MAT-SU �” Halloween is a time where eating candy until you vomit is somewhat acceptable and parents have an excuse to dress their children up as Teletubbies, robots or the cartoon icons of their choosing.

Essentially, for those who partake, Halloween begins with a costume choice for kids and adults.

For the online shopper, Costumehub.com offers thousands of crazy, spooky and hilariously familiar costume ideas for all ages. Costumehub.com insists that the most popular male costumes selling this year are pirate, Homer Simpson, priest, policeman, Spider-man and other macho super hero characters. Onlinecostumestore.com claims women are likely to go the sexy route this year, with Britney, French maid, scantly-clad prisoner, naughty nurse and ship maiden at the top of the list, all of which are selling well.

If history proves anything, kids will likely dress up like the characters they see at the movies or on television. Think princesses and pirates, often of the Disney variety, Spider-Man, Hannah Montana and High School Musical, with a bit of Harry Potter and Shrek thrown in for good measure.

Once a costume has been determined, parents get to chose where to take their little tykes for a family Halloween memory in the making. Trick-or-treating can be quite an ordeal. Over the years, indoor, safe environments have been constructed to allow kids to get candy and show off their costumes, all the while giving parents a sense of relief from door-to-door collection.

Here is a list of what’s going on locally to celebrate fall festivals, Oktoberfest and, of course, Halloween.

Beware, some of these aren’t all kid friendly, but then again, October is a time for big people too, right?

Big Lake

Big Lake Elementary School will host a Fall Festival from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 at 3808 S. Big Lake Road in Big Lake. Families in the community are invited to attend an evening of costumed fun, games, food and Halloween activities. Kids can enjoy trick-or-treating in a safe and fun environment. For more information, contact 892-6019.

Wasilla

Glacier View Elementary School hosts Oktoberfest Fall Festival for the community from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 26. With more than a dozen games and activities, including a cake walk, shooting gallery, haunted house, pumpkin decorating, costume contest and sticky fly wall, Oktoberfest delivers the goods. Students also get a chance to duct tape Principal Taylor to the wall. Volunteers needed to staff the booths and games. Call Bea at 745-6584 to find out more.

Iditarod Elementary School is again holding an annual Pumpkinfest from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at 801 N. Wasilla-Fishhook Road in Wasilla. Parents, bring your kids in costume for a night of fun activities at stations placed throughout the school. Face painting and Halloween candy will be available for the family.

King’s Chapel invites the public to attend a Pumpkin Patch Halloween Party from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Wasilla Sports Complex. This free event is for kids 12 and under and their families. Candy, games, prizes and contests will be available. Call King’s Chapel at 357-2065.

The only adult-themed haunted house in the Mat-Su Valley, Haunt Alaska’s “Gateway to Darkness,” continues to scare the willing with 13 freaky rooms of horror and confusion. Not for the light-hearted (suggested for ages 12 and up), Gateway is now open from 7 p.m. to midnight Oct. 25 through Oct. 31. Admission is $12 per victim �” er �” person. Located at 1241 W. Melanie Ave., Unit 4, Gateway’s owners promise a downright unique and spooky experience for those who can handle a good scream. For more information, visit HauntAK.com.

Willow

The Willow Area Community Organization hosts its annual Oktoberfest dinner and raffle starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Willow Community Center. This fund-raising event will proceed WCC. Tickets are $50 and are on sale at Newman’s Hilltop, Townesite Liquor and Chinook Deli. Twelve cash prizes totaling $5,000 will be chosen, and there is a one in 200 chance of winning $2,000. Dinner will be an authentic German meal cooked by Walter Adolphs. Drawing will be at 7 p.m. Prizes awarded in the sequence that tickets are drawn. For more information contact 495-5737 or visit Waco-ak.org.

Willow Elementary School will host a Halloween Carnival from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at 31706 Parks Hwy. in Willow. This is a family event for all ages with Halloween games for the kids, trick-or-treating and food items for sale for parents. For more information, call 495-6236.

Palmer

The Palmer Elks Lodge is hosting a “Spooktacular” kids trick-or-treat party from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at 2600 N. Barry’s Resort Drive in Palmer. Come in costume and win fabulous prizes. Safe for all ages. For more information call 745-3950.

It’s the biggest trick-or-treating event in the Valley! The sixth annual Halloween Hollow invites goblins, ghosts and ghouls from all over to join in on the fun from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at Raven Hall at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer. Halloween Hollow is an indoor trick-or-treat carnival for the family. More than 35 businesses sponsor Halloween game booths with fun challenges for kids in a safe and warm environment. Games include Halloween Hockey, Pumpkin Bowling, Toss the Monsters and much more. Pizza and other yummy treats will be available at the concession stand. No pets allowed. Children who bring one new unwrapped present (No stuffed animals) will get in for free, otherwise admission is $5, Adults $1.

All proceeds go to the Mat-Su Special Santa Program and Toys for Tots. This event is sponsored by The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, MTA, Matanuska-Valley Credit Union, IBEW, Kids Are People Inc., and Q99.7 Valley Radio. Contact 745-5361 for more details.

The Palmer Fire Department will host its 16th annual Autumn Harvest Halloween Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Palmer Fire Station. All are welcome to attend. Kids may visit with Sparky, meet real robots and chow down on cookies and pumpkin juice. For more information contact Joan at 745-3709.

Trinity Lutheran Church will host a Family Fun Night beginning at 6 p.m. Oct. 31 at 10355 Palmer-Wasilla Hwy. in Palmer. The entire family is invited for an alternative to trick-or-treating for pre-schoolers and elementary school aged kids. Enjoy free games, a maze, photos of costumes, door prizes, treats and more. Prizes for older siblings and parents too. The grand prize this year is a pre-paid cell phone. For more information, call 745-0726.

Edgar Allen Poe still causes chills in the literary world, so it’s only fitting that Fireside Books in Palmer will host an evening with Edgar Allen Poe with a public reading. The haunting starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 31 at 720 S. Alaska St. Bring your own favorite Poe stories and poems to read, or just come and listen to the eeriness that was Poe. Free admission with costuming optional.

Talkeetna

The Talkeetna Community Playground Project and The Green Light Circus presents The Wildest Magic In Alaska Show with “The Magic Guy,” Don Russell, starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar in Talkeetna. Donn Russell’s professional magic and illusion show is entertainment for all ages. Costumes are optional, but also encouraged. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids under 16. Babysitting will be available for ages 1 to 5. Contact Lisa at 733-9873.

Trapper Creek Elementary’s Harvest Party will be held 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 27 at Mile 2.5 on Petersville Road. For more information, contact 733-2640.

Talkeetna Elementary School will hold its annual Harvest Carnival from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 31 in the elementary school’s gymnasium. This family event is open to the public and is an annual fund-raiser for the school’s parent teacher association. Plenty of spooky games for the kids will be featured, as well as a cake walk, a baked goods sale and indoor trick-or-treating with activities for the kids to earn even more candy. Come in costume and bring the family. For more information, contact Sue at 733-2252.

Sutton

Sutton Elementary School presents a Halloween Carnival from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 31 for parents and kids of the community. Fun games will be featured, as well as a cookie walk and the infamous “Haunted Tunnel of Terror.” Other events include put-put golf, cupcake decorating, face painting and bowling. The Sutton Activities Committee will then host a family Halloween Dance from 5 to 7 p.m. Finally, from 7-7:30 p.m., check out “Trunk-or-Treat,” where members of the community open their decorated cars to kids for a safe and fun trick-or-treating in the parking lot of the school. For more information, contact Becca at 746-7461.