For a list of Erie Halloween events for 2009, please see this year’s Erie Halloween post

Trick or Treat! Yes it’s that time of year when kids and adults alike look forward to dressing up in costumes, visit pumpkin farms and cornfields, and haunted houses. We’ve provided you a list of area attractions and events in the spirit of Halloween. If we’ve missed anything please send us a note. Make sure to bookmark this page for easy reference!

[last updated: October 1st, 2008 at 7:41 p.m.]

Fall Festival at the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm will be held September 27-28, October 4-5 & 13-14 from 11:00am to 6:00pm. Admission is FREE and parking is by donation to the Edinboro Lions Club. Come celebrate the beauty of fall in northwest Pennsylvania! All of your favorite autumn decor will be available, including pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, and hay bales. Pick up a delicious homemade fresh pumpkin or apple pie made with local pumpkins and apples–there will be fresh-pressed apple cider and local apples for sale also. Wagon rides around the farm will be $4.00 per person or $15.00 per family.

Girard Cemetery Ghost Walk is set for 7:30, 9, 10:30 p.m., and midnight on October 3 and 4; 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., October 5 at the Hazel Kibler Museum, 522 East Main Street in Girard. You can learn about local history from late residents as they rise from their graves during this lantern tour. Not appropriate for young children–those younger than 10 can attend a supervised “Dark Knight” party during the 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. tours. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children 12 and younger, and refreshments will follow at the museum. Reservations are required, call 774-3653.

Scarecrow Festival takes place this month at Thunder Valley Stables, 5151 Stancliff Road, McKean. The festival will be open Saturdays in October (4,11,18, 25) plus Columbus Day, October 13, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Horse drawn hayrides, a pumpkin cannon, scarecrow drop, and children’s play area will be featured, along with farm animals, hiking and much more. Admission is $6 adults, $5 children, with those under 2 admitted free. Call 476-1632 for more information.

A cast reunion of the classic horror film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” will highlight the fifth Eerie Horror Film Festival, October 9-12, at the historic Warner Theater in Erie, Pennsylvania. Cast members Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface), Ed Neal (The Hitchhiker), Marilyn Burns (Sally), John Dugan (Grandpa), Allen Danziger (Jerry), Teri McMinn (Pam) and Bill Vail (Kirk), will be reuniting for only the second time since the movie was released nearly 35 years ago.

Scary Creature Feature will thrill families and children age 5 and older at Brown’s Farm barn, 5774 Sterrettania Road on October 10 and 11. Cost is $5 per person for Asbury Woods members; $7 for nonmembers. Come out to hear and see the creatures of the night! The evening includes a guided tour, campfire at the observation deck, a fall craft and donuts and cider. A hayride will take you to the woods where you will visit many animals and learn more about the symbols of Halloween. Registration and pre-payment are required. Call Asbury Woods Nature Center at 835-5356 to sign up and for times. Program takes place regardless of weather; no refunds.

Conneaut Lake Fall Pumpkin Fest will be held at Conneaut Lake Park October 10-12. Hours are Friday 4-9 pm, Saturday 10 am-8 pm, and Sunday 10 am-5 pm. Activities include a parade Saturday, giant pumpkin drop, pumpkin carving contest, motorcycle show and cruise-in, costume contest, and various entertainment for the whole family.

The Erie County Historical Society will hold Horse-Drawn Mystery Tours on Fridays, October 10, 17, & 24 at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tours depart from the Watson-Curtze Mansion at 356 West Sixth Street and will travel through downtown Erie, “pausing at sites of spiritual unrest and bizarre happenstance”. Donuts, cider and pumpkins are included with the tour. Seating is limited. Please call 814-454-1813 Ext. 0 to make a reservation.

The Halls of Fear, a haunted house attraction located in Wesleyville, is gearing up for another year of Halloween fun. The event is a fundraising project for the Wesleyville Hose Company, and is one of the areas best haunted house events. The Halls will begin Thursday, October 9th which is designated as a kids night. Beginning Friday, October 10th, the Halls will be for adults. Parking is located at the corner of Shannon & Station roads in Wesleyville. Unlike previous years, the Halls will be open for Halloween night. Here’s the full schedule: October 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31. Open 7 – 10 p.m. weekdays, 7 – 11 pm on weekends, and open 9 – 12 Midnight on Halloween night.

Belle Valley Fire Department will present their annual haunted house Valley of the Ghouls. The haunted house is open on October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31 from 7:30-11 pm and admission is $5.

