| 2007 Halloween calendar of
events in New England |
Salem, MA, Haunted Passport
Happy Halloween!
You're invited to Salem, Massachusetts -- America's Halloween
destination! Just grab your Haunted Passport and you can
experience all that America's most historic and picturesque seaport
has to offer. From fine dining to a rich maritime heritage
and an impressive display of historic architecture, the Salem
of today offers much more than witches.
Salem's Haunted Passport offers a variety of discounts and benefits
that are perfect for families, young adults, and others who come
to Salem to enjoy America's foremost Halloween celebration.
Effective October 1, 2007 to April 30, 2008, the Haunted Passport
encourages visitors to make Salem a year round destination for
its tourist attractions, cultural and historical sites, restaurants
and retailers. More than 70 of Salem's business and tourism
community are participating in the Haunted Passport, which offers
over $350 in savings.
Haunted Passports are only $13.00 each (Children under the age
of 13 are covered when accompanied by an adult holding a valid
passport.) and can be purchased at http://www.haunted
passport.com/.
LITCHFIELD HILLS ARE HAUNTED
HEADQUARTERS FOR HALLOWEEN ADVENTURES
Dracula, Frankenstein and other
heroes of the horrors will be on hand and ghouls and goblins
will once again be found in a haunted graveyard and aboard a
haunted hayride. For October chills and thrills, few places can
compete with the Litchfield Hills of Northwest Connecticut.
Family fun can be found in the Halloween-happy city of Bristol;
with the 18th and 19th century spirits of Woodbury telling their
tales in that town's Ancient Burying Grounds; and more spirits
will be found on the Haunted Trail walk at the Institute for
American Indian Studies in Washington. Nor do kids
have all the fun; there is an adults-only dinner and "devilish
scavenger hunt" on the agenda in Torrington. Contacts
for all the events are found in the calendar below.
The Witch's Dungeon
Zenobia, the Gypsy Witch will be stirring an evil brew and Nosferatu,
the Vampire, from a classic 1922 horror film, will be joining
the eerie crew when Bristol's Witches Dungeon Movie Museum creaks
opens for the 41st year in October. The museum features
life-size replicas of heroes of the horrors such as Boris Karloff,
Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, shown in dioramas
based on vintage cinema thrillers. The heads are based
on life-casts of the actual actors; sets and clothing are authentic
to the era. Special voice-tracks by Vincent Price, Mark
Hamill and John Agar bring the dioramas to life. Zenobia
has a special soundtrack by June Foray, who did voices for many
Disney and Warner Brothers cartoon characters and was the voice
for a series of witches as well as for Rocky on TV's Rocky
and Bulwinkle show.
The Museum, which is not recommended
for children under age 7, will be open weekends beginning October
14, and every day October 27-31. Special guests this year
will be Sara Karloff, daughter of the famous actor, and Bill
Diamond and the puppets of "Monster TV." A preview
of the museum's life size figures and prop treasures will be
on display at the Hollywood Horrors weekend at the Warner Theater
in Torrington September 29 and 30, where the original Frankenstein
and Dracula films will be shown along with the documentary
The Witch's Dungeon, 40 Years of Chills, made last year
in honor of the museum's anniversary.
The Haunted Graveyard
This is the ninth year for the Haunted Graveyard, with five haunted
houses and a graveyard linked by a labyrinth of terrifying trails
opening on September 28 at Bristol's Lake Compounce Family Theme
Park. Among the spine-tingling features on the 45-minute
walk through the Haunted Graveyard are the Castle Vampire, where
all manner of creatures descend upon unknowing visitors, and
the Catacombs, where bones and broken altars litter the deep
cavern.
Except for Halloween night, all
of the park's rides will be operating with appropriately eerie
added special effects for the season. Part of the proceeds
from the Haunted Graveyard is donated to Juvenile Diabetes Research.
Park gates open and rides begin at 5:00 p.m. each evening until
11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 10:00 p.m. on
Sundays. The Haunted Graveyard will begin at dusk.
The park will be open every weekend (except Sunday, Sept. 30)
through October 28, 2007. The Haunted Graveyard only will
be open on Halloween night.
Family Fun
Another popular Bristol family event is the annual Haunted Hay
Ride at the Indian Rock Nature Preserve. This event is
perfect for children ages seven and up. It features an
hour's ride through the dark and mysterious trails of the preserve,
followed by activities for children, teens, and families.
