Staff Report

WARSAW — Halloween is only 10 days away.

People may find area events scheduled for Oct. 31 and the days leading up to it below, including trunk-or-treats and haunted houses. To have an item on a future list, email [email protected].

Akron

• Akron’s trick-or-treat hours are 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• Judging for the costume contest is 5:30 p.m. that day at the fire station.
• Hartzler’s Halloween Bash is 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Hartzler Funeral Home’s parking lot, 305 W. Rochester St., Akron. There will be a trunk-or-treat, food, games and more. It’s free, and everyone is welcome.

Claypool

• Claypool has a trunk-or-treat from 5-6:30 p.m Tuesday, Oct. 31, along Main Street. There will be no regular trick-or-treat hours for the town.

Clunette

• Clunette United Methodist Church is inviting trick-or-treaters of all ages to its annual Trunk or Treat and Fall Party on Wednesday, Oct. 25. The event will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. at the church, 4227 W. 600N, Clunette, about four miles southwest of Leesburg. In addition to treats, there will be hot dogs, beverages, s’mores, games, activities, music and a hayride. Contests will be held for best kids’ costume and best adult costume. There also will be a covered seating area where people can eat and watch the fun.

Etna Green

• Etna Green’s trick-or-treat hours are 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.
• The Etna Green Lions Club’s annual hayride and hot dog event is after that in Heritage Park.

Fulton

• The Fulton-Liberty Lions Club’s costume contest is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the Fulton Community Center, 204 E. Dunn St. All ages are welcome, and participants will receive a treat bag.
• Trick-or-treating in town is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Kewanna

• The Kewanna-Union Township Public Library’s Teens and Tweens Club has Monster Bash Halloween Party from 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the library, 210 E. Main St. All ages are welcome. There will be games, treats, music and a costume contest.
• Kewanna’s trick-or-treat times are 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• The Kewanna-Union Township Public Library, James F. Talbott VFW Post 1121 and Kewanna-Union Township Fire Department will also hand out candy to trick-or-treaters during those times near the library.

Leesburg

• Leesburg’s trick-or-treat hours are 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Mentone

• Mentone’s trick-or-treat times are 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• Judging for the costume contest is 7 p.m. that day at Mentone Elementary School.

Milford

• Trick-or-treating is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, in Milford. There will be a trunk-or-treat during those same hours in the Milford Community Building’s parking lot.
• Kosciusko County Masonic Lodge 418 will hold a trunk-or-treat event from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31. It’s in the Masonic Lodge parking lot, 404 W. Syracuse St., Milford, at the corner of SR 15 and Syracuse Street.

North Manchester

• Families are invited to Manchester University’s Monster Mash and Haunted Forest on Monday, Oct. 30. The Monster Mash is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Lockie and Augustus Chinworth Center at the North Manchester campus. Guests can trick-or-treat, play games and pick out pumpkins in a small pumpkin patch. Children are encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes. Hot chocolate and cider will be provided. The Haunted Forest is from 6:30-8 p.m. in the woods near Schwalm Hall. Those walking through should meet behind Cordier Auditorium. The trail may be too scary for younger children. These activities are free and open to the public. A donation bin will be at the entrance of the Chinworth Center for items to go toward Manchester’s U Can Crush Hunger challenge, an annual friendly competition hosted by Community Harvest Food Bank that challenges area colleges and universities to collect the most food and funds.

North Webster

• The North Webster Lions Club and North Webster Troop 726 have teamed up to operate the “Spooky, Scary, Scout Museum” Haunted House from 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28, at the Mermaid Festival Grounds in North Webster. The entry fee of $7 goes to support programs and events for the North Webster Troop 726 and the North Webster Lions Club.
• Trick-or-treating in North Webster is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Pierceton

• OMCO, 1 Arnolt Drive, Pierceton, has a community trunk-or-treat from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in its parking lot. People who wish to have a car set up to hand out candy should email [email protected]. Setup is 1 p.m. that day, and there will be a prize for the best decorated car. There will also be a food truck with food for sale.
• Pierceton’s trick-or-treat hours are 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• Harvest Community Church of Pierceton has a trunk-or-treat from 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the church at 512 S. Seventh St. There will be food, drinks and plenty of candy.

Rochester

• The 18th annual Haunted Woods Trail is Saturday, Oct. 21, and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28, at the Fulton County Museum grounds, four miles north of Rochester. Tours are 7:30 p.m. until finished, rain or moonlight. The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for ages 6-11; and free for those 5 and younger. Children under 15 must be accompanied by adults. It’s a partially guided tour, with a tram ride to the woods. Tickets are sold 7:30-11 p.m. Proceeds benefit the museum. For more information, call (574) 223-4436.
• The Rochester Downtown Partnership’s Boo Fest is 4:30-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in downtown Rochester. Judging for the costume contest is 6 p.m. on the Fulton County Courthouse’s lawn. The categories are: ages 0-3; 4-7; 8-11; 12-15; and group. People may sign up from 4:30-5:45 p.m. at the Smith Sawyer Smith table on the courthouse lawn across from WROI.
• A teen Halloween party for ages 12-18 is 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, in the Teen Oasis at the Rochester branch of the Fulton County Public Library.
• Trick-or-treat at the library is 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the main areas of the Rochester branch of the Fulton County Public Library.
• Trick-or-treating in Rochester is 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Sidney

• Sidney’s trick-or-treat hours are 5-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Silver Lake

• Silver Lake’s trick-or-treat hours are 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• The Silver Lake Lions Club and town will hand out treat bags at Memory Park, 192 S. Jefferson St., from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Syracuse

