Check out Halloween activities coming up in B’ville

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Whether you’re into tricking, treating or both, there’s no shortage of things to do in B’ville this spooky season. Read on to find the best bet for you and your family:

Witch and Wizardry Festival

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Community Park

We highlighted this festival in last week’s Messenger, but in case you missed it, the second annual Witch and Wizardry Festival features costume contests, live entertainment and trick-or-treating for the little ones.

Van Buren Halloween Fun Fest

Activities begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, Van Buren Park, 7350 Canton St.*

This year’s festival is packed with freakishly fun activities:

Halloween party (10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.): The party features carnival games, a bounce house, refreshments and more. With the purchase of a wristband, kids under the age of 10 receive a goodie bag and unlimited access to games and the bounce house. Pre-registration is requested. Wristbands cost $6 with pre-registration and there is space for 150 kids. If there is space left on the day of the event, wristbands cost $7 at the door. Don’t forget your costume!

Pumpkin decorating (10:30 a.m. to noon): Decorate your own pumpkin with paint, glitter, feathers and other accoutrements. The cost is $8 if you register before Oct. 17 and increases to $10 afterward.

*In case of inclement weather, the party and pumpkin decorating will take place at Baker High School. The final decision on the location will be made Thursday, Oct. 18, and will be posted at townofvanburen.com or the Town of Van Buren Facebook page.

Van Buren Pumpkin Derby

Check in at 1:30 p.m.; race begins at 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, Van Buren Park Pavilion B

Cinderella’s pumpkin turned into a glitzy carriage, but you’ll turn yours into a racer to vie for the Pumpkin Derby Championship Trophy or Best Decoration and Design. The derby is open to children between the ages of 5 and 12, and an adult must accompany each entrant.

The cost is $5 for each adult/child team. Registration forms are due Oct. 16.

Your racer must be made out of one pumpkin or fall gourd with independent axles and wheels and be powered by gravity only. No skateboards, scooters, fans, batteries or motors are allowed, but feel free to carve, paint or decorate your racer.

For ideas and instructions on how to build your racer, check out the World Famous Pumpkin Race from the city of Manhattan Beach, California. Visit citymb.info/departments/parks-and-recreation or facebook.com/mbparksandrec.

To register for these events, fill out the registration form in the Van Buren parks and rec fall brochure, which can be found here: townofvanburen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Fall-2018-F.pdf. Mail or hand in your completed form and payment to the town of Van Buren Parks and Recreation Department, 7350 Canton St. Baldwinsville, NY 13207. Only checks and cash are accepted. Make checks payable to “town of Van Buren,” and do not send cash through the mail. If you have any questions, call (315) 638-4727.

Lysander Park at Dark

4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, Lysander Park, 8439 Smokey Hollow Road

The Greater Baldwinsville Community Benefit Fund and the Lysander Spray Park Committee are offering an evening packed with activities for the whole family. The event features games, crafts and an eerie flashlight walk through the darkened trails of the park. Local celebrity judges will choose the winners for funniest costume, coolest costume and best group costume. The evening wraps up with smores and spooky storytime by the bonfire. Admission is $5 per car. Proceeds will benefit the Lysander spray park project.

The schedule of events is as follows:

• Crafts, games and toddler storytime: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
• Costume contest: 5:15 p.m.
• Flashlight walk: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Bonfire, smores and spooky storytime: 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Also on Oct. 27, the Lysander Parks and Recreation Department hosts its annual Halloween window painting in the village of Baldwinsville. While registration for window painting closed Oct. 9, take a stroll through the Four Corners to check out the artwork.

Baldwinsville Center for the Arts’ Ghostwalk

6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 27

Halloween is not just about little children. The holiday is also a favorite of history buffs and horror fans. Take a journey into the darker side of Baldwinsville’s past with this 75-minute ghostwalk, which features live actors telling tragic tales from local history.

BCA Marketing Committee Chair Jim Dale said the tour has been expanded from six stops to eight because of its popularity last year. The stops include local businesses and private homes, and the final stop is the Baldwinsville Bed & Breakfast, owned by Jim and his wife, Phyllis. The tour also stops at Olive’s Eatery and the Shoppes at Two Twisted Sisters.

“The ladies at Olive’s … claim to have a ghost,” Dale said. “It’s quite a nice place for lunch but it gets a little creepy after dark.”

The cast includes theater students from Syracuse University as well as a few professional actors.

“They’re going to be doing some of the more gruesome tales,” Dale said.

With that in mind, leave the little ones at home. The Ghostwalk is for ages 12 and up.

“The storylines are a too mature or a little too creepy for little ones,” Dale said.

Tours depart every 15 minutes from Baldwin Canal Square starting at 6 p.m. While you wait for your tour guide, enjoy cider, doughnuts and spooky short films projected on the BCA’s tent.

Tickets are selling out quickly, Dale said. Admission is $12 per person; visit bvillearts.org to purchase tickets.

Dale said the BCA is looking for more volunteers to help with the event. Email [email protected] if you are interested.

Trick-or-treating

Saturday, Oct. 27

Since Wednesday, Oct. 31, is a school night, perhaps you’d prefer your costumed kids to troll for treats on the weekend. The Greater Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce and Community Wesleyan Church are both hosting trick-or-treating events on Saturday, Oct. 27:

• GBCC, 2 to 4 p.m.: Look for the pumpkin logo (inset) in the windows or on the doors of shops in the village of Baldwinsville to see which businesses are giving out treats. The GBCC’s event is for children from preschool through 12 years old, and all trick-or-treaters must be accompanied by an adult.

“We decided to do this because you have the window painting … it’s just a great way to get families to walk around the village,” said MaryAnne Williams, director of the GBCC. “When people walk around the village they notice things they haven’t seen and it’s just a great way for businesses to get some exposure.”

• Community Wesleyan Church, 4 to 6 p.m.: The annual “Trunk or Treat” event returns to the church, located at 112 Downer St. Revelers will gather in the church parking lot to feast on hot dogs and chips, play festive fall games and, of course, go car to car to collect goodies.