Wilmette, Community

Halloween fun has begun — and there’s more where that came from

Heroes, villains and creatures of all kind hit the town for pre-Halloween festivities on the North Shore.

Winnetka and Wilmette each hosted their marquee seasonal events over the weekend with hundreds coming out to Pumpkins in the Woods Friday, Oct. 20, and Wicked Wilmette on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Wyatt Lockwood, of Winnetka, enjoys the live music at Pumpkins in the Woods.

The Winnetka Park District’s Pumpkins in the Woods featured a transformed Hubbard Woods Park, complete with DJ, spooky bounce houses, impromptu pumpkin patch, carnival games and more.

A day later and five miles south, a similar adventure descended upon Hibbard Park in Wilmette.

Emmaline Ruda, of Evanston, looks for hidden items in the graveyard at Wicked Wilmette on Saturday, Oct. 21.

The family-friendly event featured the spooky inflatables, a hay maze, magic show and graveyard scavenger hunt, among other fun.

The Halloween action is only beginning with a full slate of local fun to be had until the big night on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Calvin Hunter, 6, of Wilmette, crosses another item off the list during the Wicked Wilmette Scavenger Hunt.

A Candy Stroll hits downtown Highland Park from 3-6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, and then two Boo Bashes scare up fun on Friday night — Glencoe’s from 5-7 p.m. at the Takiff Center, and Northfield’s from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Northfield Community Center.

The Linden Square Pumpkin Walk is from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Oct. 28, in Wilmette, and Harvest Hayride is from 4-7 p.m. at Lloyd Park in Winnetka. Additionally, all weekend long Chalet Nursery in Wilmette will host a Halloween Costume Contest.

A juggling scarecrow entertains at Pumpkins in the Woods Friday, Oct. 20.

For more details on those events and others, check out The Record’s Halloween roundup from earlier this month.


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joe coughlin
Joe Coughlin

Joe Coughlin is a co-founder and the editor in chief of The Record. He leads investigative reporting and reports on anything else needed. Joe has been recognized for his investigative reporting and sports reporting, feature writing and photojournalism. Follow Joe on Twitter @joec2319

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