Cities prepare for Halloween season with downtown events

OAKLAND COUNTY — Local cities in Oakland County are preparing to put on their Halloween events and give residents and children a chance to show off their costumes, get candy and have fun.

 

Ferndale
From Oct. 22 to Oct. 31, the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority will be hosting its third annual Hallowindow event, where businesses take part in a Halloween-themed window-decorating contest and people can vote for their favorites.

The DDA also will be holding a trick-or-treating event in the downtown from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, which will see participating businesses pass out candy. Businesses taking part will be noted with signs on their buildings.

For more information on these events, visit www.downtownferndale.com.

 

Berkley
During the entire month of October, Berkley’s DDA will be having a host of events in the downtown for BOO!KLEY Nights, which is centered around bringing people to local businesses with Halloween-themed events.

From 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 13, a Witches Night Out with free trolley rides will take place; a Ghost Chase, described as a mix of a road rally and “The Amazing Race,” will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 21; a trick-or-treat stroll will happen from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 29; and the Monster Mash block party will run from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 29 on Coolidge Highway between 12 Mile Road and Catalpa Drive.

More information can be found at www.downtownberkley.com.

Berkley’s Parks and Recreation Department will be putting on a Tale on the Trail at various times between 4:15 and 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at Oxford Park. The event is free, but attendees must register beforehand at recreation.berk leymich.org. The event will be put on with the Berkley Public Library.

Berkeley Parks and Recreation Director Theresa McArleton said that story pages will be presented at different points in the park. The chosen story is “She Wanted to Be Haunted.”

“They will read the story pages with volunteers and staff there, and then at different stations, they get candy,” she said. “We ask them to dress up, so you’re all dressed up in a park and read the Halloween story pages.”

 

Huntington Woods
Huntington Woods Parks and Recreation will be holding Pumpkin Carving & Storytime from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at Burton Field. The event invites people to bring their own pumpkins to carve with others. People also are asked to bring a candle and lighter, or a flameless candle, to light the pumpkins. Preregistration for the event is required to attend. For more information, call (248) 541-3030.

 

Clawson
Clawson’s Downtown Development Authority will be putting on a Halloween event called “Trick or Treasure,” where costumed kids can visit downtown businesses to collect treasures and allergy-free treats. The event will run from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 in the downtown.

For more information, visit www.downtownclawson.com or call (248) 435-5922.

 

Royal Oak
In Royal Oak, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will be having its second annual Halloween Fest from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at Normandy Oaks Park. The event is free to the public.

Superintendent of Recreation John Fedele said there will be trick-or-treating, as well as bounce houses and a movie in the park, though a film had not yet been selected at press time.

“We set up about 10 stations throughout the park, and all the participants walk into the park trails and we hand out candy,” he said. He also stated that the movie will start at 8 p.m.

Fedele said that last year about 10,000 pieces of candy were handed out to trick-or-treaters. With an expected increase in attendance, he said the city will have about 12,000 pieces of candy this year.

“We just wanted to offer another option for participants to come out and trick or treat, show off their costumes and just kind of have a fun night at the park,” he said of the event.

For more information and to register, visit www.royaloakrec.com.