By: Emily Rea

October 31st: All Hallows Eve. A night for freaky horror movies, garish parties and candy-filled trick-or-treating. The holiday may have lost its meaning over the years—blurred somewhere between the ancient Celtic festival and the inevitable Sexy Kitten costume—but, nonetheless, it has at least become a good excuse to get together with friends and discover how strange everyone else’s sense of humor really is.

This week in Wilmington, there may not be a full moon in the sky, but the ghosts and goblins will still be roaming the streets in search of a ghoulish good time. As for the rest of us, look no further than right here for a giant conglomeration of festivities that are sure to delight—and, hopefully, fright.

Spine-chilling Costume Parties
Babs McDance Social Dance Studio invites the public to compete in a Best-Dressed Contest for giveaways, and enjoy a dance lesson, food and beverages, Friday, October 31st, from 8pm-12am, with lessons from 8-9pm. $15 per person, $25 per couple, and $10 with student or military ID. For more information call 910-395-5090. The studio is located at 6782 Market Street.

The Dirty Martini will also play host to a Halloween Costume Party on the 31st. Sign-ups begin at 9pm, and Best Costume winners will be decided upon at 11pm. Three grand prizes are up for grabs: 1st place, a $150 Apple gift card for an iPod Touch; 2nd place, a $100 bar tab; and 3rd place, $50 cash. The night will also include an ice luge featuring $4 candy shots and $6 Spooky ‘tinis. For more information, visit www.dirtymartiniwb.com. The Dirty Martini is located at Lumina Station II, 1904 Eastwood Road, Suite 109.

Haunt 2008 gets underway on October 31st from 9pm to midnight. This adult Halloween party will feature food, drinks, karaoke and a costume contest. Admission will be charged. The party will be held at Cameron Art Museum; call 910-395-5999, or visit www.cameronartmuseum.com for details.

Walks, Crawls and Tours—Oh, My!
On your feet, Wilmington! Get out of the house this year with the Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington. Costumed guides will lead visitors through the alleyways of haunted Wilmington, telling tales of horror along the way. Nightly Halloween-themed tours are from 6:30-8:30pm and begin at Water and Market streets. Reservations are required; to make, call 910-794-1866 or visit www.hauntedwilmington.com. The Ghost Walk is not recommended for very young children.

For those looking to maximize their thrills, make plans to attend the Haunted Pub Crawl. This guided tour to seven haunted pubs is for adults only, and admission is charged. The crawl meets Tuesday-Saturdays in October, beginning at 7:30pm at Fat Tony’s, 131 North Front Street. Reservations are required; to make, call 910-794-1866 or visit www.hauntedwilmington.com.

On October 24th-26th and 29th-31st, join in on the Halloween Ghost Trolley, 6-9pm, for a 30-minute horse-drawn trolley ride through Wilmington’s historic district. The rides include a visit to the “haunted barn,” and Halloween-themed stories, songs and treats. Horses and tour guides will be dressed in costume. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for kids. The rides depart at Market and Water streets; call 910-251-8889, or visit www.horsedrawntours.com for more information.

The easily frightened, beware: October 25th marks the second annual Ghost Ship Tour. Starting at 6pm, staff and volunteers aboard the Battleship NC will lead visitors through the bowels of the ship, harking true battleship tales. “Haunted North Carolina” members reveal ghostly details and provide a unique opportunity to learn how ghost hunters track spirits. Admission is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door. The Battleship North Carolina is located on Eagles Island across from downtown Wilmington. Call 910-251-5797, extension 2047, or visit www.battleshipnc.com for details.

Festivals of Fright
From October 24th-26th, be sure not to miss the second weekend of the seventh annual Halloween Festival at Poplar Grove Plantation. Festivities include haunted hayrides, carnival rides and games, a haunted barn, and a non-scary fun house with puppet shows, games, stories, palm readings, food, costume contests and more. The festival is fun for all ages, including small children. Hours are: Friday, 6pm-12am; Saturday, 2pm-12am; and Sunday, 2-10pm. A costume contest will be held on Saturday the 25th from 6-7pm. Activity fees vary. Poplar Grove Plantation is located at 10200 US Highway. 17 North in Scotts Hill. For more details, call 910-686-9518, or visit www.poplargrove.com.

Join the folks at The Soapbox on October 25th for a pre-Halloween Zombie Walk! Makeup prep begins at 2pm, and the walk around downtown commences at 3:30. Warns a source, “Anyone who wants to join the walk should wear clothes they don’t mind getting torn and/or soaked in fake blood.” Participants are encouraged to wear interesting clothes: old suits or dresses, work uniforms, and regular street clothes are fine. Extra body parts, like a mannequin’s arm or head, are also encouraged. Participants who have their own makeup done prior to arrival are also appreciated. For more information contact Greg Yeager at 910-352-8431.

Family Fun
There is much fun to be had at the Fit for Fun Center on Halloween morning from 9am-12pm. Join them for a Pumpkin Party, where kids 5 and under (and their parents) are invited to dress in costume for a fun, non-scary pumpkin party. The center is located at 302 South 10th Street; 910-341-4630.

