Halloween Happenings

Fall Festivals

Kleven Boston Elementary School will hold its Annual Fall Festival on Friday, October 8 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. There will be games, food, prizes and lots of fun. Boston Elementary is located at 105 Othello Drive.

Carmel Elementary School's Fall Festival will be on Saturday, October 9 from 3 - 7 p.m. Main attractions include a rock climbing wall and a 3-in-1 Wizard Castle. Other activities include raffle baskets, cakewalk, country store, face painting and more. Carmel Elementary School is located at 2275 Bascomb Carmel Drive.

The City of Woodstock welcomes the community during its Annual Fall Festival, which will be held on Saturday, October 9 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. There will be vendors, activities for children, Senior Bake sale and more. The event will be at the City Park in downtown Woodstock.

The Cherokee County Parks and Recreation Association in conjunction with MUST Ministries will host Fall Hay Day on Saturday, October 16. The event will be held at the Recreation Center in Woodstock from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., and the cost of admission is one unwrapped toy per family. The toy donations will be given to MUST for the upcoming Christmas season. The day will include carnival-style games, moonwalk, pony and hayrides, mini haunted house and more. The Recreation Center is located at 7545 Main Street, Building 200, Woodstock.

People4Pets will hold a fall festival and kid and pet event on Saturday, October 30 from 2 - 4 p.m. There will be a child and pet Halloween costume contest, parade and trick or treating for the children. There also will be a Sports Swap, a sports consignment sale with 50% of the proceeds benefiting People4Pets. The event will be held at the CENTURY 21 Advantage parking lot, which is located in The Colonade at Towne Lake, adjacent to Wendy's.

Pumpkin Patches

Heritage Presbyterian Church will hold its annual pumpkin patch October 10 - 31. The patch will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sundays, 12 noon - 9 p.m. Pumpkins are priced by size. Gourds, Indian corn, corn stalks and other decorations also will be available. Heritage Presbyterian is located at 5323 Bells Ferry Road in Acworth.

Hillside United Methodist Church's pumpkin patch will be open October 11 - 30 from 12 noon - 8 p.m. daily. Pumpkins are priced by size and start at $.50. This year, the patch will include several different colors of pumpkins. Hillside UMC is located at 4474 Towne Lake Parkway.

Berry Patch Farms, located at 786 Arnold Mill Road, will open its Pumpkin Patch beginning on October 11 through 30. The patch will be open from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. on weekends and 3:30 p.m. - dark on weekdays. Visitors can take a hayride to the Pumpkin Patch, pick their own pumpkin and catch a ride back. Goodies such as apple cider, homemade cider, and snacks are available for purchase. The children will enjoy the playground and baby farm animals. For more information, please call (770) 926-0561 or visit www.berrypatchfarms.net.

Burt's Pumpkin Farm, located at 4801 Highway 52 in Dawsonville, offers a great family day trip. There are literally thousands of pumpkins to choose from as well as a selection of winter squash, gourds and fall decoration. Hayrides are available as well as items in the barn store, including fresh baked pumpkin pie, popcorn and other goodies. Burt's is open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. with hayrides from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information, please call 1-800-600-BURT or visit www.burtsfarm.com.

Other Fun Events

The Woodstock Jaycees will present its Haunted House Thursdays through Saturdays beginning on October 8 - 30. The Haunted House will be open 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays and 7:30 - 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for children. The Haunted House is located at 216 Rope Mill Road in Woodstock. For more information, please call (770) 926-8336.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center will host Halloween Hikes on October 15, 16, 22 and 23 from 7 - 10 p.m. nightly. The hikes offer a non-scary Halloween alternative. The guided night hike will include visits from friendly nature personalities, including Big Brown Bat, Dragonfly, Frog, Lady Bug and more. Children also will have the opportunity to make arts and crafts such as masks and mosaics. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Tickets are $6 for all ages, and under two is free. However, the trails are not suitable for strollers. For more information, please call (770) 992-2055 ext. 236.

Kroger will host the Safe Kids of Georgia Moonlight Madness on Tuesday, October 26 from 4 - 7 p.m. The event will feature food, trick or treating, games and prizes for the children. The Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services will also be on hand to talk about fire safety and distribute batteries for smoke detectors. Area firefighters will carve pumpkins which will be sold to the public. Kroger is located on 2295 Towne Lake Parkway. For more information, please call (678) 493-4343.