The Peek N’ Peak Resort and Spa will hold its 21st annual Fall Fest on October 11, 12, 18, & 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Free admission with kid’s activities of pumpin decorating, face painting, petting zoo, pony rides, bounce house, rock wall, and more. For adults there will crafters, a farmers market, snow sports equipment sale, ski and boarding demonstrations and more.

The Erie Zoo, ZooBoo, will run from Friday, October 17th through Tuesday, October 30th, from 6 to 9 p.m. each night. Come see the Talking Pumpkin, try your luck at the Corn Maze, and beware the troll lurking on the Children’s Zoo bridge! There will also be crafts and facepainting nightly, along with spooky train rides. Children 11 and under will receive a special bag for trick-or-treating throughout the Zoo. Admission is $4.50 for adults (over age 12), $4 for children age 2-11, and under two are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Erie Zoo website.

Erie Cemetery Walking Tours are scheduled for October 19 and 26, at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Come out to the Erie Cemetery, home to some of our towns most interesting (former) residents, and learn more about our history. The tours are $8 for adults and $4 per child. Please call 814-454-1813 Ext. 0 to make a reservation.

Visit Claytopia, 2503 W. 15th St., on October 20th for children’s Halloween story time and craft. Sessions are available at 10:30 am and 1 pm, and cost is $6 per child. Registration is necessary. Call 836-7722.

The Millcreek Mall once again hosts the Erie Trail of Treats on October 22 and 23 from 5-8:30 p.m. Children 12 and younger are encouraged to come trick-or-treating in a safe and warm environment! Tickets are $2 in advance, $3 at registration tables on the night of the event. Advance purchases can be made at the Achievement Center, 101 E. Sixth St., Sarah Reed Children’s Center, 2445 W. 34th St., or at the Millcreek Mall customer service desk. Proceeds benefit the Achievement Center and Sarah Reed Children’s Center.

Come out to a Halloween Dance with Bobby Remp, October 24th from 8-11 p.m., at the Saga Club, 3828 Washington Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania. Call 461-6490 for more information.

Meadville Jaycees Halloween Parade is set for October 25 at 6:30 pm. Called the largest nighttime parade in Pennsylvania, the parade will wind through the streets of downtown Meadville with floats, firetrucks and marching bands. This year’s theme is “Lights, Camera, Action: the wonderful world of Meadville,” celebrating favorite children’s movies from the past and present.

The Experience Erie Children’s Museum is hosting Halloween Hullabaloo, an alternative to spooky Halloween celebrations, on October 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Experience Erie Children’s Museum is located at 420 French St. downtown. Tickes are $2 for adults and $5 for children; $1 for adult members, $3 for children members. Call 453-3743 to learn more.

Tour the R.S. Battles Farmhouse and the Charlotte Elizabeth Battles Memorial Museum during Legends by Lantern at the Battles Museums of Rural Life in Girard. The legends tour takes place Saturday, October 25th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m, and offers you a chance to see the ghosts that call this place home. Perhaps Miss Battles herself will make an appearance! Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for children.

For those in Warren County, the Warren Trail of Treats will be held on October 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Warren Mall, 1666 Market St. Kids can trick-or-treat in the safety of the mall while showing off their costumes. The event is sponsored by PNC Bank, and cost is $1 per child. Call (814) 459-2755 or (888) 821-3110. All proceeds benefit Achievement Center programs and services in Forest and Warren Counties.

The Erie Planetarium is planning an Erie Legends show for Halloween on October 29 and 30. Showtimes are 7 and 8 pm, and cost is $4 per person. Please call 814-454-1813 Ext. 0 to make a reservation.

Another exciting corn maze is open at the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm in Edinboro this fall. The Corn Stalking U.S.A. maze is open for day stalking Friday through Monday 10am-10 pm, and nights Friday through Sunday, dusk-10 pm. Admission is $8 for age 13 and up, $6 for ages 6-12, and under 5 are free. Please allow about two hours to complete the maze.

Port Farms is open again for the 2008 Harvest Festival season. Located at 2055 Stone Quarry Road in Waterford, Port Farms is a pumpkin farm with activities for the whole family. Kids can play in the giant corn box, ride trikes on a track, or play in the straw fort. They can also join their parents on the giant slides or on a hayride around the farm. The farm is open daily through October 31st: Monday through Friday, 12-6 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11 am -7 pm. Admission is $5.50 for ages 3-60, $3 for those over 60, and children under 3 are free.