Growing up, my favorite thing about Halloween was that Disney Channel played Halloweentown every week in October. Halloweentown told the story of a girl whose grandmother lived in a town where Halloween reigned supreme all year long. My friends and I always longed to live in Halloweentown, along with the rest of the Lizzie McGuire generation. Now, with these ten fun festivities, you can turn your town into Halloweentown.

1. Forget what Vogue tells you; the hottest fall accessory to have by your side has always been and will always be a pumpkin. And where better to get one than a pumpkin patch? Grab a few friends and head to Green Mead Farm in Ligonier, Lonesome Valley Farms in Greensburg, or Schramm Farms Fall Festival in Jeanette.
2. Now that you have a pumpkin, what can you do with it? Carve it, of course! Look for stencils at your local craft store or online to pimp out your pumpkin. Before you can carve it, though, you need to scrape out all of the orange goo inside of it. Instead of throwing all that goo away, toast the seeds. You can eat them plain, add some spices to give them extra flavor, or top off a salad with them. Any way you eat them, you can bet that they’re a delicious fall snack.
3. Two things trademark Halloween: pumpkins and costumes. Maybe you think you’re a little old for the trick-or-treat scene, though. Lucky for you, there are other options. Every year, the Stage Right! theatrical company puts on the Rocky Horror Show. Stage Right! may put it on, but you, the audience, are the stars. Don yourself in costume and head to the Palace Theater in Greensburg on October 28-29 at 8 and/or midnight for this extravaganza.
4. However, not all of us share the mindset that we’re too old to trick-or-treat. Go buy a costume or make one and ask strangers for candy. It’s the only night of the year that it’s socially acceptable to take a sibling, a cousin, a neighbor, or a stray kid. Plus, who doesn’t like a free Twix bar?
5. Let’s not be naive, children; we know that Halloween is one of the scariest nights of the year. We know it’s not all candy and kids running around in funny clothes. According to the legends, Halloween is the night that all of the haunted, unrested spirits come out to play, and their playground lies in a graveyard. Are you daring enough to go looking for them? If you have a strong heart and a nonexistent sense of fear, go play a literal game of Ghost in the Graveyard. Or you can type in “graveyard scavenger hunt” in Google and see what comes up (wink, wink). Remember to take along a few friends, though, or you might not come back in the morning.
6. For more frights this Halloween, look no further than Kennywood amusement park. Each year, Kennywood reopens some of their best rides, such as the the Exterminator and the Phantom’s Revenge (for a full list, check out www.phantomfrightnights.com), but there’s a catch; the so-called “Phantom” has taken full control of the rides and has put a terrifying twist on all of them! He has also set up three blood-curdling mazes throughout the park. Fright Nights are so bone-chilling, so nerve-racking, that on their website, Kennywood recommends that children under 13 years of age stay at home. This year, Kennywood will hold its annual Fright Nights every Friday and Saturday night from September 30 to October 29. Buy tickets at Giant Eagle or online at www.kennywood.com.
7. If you want the Halloween amusement park experience but can’t handle the haunting heat, Idlewild’s got you covered. On October 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23, Idlewild will hold their annual family-friendly scare-fest, called Hallowboo. You can trick-or-treat with your favorite fairy tale characters in Storybook Forest, go through a hay-bale maze, and ride some of your favorite rides with a happy Halloween twist. During the festivities, doors open at 11:30 and close at 6:00. Buy tickets at your local Giant Eagle or at the park.
8. If you’re too scared to leave the house on Halloween, you can still endure the holiday with the help of entertainers such as Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, and Wes Craven. The entertainment world loves to scare us; there are so many great books and movies that keep us awake at night in fear. As for movies, I’m a sucker for classics like Psycho, The Exorcist, and Rosemary’s Baby. If classics just aren’t your thing, you might enjoy the Scream trilogy. When it comes to books, anything Stephen King writes is guaranteed to give you nightmares.
9. Why stop at just watching a scary movie? Make one with your friends! For costumes, you can shred some old clothes and use red paint or ketchup for blood. In addition, Youtube has some great monster makeup tutorials. If you put your movie on Youtube, who knows; it could be the next Blair Witch Project.
10. Scary stories are full of great villains like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers – don’t be like them! There are so many volunteering opportunities around the area that can keep you from becoming a heartless monster like Frankenstein and Dracula on Halloween. Check out (give link to Stevie’s article on Hobgoblin Hike) for more information.