Many activities underway for month of "Fall-O-Ween"

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Fall-O-Ween, the mixing of fall and the expanded Halloween season offers both residents and tourists numerous opportunities for hauntingly good times in October.

Haunted houses and forests scare up most of the frights with attractions in Harrisburg, Herrin, Lawrenceville, Marion, Mount Vernon, Ridgway and St. Francisville while pumpkin patches and corn mazes offer more fun and can be found near Johnston City, Iola and Lawrenceville. There's also hikes, parades and other community events for the costumed-inclined.

"October often proves to be the business month of the year in terms of tourism," explained Jon Musgrave, executive director for Southern Illinois Tourism Development. "Not only do we have great fall colors and festivals, the holiday activities provide a ton of fun for families and teenagers."

Haunted Houses

Harrisburg - Coleman Tri-County Services presents a Haunted House Friday and Saturday, October 10-11, in their offices at 509 W. Poplar St., across from Hucks' on Route 13 on the city's west side. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Admission $2 per person. Parking is limited but RIDES mass transit is offering shuttle service every 30 minutes beginning at 5:45 p.m. from Parker Plaza parking lot near the Dollar General Store as well as the Tot Lot at the Harrisburg City Park. Admission is $2. Proceeds benefit Coleman Tri-County Services. For more information call 252-2954.

Herrin - The Haunting of Chittyville School at 401 Chittyville Road on the north side of Herrin in the former Chittyville School. Professional haunted house almost guaranteed to scare. Open Fridays and Saturdays in October from 7 to 11 p.m., as well as the last two Sundays and the day before Halloween from 7 to 10 p.m. Online at www.chittyville.com. For more information or group rates call (618) 988-9131 or e-mail haunted@chittyville.com. Admission $12 for adults, $8 for children 10 and under. Matinees $5.

Iola - Fright Nights at Tradition Farms on Iola Lane eight miles east of Farina and two miles west of Iola offers a flashlight maze and scary hayride. Open Fridays and Saturdays in October from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Online at the Internet site www.traditionsfarm.com or call (618) 245-2558.

Marion - The Haunted Barn on Wards Mill Road south of Marion. Open Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to midnight in October through Nov. 1. Enter at your own risk. Students get $2 off with a student ID. For more information call 618-922-1101 or check out the website at the Internet site www.thehauntedbarn.net.

Mount Vernon - The Mount Vernon Jaycees' House of Horror represents one of the longest-running attractions each October. This year it's located at the corner of 2nd and Broadway on the east side of Mount Vernon. Open at 7 p.m. the last three weekends of October. For more info call 618-237-0453 or e-mail jaycees@mvn.net.

Ridgway - The Haunted Forest offers a drive-thru trail of terror at Ridgway City Park on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Admission is $6 per car load or $12 per bus or hayride. Proceeds benefit Coleman Tri-County Services. For more information call 618-252-2954.

St. Francisville - Haunted Trails at St. Francisville River Park. Fourth annual event beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25. Proceeds benefit "Shop with a Cop" program. Call (618) 948-2683 for more information.

West Frankfort - This year's Hacker House returns with creative horror and fun for all at the Bandshell in West Frankfort City Park nightly from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 24 through 31. More information online at the Internet site www.hauntedwestfrankfort.com. Proceeds distributed to local charities.

Pumpkin Patches / Corn Mazes

Iola - Traditions Farms on Iola Lane 8 miles east of Farina and two miles west of Iola offers both a corn and hay maze, petting zoon, and haunted hay rides weekends in October from noon to 5 p.m. Online at traditionsfarm.com or call 618-245-2558.

Johnston City - Bandy's Pumpkin Patch at 15020 Pumpkin Patch Road boasts a unique 10-acre maze of corn, bonfire cookouts, hay rides, kids play barn and pumpkins. More online at the Internet site www.bandyspumpkinpatch.com. From Interstate 57, take Exit 59 and go west on Herrin Road. Turn south on Pumpkin Patch Road. For more information call (618) 983-8676. Hours 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Open through Oct. 30.

Lawrenceville - Dorney's Pumpkin Patch one mile east of Lawrenceville on Old Rt. 50 offers hayrides, a 5-acre corn maze, gold mine, dark straw crawl, gourd sling shot and a choo-choo train. Open in October from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Pumpkins and gourds available for purchase. Call (618) 943-2699 for more information.

Opdyke - Marlow's Pumpkin Patch and Adventure Farm located at 14003 N. Harmony Lane. Open in October 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Features a corn maze, hayride, haunted house maze and fall decorations. For more information call (618) 244-7129.

Community Events

Lawrenceville - Spooktacular offers fun for the whole family at Lawrenceville City Park all day Saturday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Activities include a pumpkin decorating context, games, haystack scramble, cake walk, bingo live entertainment, costume judging, candy run, spook house, bonfire and hayride. Call 618-943-2623 for more information.

Makanda - Haunted Hallow from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the SIU Touch of Nature Environmental Center seven miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road. The event offers a family funfest with age-appropriate frights such as a haunted cabin and bat house, campfire stories, face painting, seasonal arts and crafts and supervised eerie canoeing and a screams obstacle course for older kids. With advance reservations, tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children while ages three and younger get in free. At the door that evening, tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for kids. For more information or to register call 618-453-1121.

Olney - A Halloween parade at 6 p.m. following an outdoor showing of the PG-rated movie "Poltergeist" downtown at 600 E. Main St. Proceeds go to the Richland County Recreational Council. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. Call 618-395-4311 for more information.

Other

Halloween Hike along Mysterious Max Creek - Meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Taylor Ridge Church parking lot north of the intersection of Route 45 and Taylor Ridge Road in northeastern Johnson County. Some claim Max Creek contains a supernatural vortex or at least mineral lights. Free guided hike sponsored by the River-to-River Trail Society. For more information call (618) 252-6789 or visit www.rivertorivertrail.com.

Blue Sky Vineyard - Halloween Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 25 and 26. Wear costumes.

For more information on all of these events as well as other area festivals and happenings, check out the regional calendar of events on SITDO's Internet site at www.IllinoisAdventure.com.