If trick-or-treating on the streets sounds scarier than any movie played this time of year, well, we might agree! On Halloween night from 4-6pm, bring the kids to Trick-or-Treat at the Mall, where retailers will provide candy for all. A costume contest will also be held for age groups 0-5, 6-12 and 12+ years. Independence Mall, 3500 Oleander Dr., Wilmington; 910-392-1776 or www.shopindependencemall.com.

At a time when imaginations are already running wild, don’t miss Halloween Story Time with Evie Schulz, social worker and former kindergarten teacher at Pomegranate Books, 3pm on Halloween Day. Pomegranate is located at 4418 Park Drive. For details call 910-452-1107, or visit www.pombooks.net.

The canine companions are not to be overlooked when it comes to having fun on Halloween! On October 25th, DogFest 2008 kicks off from 11am-3pm with doggie contests, pumpkin-painting contests, and Halloween costume contests for kids and dogs. Admission charge is $5. DogFest will be held at Empie Park; 910-622-4132 or www.cfgoldenrescue.com.

With all that candy soon to be filling plastic pumpkins everywhere, the YMCA presents a Family Fun and Fitness Fest and Halloween 8K Run on October 25th. Beginning at 9am, the festival will feature family entertainment, bounce houses, music, food, and a health and wellness fair. A free kids’ one-mile “fun run” will be held on the YMCA grounds. There will be a registration fee for the adult 8K race. Halloween costumes encouraged. The YMCA is located at 2710 Market Street; call 910-251-9622, extension 224, or visit www.wilmingtonparent.com for more information.

Saturday, October 25th, also welcomes the Great Pumpkin Hunt at the MLK Center, a family-friendly outing with face-painting, arts and crafts, cookie-decorating, hay rides, My Precious Pumpkin contest and safe trick-or-treating with the Wilmington Police Department. The Pumpkin Hunt and Pinatas for ages 3-6 will be held at 11:30am, and ages 7-9 are invited at 12pm. Admission will be charged, and registration is required. The MLK Jr Community Center is located at 401 South 8th Street. For details call 910-341-7866, or visit www.wilmingtonrecreation.com.

Come one, come all to the Kooky Spooky Jam-Boo-Read, October 26th from 4pm-7pm! This kids’ festival features scary stories and non-scary fall-theme activities. Kids are invited to arrive dressed in a Halloween costume or as a favorite book character. The fun for all ages includes storytellers, a trick-or-treat treasure hunt for book characters, a mummy wrap-up race, face-painting, pumpkin bowling and bean-bag toss, giveaways and more. Admission is $3 per person. The Kooky Spooky Jam-Boo-Read will be held at the Children’s Museum of Wilmington, located at 116 Orange Street; 910-254-3534 or www.playwilmington.org.

Back for another exciting night of fright with the fishes, the North Carolina Aquarium presents Trick-or-Treat Under the Sea! On October 30th from 5-8:30pm, kids in costume can go trick-or-treating at candy stations throughout the decorated aquarium’s exhibits and galleries. There will be games, storytelling, haunted houses and even spooky divers. Admission is $6. The aquarium is located at 900 Loggerhead Road in Kure Beach; 910-458-7468 or www.ncaquariums.com.

Sensory Overload
Taste, hear and see the scares this Halloween—just beware of the “sixth sense.” Delight your palate first by attending a Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise, every Tuesday in October. Solve an exciting “who-dunnit” during a dinner cruise along the Cape Fear River. Audience participation may be incited, and prizes will be available. The cruises depart at 6:30pm at the dock at Water and Dock streets. Admission will be charged, and reservations can be made by calling 910-341-1611 or 800-676-0162, or visiting www.cfrboats.com.

“Tales from the Crypt” has nothing on Carolina Crimes—come hear it to believe it! The New Hanover County Public Library opens its doors to eight authors of new North Carolina mysteries and true crime books. From 1-4pm on Saturday, October 25th, these authors will speak and sign books for fans. There will also be refreshments and panel discussions. Book sales will be handled by Two Sisters Bookery. The Carolina Crimes authors are as follows: Suzanne Adair, Jacqueline DeGroot, Bill Floyd, Russ Hatler, Amanda Lamb, Jim and Joyce Lavene, Judy Nichols, T. Lynn Ocean. This free event takes place on the third floor of the Main Library, located at 201 Chestnut Street in downtown Wilmington. Registration is not required; for more information call 798-6323.

The annual Lyceum Academy of New Hanover High School Haunted House fund-raiser, “Quarantined in Dead City,” continues its run October 23rd-26th and 29th-31st. Opening at 7pm each night, the show is rated PG-13 and is located at 4622 Oleander Drive, next to Kinko’s. Tickets are $10 at the door, cash only please. Join the academy on an adventure as audiences work their way through 15 different scenes of horror on the way to the escape helicopter. The Lyceum Academy is New Hanover High School’s rigorous two-year college preparatory program for juniors and seniors, open to all rising high-school juniors in New Hanover County who compete for admission based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, an interview and an essay. For more information, visit www.edline.net/pages/Lyceum, or call 910-251-6100, extension 222.