Rides will be held on Friday and Saturday nights Oct. 12 &
13, 19 & 20 and 26 & 27 from 7 p.m. 9 p.m.
A happening to delight all ages
is the annual Halloween Party held at Bristol's New England Carousel
Museum, scheduled for Wednesday, October 31 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Activities will include Halloween games, tricks and treats and
a children's costume contest. Those who want to make their
own original costumes can sign up for the Spookin' Fun Costumes
workshop with artist Anne Cubberly on Saturday, October 27
from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield.
Phone (203) 438-4519, or register online at www.aldrichart.org.
A final possibility for family
fun is the Haunted Trail Walk on Friday October 26 at the Institute
for American Indian Studies in Washington. This guided
half-mile walk is offered several times between 7 p.m. and 9:45
p.m.. and ends with cider, popcorn and marshmallows roasted over
the fire at the Institute's Indian Village. The fee is
$6 for adults, $4 for children.
Historic Hi-Jinks
The 6th Annual All Hollow's Eve event in Woodbury will take place
on Saturday, October 27. Candlelight tours led by spookily
clad 18th & 19th century spirits of Woodbury will wind through
the town's Ancient Burying Grounds, where citizens of Old Woodbury
will be on hand as storytellers. The evening's historic
festivities include a tour of the Hurd House Museum, the earliest
house in Litchfield County, and a spooky tour of the 1750 Glebe
House Museum with refreshments. Entrants to the Glebe House's
annual Scarecrow Contest will be lining the museum's Hollow Road,
with the winner to be announced at the start of the All Hollow's
activities.
For Grown-ups Only
Halloween fun in the Litchfield Hills isn't limited to kids.
On October 30 at 6:30 p.m. Cuisine with Jill Nicolson in Torrington
will offer a Mischief Night Party and Scavenger Hunt. Guests
will enjoy dinner and drinks including a Ghoulish Martini, then
will break into teams and go into town for a Devilish Scavenger
hunt with Prizes for the top 3 teams.
For more information about fall
events and a free copy of UNWIND, a 112-page color guide to lodging,
dining and all the attractions in the Litchfield Hills write
to the Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau,
PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, call (860) 567-4506 or visit
their web site at www.litchfieldhills.com.
HAUNTED HAPPENINGS IN THE
LITCHFIELD HILLS
September 28-October 28, and
October 31. Haunted Graveyard,
Lake Compounce Family Theme Park, 822 Lake Avenue, Bristol. (860)
583-3300, www.hauntedgraveyard.com.Park Friday to Sunday, gates
open and rides begin at 5:00 p.m., open until 11:00 p.m. Friday
and Saturday, 10:00 p.m. Sunday (closed September 30) The Haunted
Graveyard begins at dusk. No rides open on October 31.
Admission after 5 p.m., $17.95
September 29-30: Hollywood
Horrors, film classics,
Warner Theatre, 68 Main Street, Torrington, (860) 489-7180, www.warnertheatre.org.
October 12-14, 19-21, 27-31:Witches
Dungeon Movie Museum,
Witches Dungeon Movie Museum, 90 Battle Street, Bristol,
(860) 583-8306, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.. $1 donation. www.preservehollywood.org
October 12-13, 19-20, 26-27: Haunted Hayride, Indian Rock
Nature Preserve, Bristol, 7 to 9 p.m., (860) 583-1234 .
www.elcct.org. Friday
and Saturday night.. (860) 583-1234, www.elcct.org
$10.
October 26: Haunted Trail
Walk, Institute for American
Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Road (off Route 199,)Washington. (860)
868-0518; www.birdstone.org.
October 26 . 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.. Adults, $6, children, $4
October 27: All Hollows Eve, candlelight graveyard and house tours,
Glebe House Museum, 49 Hollow Road off Route 6, Woodbury, (203)
735-1908, www.theglebehouse.org.
October 27, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. $25 per family. Because tour
space is limited early reservations are advised.
October 27: Spookin' Fun Costumes
workshop, Aldrich Contemporary
Art Museum, 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, (203) 438-4519, www.aldrichart.org, October
27 1 to 4 p.m. $30 per family; fee includes all costume materials.