• The Waters of Syracuse has a trick-or-treat from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. The Waters is located at 500 E. Pickwick Drive. For more information, call Brittany at (574) 457-4401.
• A trick-or-treat trail at Lakeside Park is 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Churches, businesses or organizations are welcome to help give out candy. Contact the Syracuse Community Center at (574) 457-3440 for more information.
• A Haunted Woods is 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation Center at Levinson-LaBrosse Lakes and Wetlands Education Center on SR 13 one mile south of Syracuse. People may join Syracuse Parks and the Wawasee cross-country team for a haunting stroll through the woods. The cost is $5 per person and cash-only. All children must be accompanied by adults. Contact the Syracuse Community Center at (574) 457-3440 for more information on the event.
• A trunk-or-treat is 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at RE/MAX Partners, 300 S. Huntington St. There will be popcorn, candy and hot dogs.
• Syracuse’s trick-or-treat hours are 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• Syracuse Church of God has a community trunk-or-treat from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31. The church is located at 104 E. Washington St., one block north of the Syracuse Public Library. Children must be accompanied by adults. The event will be moved inside the church if bad weather occurs.

Wabash

• Downtown Wabash Inc. and Wabash Trucking will present the Downtown Wabash Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. The Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza is a free event, open to the whole family, with an actual ton of candy, more trick-or-treating at several small businesses, a costume contest, community vendors, family photo opportunities, local attractions and food vendors. Downtown Wabash Inc. coordinates the event with Wabash Trucking, which provides the ton of candy for the “greatest spectacle in candy” on Miami Street. Five winners will receive a Gebhart Golden Ticket hidden inside a candy bar with prizes. Downtown Wabash Inc. also coordinates a costume contest with Bachelor Creek Church at 6 p.m., with 10 categories, including birth to 2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-8 years, 9-10 years, 11-12 years, teen/adult, group/family, homemade and spookiest. Several small businesses are participating as additional trick-or-treating locations during the event. Community partners will join to provide additional activities in downtown Wabash. Expect to see activities such as a bounce house, food vendors, first responder vehicles, life-size elephant sculpture, a variety of community vendors and more. Activities will be located near Lighthouse Mission at 123 W. Canal St. In the case of rain or inclement weather, the Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza will be held from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, in downtown Wabash.

Warsaw

• Soul Takers Acres Haunted House and the Zombies Alive Arcade Paintball Experience are 8-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27 and 28, at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds. The cost for Soul Takers Acres is $15 for general admission and $20 for a VIP experience. Zombies Alive is $10 for general admission and $20 for VIP. There’s a lights-on version of Soul Takers Acres meant for kids from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, for $5 per person where the animatronics, spooks, scares and sounds are turned off for the little ones. Kids will also receive a free candy bag at the end.
• A Halloween-themed light show is at 1916 E. Ridge Valley Drive, Warsaw, for the public to enjoy from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7:30-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, until Tuesday, Oct. 31. People may also tune in to 104.3 to enjoy the music accompanying the light show.
• First Christian Church of Warsaw has a trunk-or-treat on Monday, Oct. 23. It’s 6:30-8 p.m. at the church at 115 Park Ridge Drive. Along with candy, there will also be face painting, food and other activities for kids. Everyone is welcome.
• Main Street Warsaw’s Spooktakular is 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in downtown Warsaw. There will be trick-or-treating, food and a 12 and under costume contest. (No registration is required.) Those who want to hand out candy at Spooktakular may find a form on Main Street Warsaw’s Facebook page and should email it to [email protected] to register.
• Trick-or-treating in Warsaw is 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Winona Lake

• Grace College’s 33rd annual FunFest is 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in the Gordon Health and Wellness Center, 100 Publishers Drive. This year’s theme is outer space. Children may dress up in costumes, and there will be games, face painting, prizes and candy.
• The Winona Lake Parks Department is hosting a pumpkin decorating contest for all ages. People should buy their own pumpkins and decorate them, dropping them off at Winona Lake Limitless Park on Saturday, Oct. 28, by noon. Pumpkins must be real in order to qualify and must have been decorated by hand by the person entering. The public may then vote via a penny-a-vote starting at 1 p.m. Oct. 28 at the park, with voting closing at 7 p.m. that day. The top three will win prizes, with the winners announced Tuesday, Oct. 31, on the parks’ department’s Facebook page.
• The Winona Lake Parks Department is hosting its first-ever The Great Pumpkin Race on Saturday, Oct. 28. Pumpkins will be dropped at 5:30 p.m. for a race down Cherry Creek with the owners of the top 10 pumpkins winning prizes. To enter, people should buy pumpkins from the department by midnight Friday, Oct. 27. The cost is $5 a pumpkin or three for $10. People should stop by the parks’ office directly to buy pumpkins, email [email protected] to be provided a direct link for payment or drop off an envelope marked “Park Department/Great Pumpkin Race,” including the number of pumpkins to be purchased, payment and contact information (phone, email) to receive confirmation. The envelopes should be dropped off in the payment box located just outside of the Winona Lake Town Hall/the Winona Lake Police Department.
• Trick-or-Treat on the Trail returns on Saturday, Oct. 28. Kids may pick up treats along the town’s greenway from 3-5 p.m. From 5-7 p.m. there will be a bonfire, s’mores and a showing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” at Winona Lake Limitless Park. The Warsaw Community Public Library will sponsor storytelling and Parkview Warsaw YMCA will sponsor games. Any businesses, sports teams or organizations that wish to have tables to hand out candy along the trail should email [email protected].
• Trick-or-treating in Winona Lake is 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.