with the idea for a 1970s theme and she and the band will be setting the mood with some songs from 5 to 7 p.m. Bloom also said there promises to be a flash mob dance performance of “Thriller” and a costume contest. Admission is free.
In Freeland, families and kids of all ages are invited to join in frightful festivities courtesy of the Whidbey Island Children’s Theater.
Participants will be invited to build their own mask or costume and make themselves up with some spooky face-painting. Afterward, attendees will craft magic wands to use as they head out for a trail walk in which they will interact with a medley of characters during a Halloween Quest.
Snacks such as “monster fingers” and “witch’s brew” will be available from Creaky MacPhee’s Candy Bar.
Less spooky Guardian Angel tours will be available for wee ones. Parents with young children are encouraged to attend from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, prior to nightfall.
Entry to each of the event components is by donation. Funds raised from the evening will go to support the Rhianna Hobbs Memorial Scholarship Fund, a fund which helps ensure all students may have access to the theater regardless of financial situation.
The Spooktacular event takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and 4-8:30 Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2148 Jubilee Lane.
Clinton, too, will provide some chills and thrills.
Stephanie Cook of Cozy’s Roadhouse will be organizing a community pumpkin carving contest with the Clinton Chamber of Commerce.
Participants must submit photos of their carved masterpieces to the Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and email a photo of themselves carving the pumpkin, their contact info and a photo of the finished product to info@discoverclintonwa.com. Winners will receive cash prizes, gift certificates and discount coupons for Clinton businesses. The deadline is 5 p.m. Oct. 31.
Michael Zuercher, zombie enthusiast and general manager at Island Greens, said a zombie apocalypse will once again be par for the course this year. The event will include a host of undead roaming the course, reminiscent of Zuercher’s inspiration, “The Walking Dead.”
The apocalypse will begin shortly after dark on Oct. 25 with multiple runs throughout the night.
Although Zuercher noted that “everyone scares differently,” and that children’s participation is up to parental discretion, there is a suggested age minimum of 10 years of age.
“If you feel comfortable with your kids watching ‘The Walking Dead,’ you should bring them out,” he said, adding that there will be a lot of “shock value.”
Tickets are $8 for kids under age 12 and $10 for all others.
For those who favor fairies over fangs, the Waldorf School in Clinton will be hosting an enchanted forest on Halloween evening from 4-6 p.m.
Andreas Besuch, pedagogical administrator at the Waldorf School, said Waldorf school students will be acting as a variety of enchanted beings. The cost is $5 per person and $10.20 per family. Soup and bread will also be offered for an additional $5.
