By Darlene Brace
Halloween will soon be here, full of costumes, parties, and lots of candy. There are plenty of Halloween festivities to choose from in Western New York.
Thursday October 24 –The Lakewood Library, located at 12 West Summit Street, is brewing up their Halloween Party from 5pm-6:30pm. They will be having thrilling storytelling, crafty crafts, facepainting, and lots of trick or treat candy as well as some fun surprises.
Friday October 25 – The City of Olean is having a Halloween Party from 6pm-7:30pm for children 12 and under. The party will be held at 921 N. Union Street in Olean (formerly St John’s School). There will be pizza, a costume contest, prizes, and of course lots of candy.
October 25 & 26 – Enter the Haunted House and Terrifying Walk in the Woods if you dare. This is an all-ages free event located at 851 West Road in Cherry Creek. They will be there to scare you rain or shine from 7pm-10pm.
The Ellicottville Memorial Library will be having their 3rd annual Escape the Haunted Library. It will take place from 6pm-8:30pm on October 25th and 26th. Teams up to five people are encouraged. This event is free to attend, but you must make a reservation by calling (716) 699-2842.
Saturday October 26– Hop aboard the Halloween Train Ride at the New York & Lake Erie Railroad, at 50 Commercial Street in Gowanda. Your two hour round-trip train ride will go from Gowanda to South Dayton and back. The train ride admission includes a costume contest, a candy counting contest, refreshments to purchase, and lots of spooky fun.
The Village Casino in Bemus Point is having their first Family Fun Halloween Party from 5:30pm-9:30pm. There will be a DJ playing tunes for a dance party and there will be a costume contest. It will also include a haunted house, pumpkin painting, games, and a photo booth. The bar will be open for adult beverages as well as some food and desserts to purchase. Tickets to enter are $5 a person and each child will get a gift bag. You may want to bring an extra bag to collect candy and prizes.
The City of Jamestown will be having its 3rd Annual Halloween Riverwalk Trick or Treat Trail on October 26, from 5pm-7pm. There will be free hayrides and plenty of candy. The trail goes from the Riverwalk’s Panzarella Park to the Washington Street Bridge area. If you have any questions, you can call the Parks Department at (716) 483-7523.
The second annual Halloween in the Park will be taking place at Princeton Place in Orchard Park. There will be a craft station, face painting, hayrides, a costume contest, tarot card readings, and trick or treating at participating businesses. It will also include a variety of food trucks and vendors including apple cider slushes, kettle corn, BBQ, sandwiches, subs, donuts, and much more.
Are you up to some spine-tingling excitement with a little Halloween scare. If so, check out the Nightmare Hayride located at6319 Sommerville Valley Road in Ellicottville. Experience the twenty-five-minute tractor drawn hayride down the haunted path with live creatures that will give you quite a fright. You can also go through the Haunted Wooden Maze, the Gothic Chamber, and more. The Nightmare Hayrides will be October 25-27, from 7:30-9:30p. This may be a little scary, so be there if you dare.
Sunday October 27– Just outside of Jamestown, the Fluvanna Fall Fest will be held from 12pm-4pm at Killa Kookies & Kreamat 3423 Fluvanna Avenue. This festival will include trick-or-treating, a petting zoo, a food court, live entertainment, vendors, a costume contest, fire trucks, games, and more.
Wednesday October 30th -The Chautauqua Safety Village in Ashville will be having its annual Halloween Party on Wednesday from 4pm-7:30pm. There is a $5 admission for anyone over the age of 2 years old. With your admission, you and your family can go trick or treating throughout the village buildings and stroll through the kid friendly funhouse. There will also be a bounce house, games, crafts, and other Halloween activities.
Wow! What a lot of fun Halloween festivities are going to be happening. Pick out your costume and be ready for lots of fun as you head out to enjoy all the fun that the Halloween season brings us. Have fun, be safe, and have a Happy Halloween!