October 30: Mischief Night
Party and Scavenger Hunt,
Cooking with Jill Nicolson, 184 South Main Street, Torrington,
(860) 489-1003, www.cruisinewithjill.com.
$75
October 31 Halloween Party, New England
Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol, (860) 585-5411,www.thecarouselmuseum.org.
4:30 p.m.-6 pm. adults, $5, children, $2.50
10th Anniversary "Haunted
Hayride" Promises A Night of Fright
Old Saybrook, CT, August, 24, 2007 -- The Old Saybrook
Fire Department is pleased to announce its 10th annual
Haunted Hayride 2007 on October 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 & 28
at Clark Memorial Field (Firemans Field) on Elm Street.
All year long, the volunteer fire department puts out fires,
but during Halloween, its volunteers ignite a "blaze"
of scary proportions for all to enjoy. A possessed tractor-drawn
hay wagon leads visitors into the deep, dark, demented woods
of Scary Old Saybrook. For more than 40 minutes, you
will venture into the ghastly world of ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. In
the eerie fog, you'll be frightened by the bone-chilling
sounds of creatures of the night: which are in
front, which are behind and witch are from the great, great beyond?
The event will be held at Clark Memorial Field, 210
Elm Street, Old Saybrook, (across from Pasta Vita). Funds from the annual
hayride event benefit the all-volunteer Old Saybrook
fire company and food drive for the Shoreline Soup Kitchen &
Pantries. This year we are pleased to announce WEBE
108 FM as the official radio station of the Old Saybrook
Haunted Hayride 2007.
Dates:
THURS OCT 18, FRI OCT 19 & SAT OCT 20
THURS OCT 25, FRI OCT 26, SAT OCT 27 & SUN OCT 28
Time:
TRAILER RIDES START AT 7 p.m. (Dusk)
Fees:
$10.00* ADULTS, CHILDREN UNDER 12 - $5.00* *Bring a can
of food to donate for the Shoreline Soup Kitchen & receive
$1.00 off admission
*ADVANCE GROUP SALES OR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION, VISIT: www.oldsaybrookfire.com
*Groups of (minimum) 20 or more includes express admission.
Parking:
Free parking around the corner on Ingham Hill Road, compliments
of M&J Bus Company
Thank you for supporting The Old Saybrook Fire Department
(an all volunteer non-profit organization), 310 Main Street,
Old Saybrook, CT 06475.
Halloween Events at the Childrens Museum of Portsmouth
280 Marcy Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 436-3853
www.childrens-museum.org
Saturday, October 27
Costume Day & an Audience with Dracula
10 AM 5 PM
- The Children's Museum
will host its annual Costume Day and an Audience with Dracula
on Saturday, October 27. Visitors are welcome to come
dressed in costume or try on the museum's costumes donated by
Ballet New England.
10 AM 3 PM: Back by popular demand, there
will be trick-or-treating throughout the museum's exhibit
areas. Museum volunteers will be stationed on all three floors
giving out small prizes (no candy or food items).
11 AM 1 PM: Children are invited to meet
a child-friendly Dracula in the museum's decorated clock
tower and receive a small prize.
12 PM, 1 PM & 2:30 PM: The museum's own Wacky Scientist
will engage children in fascinating hands-on science experiments.
1:45 & 2:45 PM: Attic tours will be available
for children who would like to enjoy the decorated clocktower
without Dracula. This is a once-a-year opportunity to
view the building's historic clock mechanism!
Throughout the day, there will also be face painting and a place
to make "silly spiders" to bring home.
This event is generously sponsored by the Portsmouth Branch of
the First National Bank of Ipswich. All Costume Day activities
are included in the museum's regular price of admission: $6 for
adults and children, $5 for seniors, and free for children under
age 1. For more information, call the Children's Museum at (603)
436-3853 or visit www.childrens-museum.org.
Wednesday, October 31
Wee Ones' Wednesdays
Theme: Pumpkin Party
8:45 AM & 9:30 AM
- This interactive drop-in program for children ages 2-4
combines art, music, movement and conceptual learning with a
new theme each week. Two sessions are offered but participation
is limited to 12 children per session so prompt arrival is advised
to secure a spot. The cost per adult/child pair is $5 for museum
members an $8 for non-members. Additional children in a family
are charged $4 each for members and $7 each for non-members.
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