Halloween happenings in and around Little Falls and Morrison county

It’s time for spooks and spirits and things that go bump in the night (probably looking for the last Snickers bar in the Treat bag)! Halloween began with the ancient Celts, who considered October 31 the last day of the year. On that night, they believed the spirits of the dead would roam the Earth. As a way to protect themselves during this spooky time, the living would hold a feast, visiting neighbors for contributions of food (hey, any excuse for a party).

We can thank the Irish for the jack-o-lantern, too. They used to carve turnips and place a small candle inside to keep evil spirits from their home on All Hallow’s Eve. When Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered pumpkins were much easier to carve.

Halloween has become second only to Christmas in spending. We’ll drop 2.5 billion this year – which is a lot of Milk Duds. But whether you go all out with a front-yard display that rivals Disney’s Haunted Mansion, or keep it simple with a single pumpkin in the window, remember to watch out for ghoulies and ghosties in your neighborhood!

Last-Minute Costume Ideas

Static Cling
Wear a solid color, like all white or all black. With safety pins, pin anything from socks, to underwear, even dryer sheets, all over yourself. For extra-“static,” use hairspray to put your hair on end.

Crash Test Dummy (Post-Crash)
Don a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Cover yourself with pieces of masking tape, bandages, fake blood – and a seatbelt made of webbing and an old buckle.

Skunk
Wear all black (a black leotard and tights is perfect) and put a white tape stripe down the back.

Halloween Safety Tips

· Welcome Trick-or-Treaters with porch lights and all exterior lights turned on.
· Set a time limit for your kids to "trick-or-treat" and designate a specific route for them to take. Also, feed the kids before they go so they’ll be less likely to scarf their treats before they get home (well, one can hope).
· Chocolate is poisonous to many animals, so keep candy away from pets.
· Keep pets in a separate room during trick-or-treat hours; people in strange garb can be scary.
· When driving, be extra-alert for excited kids, whose vision may be obscured by masks.

Haunted Houses

Nightmare Halloween Hayrides at Pinehaven Farm
28186 Kettle River Blvd.
Wyoming, MN, 55092
651-462-7279
http://www.nightmarehalloween.com/

Shafer Corn Maze
Quinlan Lane & Us Highway 8
Shafer, MN, 55074
651-353-0675
http://www.shafercornmaze.com/halloween.html

Edgecomb Haunted Estate
679 Marie Ave West
Mendota Heights, MN, 55118
651-905-8960
http://www.scarethefoodoutofyou.com/

Haunted Shack
Morgan Park Community Center
1242 88th Avenue West,
Duluth, MN, 55808
http://www.hauntedshack.com/

Trail of Terror
12364 Chestnut Boulevard,
Shakopee, MN, 55379
651-459-3001
http://www.trailofterrorfest.com/

Haunting Experience
10900 Pt Douglas Road
Cottage Grove, MN, 55016
6051-459-3001
http://www.hauntingexperience.com/

Residential Evil
2200 Clare Drive
North Mankato, MN, 56003
http://residentialevil.com/

Molitor's Haunted Acres
425 35th Street Northeast
Sauk Rapids, MN, 56379
320-253-1672
http://www.molitors.net/ha/

Fright at Night Haunted House
812 Mary St. N.
Maplewood, MN, 55119
http://www.frightatnight.com/

Eerie Street Haunt
283 Erie Street
St. Paul , MN, 55102
http://www1.freewebs.com/eeriestreethaunt/

Horror at Huntfield
235 2nd Avenue North
Foreston, MN, 56330
320-294-3185
http://www.myspace.com/horrorathuntfield

Albert Lea Fire Explorers Haunted House
1031 Bridge Ave
Albert Lea, MN, 56007
http://haunted.albertleafireexplorers.org/

Haunted Farm
1934 30th Avenue South
Moorhead, MN, 56560
218-585-4302
http://www.hauntedfarm.com/

Haunted Woods Trail
14375 S Robert Trail
Rosemount, MN, 55068
651-423-4603
http://hauntedwoodstrail.dskz.com/

Scream Town
7410 HWY 212 West
Chaska, MN, 55318
http://www.screamtown.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=9

Deadview Cemetery
8839 96th St. South
Cottage Grove, MN, 55016
http://www.deadviewcemetery.com

Halloween Parade

Anoka Halloween Parade
12 Bridge Square
Anoka, MN, 55303
763-421-7130
http://www.anokahalloween.com/

Anoka Halloween Parade
Twin City Co-ops Federal Credit Union
P.O. Box 130670
Roseville, MN, 55113
http://www.tcuconnect.com/community/Anoka-hwparade.asp

Haunted Hayride

Mission Fire & Rescue Presents Mission Fire Department Haunted Hayride
Mission Park Drive , PO Box 327
Merrifield, MN, 56465
218-824-3192
http://www.missionfiredepartment.com/