Ghosts, Goblins, Ghouls, Oh My, Out for Halloween
Families ride a hay wagon during the 2022 Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Community Halloween Party earlier this month.
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders Community Halloween Party.
I always love to attend the party, which my daughter is too old to attend as a guest; the party is for ages 10 and younger.
But she still got to dress up this year, as a witch, and as a new Junior Leader, she volunteered helping at the party’s photo booth, helped clean up and enjoyed a Junior Leader pizza party afterward.
The party is such a family-friendly event. A hayride takes guests out onto the 4-H Fairgrounds. Refreshments are served by volunteers. Junior Leaders lead the many games and work the haunted house.
Also, this month, my daughter also puts on her 1836 Prairietown costume and heads back in time to Conner Prairie as a youth volunteer. The Brom Bones Chorus, for which she volunteers, is made up of 1836 costumed youth volunteers, ages 10-18, who act and sing for guests in the Haunted Hayride line, which winds through Sleepy Hollow.
Former Hamilton County 4-H leader Linda McCarty (left) and volunteer Georgia Roudebush serve refreshments to Dawn Moos (4-H Dog project co-leader) and family during the 2022 Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Community Halloween Party earlier this month.
Guests still have plenty of time to visit the Headless Horseman event, with eight more nights open this season with gates open 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and next Thursday through Oct. 30, with hayrides and activities running until 10 p.m. or later, depending on the crowds. Reservations for hayrides are suggested and may be made online.
Now, here’s our list of 25 Halloween happenings through Oct. 31.
1. Visit Little Haunt on the Prairie at Ghoul Creek Park at 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. today at Cool Creek Park in Westfield. Spooky, yet age-appropriate Halloween activities will be offered for children ranging from preschool to school ages and their families. You are welcome to come in your costumes and enjoy nature interpretation, entertainment, a hayride, food for purchase, and activities for the little ones as they trick-or-treat their way through this spooky event.
2. Enjoy eight more spooktacular nights of the 39th annual Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie, which continues Thursdays-Sundays, through Oct. 29 in Fishers. Explore the mystery of Amsel Farm and an 11-acre haunted corn maze, enjoy sweet treats at the Apple Store, operated by the Conner Prairie Alliance, celebrating its 40th.
3. Attend the 14th annual Free Pumpkin Giveaway at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Red Bridge Park in Cicero, with face painting, games and goodies.
4. Children can enjoy trick-or-treating in the Plaza at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Grand Junction Plaza.
Kids do Halloween crafts during the 2022 Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Community Halloween Party earlier this month.
5. Join the Ghosts & Goblins 5K/2K Run/Walk at 9 a.m. Saturday at Carmel High School.
6. Visit Noblesville’s Russell Farms Pumpkin Patch which offers rides to the pumpkin patch 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 30, with other guest hours 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, with admission including hayrides, scavenger hunt, straw maze, corn maze, wall mazes, corn hole, horse shoes, petting zoo, miniature golf, slides, bridge fun, High Striker challenges, toddler bounce house, games, rides, pedal tractors, concessions, country store and more.
7. Enjoy free hayrides to pick pumpkins until 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 30 at Spencer Farm in Noblesville.
8. Gatewood Vegetable Farms has pumpkins and is open daily.
9. The 10th annual Boo ‘n Brew Fall Festival is 2 p.m. Saturday at Clay Terrace, 14390 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel.
10. Kids with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes and their families may join in for an afternoon of Halloween fun during the Diabetes Youth Foundation’s annual Halloween Monster Mash 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at at 505 E. 211th St., in Noblesville, featuring themed games, trick-or-treating, costume contest and more.
A Hamilton County Junior Leader volunteer instructs a young guest during an apple-bobbing game at the 2022 Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Community Halloween Party earlier this month.
11. Join the annual Family Fall Festival from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Redeeming Love Church on Conner Street in Noblesville.
12. Kids Halloween Night is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Noblesville Jim Dandy, featuring kids activities, face painting and coloring contest for bucket of candy prize. Kids eat free off of the kids menu with adult purchase of $9 or more.
13. Participate in Day of the Dead Wine and Canvas event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 26 at Bica Cafe in downtown Noblesville, with $5 off with Bica5 promo code, register at wineandcanvas.com.
14. Drop by in costume from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Carmel Clay Public Library for a walk-through Halloween Celebration for kids.
15. Join in the community-wide trick-or-treat event at Grand Junction Plaza in downtown Westfield at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 28 then gather on the Great Lawn for Movies in the Plaza at 7:30 p.m. featuring “Hocus Pocus.” Next movie is “Elf,” Dec. 2.
16. Kids participate in a Trunk or Treat event at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at Noblesville Moose Lodge.
17. Join the Boo Bash from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Nickel Plate District in Fishers Amphitheater in Fishers, with more than 60 local vendors offering safe trick-or-treating around the Fishers Municipal Complex. Teal Pumpkin Projects booths provide non-food items for children with food allergies and special needs, food, drink and treat trucks, games and more. Costumes encouraged.
Young ghosts and ghouls paint miniature pumpkins during the 2022 Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Community Halloween Party earlier this month.
18. Enjoy Trick-or-Treat on the Rails, a 65-minute adventure down the rails, from 2 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. Oct. 29-30 on the Nickel Plate Express. Wear your best costume for a Halloween costume contest. Also,
19. Enjoy a free Fall Festival at 3 p.m. Oct. 29 at Harbour Shores Church in Noblesville.
20. Bring your little ghouls and goblins to a free Trunk-or-Treat event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 in the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church of Noblesville at 1207 Conner St. Enjoy treats, make-n-take craft, music, and a brown-bag hot dog dinner. In case of inclement weather, activities will move inside.
21. Noblesville families are invited to attend a Trunk-or-Treat event organized by Noblesville High School Thespian Troupe and Drama Club, with the help of NHS clubs, sports teams, faculty and staff, NHS Theatre parents and Noblesville businesses, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 29 in the NHS Parking Lot by Gate 1 (by the flagpole), also with games, stories and a concession stand.
22. Celebrate Halloween during Noblesville Preservation Alliance’s entertaining evening exploring murder ballads music genre during “Murder in Noblesville” from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 29 at Preservation Hall, with tickets $10 each at preservationhall.org/
A Hamilton County Junior Leader volunteer instructs a young guest at the candy corn bowling game during the 2022 Hamilton County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Community Halloween Party earlier this month.
23. Kids can participate in Trunk or Treat at 4 p.m. Oct. 30 at Noblesville First United Methodist Church, with free games, inflatables and candy in the church parking lot, and prizes for the spookiest, silliest and most creative.
24. Dress up your pet for Sundown Gardens’ annual free Pet Costume Contest on Oct. 30 at Sundown Gardens in Westfield. Just show up between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the winner will be announced on Halloween. Also, Oct. 30 is last day for pumpkin patch and hayrides.
25. The official trick-or-treat hours in Noblesville are 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31, with Noblesville Police Department having extra patrols for additional safety. Other communities’ trick-or-treat hours: Arcadia, Carmel and Westfield, 5-8 p.m.; Atlanta, Cicero, Fishers and Sheridan, 6-8 p.m.
Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.