Hallowed haunts

WASILLA — Halloween is coming to the Valley and options for marking the holiday abound for kids and adults.

On Halloween night at Raven Hall on the Alaska State Fairgrounds, Halloween Hollow, the largest trick-or-treat event in the Valley, is back for its seventh year. Geared towards toddlers to 12-year-olds, “fun, not frightening” is how organizer Mari Jo Parks describes what children can expect.

“Everyone laughs because that’s me in general. I don’t want it frightening, I’m a wimp,” she said.

The annual event features more than 35 games with names like “Dracula’s Darts,” “The Mummy Toss,” and “Goblin Golfing,” with candy and other treats handed out as prizes.

Parks said Halloween Hollow usually draws in about 3,000 people. But, with Raven Hall as large as it is and considering folks come and go all night, it’s never crowded.

“There’s plenty of room for everyone,” Parks said.

Halloween Hollow runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission for kids is $5 or a new, unwrapped toy — please no stuffed animals — and $1 for adults. Proceeds go to benefit the Special Santa Program and Toys for Tots.

At the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex Wednesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. King’s Chapel is sponsoring the return of its annual Pumpkin Patch Halloween Party. The event features candy, games, a bounce house, fireworks and a costume contest and is free for kids 12 and under.

In Palmer, the Palmer Fire Department’s 17th annual Autumn Harvest Halloween Open House promises, if years past are any indication, to draw a crowd.

“We stuff [kids] full of sugar, get them way overexcited and send them home with their parents,” Palmer Administrative Assistant Joan Patterson said jokingly of the annual party.

The event is free and staffed by fire department volunteers. It runs from about 6 until about 8 p.m. Halloween night at the Dan Contini Fire Station across from Fred Meyer. There will be plenty of cookies and other treats on hand, as well as Sparky the firedog.

In Wasilla and the surrounding area, the Central Mat-Su Fire Department is opening up four of its stations for trick-or-treaters. Those would be: Station 52 at Bogard and Engstrom roads, Station 61 at Lucille Street and Swanson Avenue, Station 62 at Mile 7 Knik-Goose Bay Road and Station 65 at Seward-Meridian Parkway and Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Parents of students in the Mat-Su Borough School District should check events calendars for fall carnivals, a number of which are held every year at various schools.

The Palmer Elk’s Lodge is having a party for adults featuring live music, games and prizes, including those for best costumes.

“It’s usually a really good party. Lots of fun,” said lodge secretary Marilyn Grasser.

On the other side of the Valley, teenagers and adults can get scared senseless at Haunt Alaska’s Gateway to Darkness, back again for another year at the Quonset hut at 1241 W. Melanie Dr. Unit 4. Admission is $12 and the house is open Thursday through Saturday. Check hauntak.com for more information.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.