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Area
gatherings center around Halloween fun City Editor
Along
with the month of October comes loads of festivities centered on
Halloween. The
City of Joplin is sponsoring the Halloween Spooktacular, which is part
of the Safe Halloween the city puts on each year. The
event will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31 at Memorial Hall. This
annual family event will include a costume contest and
"goodies." The night will feature children s comedian, Dave
Rudolf. For
information about this event, persons may call 623-3254. Harvest
Acres Pumpkin Patch, located two miles north of Joplin at the
intersection of Highways 43 and 96, is having wagon rides and pumpkin
paintings Friday and Saturday nights. For information, persons may call
417-394-2270. If
one doesn't mind a little traveling, Diamond's Carver National Monument
is hosting a workshop on how to make a bat house from 1-3 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 26. Ellen
Cox, park ranger, said the idea came after four members of the park went
to seminars put on by the International Bat Association. The program
evolved, she said, from the information the group found. "Part
of the goal of the workshop is to dispel the myths about bats and
encourage people to put up bat houses in their yards," Cox said.
"They're [bats] so helpful and we need to educate people on their
importance." The
event is free and open to the public. She
said she hopes that by building bat houses at the workshop, it will
educate people and in turn save bat lives. Carthage
is sponsoring its annual Halloween on the Carthage Square. The event
includes a costume contest at 3:30 p.m., which is followed by
trick-or-treating around the square. Fredrickson
Farms in Carl Junction is hosting special activities at its pumpkin
patch every Saturday through the end of October. Tami
and Steve Fredrickson own the Farms, located north on Grimes Street. "When
a patch of grass for hay didn't come up, we decided to grow a patch of
pumpkins," Tami Fredrickson said. "That's how it started and
we've grown, grown, grown each year." The
farm will host pumpkin painting Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Paint will
be provided. On Saturday, Oct. 26, the farm will provide hayrides. "When
we get a nice group of folks together, we'll take a ride around the
pumpkin patch," she said. The
pumpkin patch opened in September and remains open through October. The
Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield is hosting its 19th annual Halloween
Spooktacular from 6:30-9:30 p.m. nightly beginning Friday and it runs
through Thursday, Oct. 31. Tickets are $3 per person. The
event includes several Halloween features, animal exhibits and a petting
zoo. Hand-carved jack-o-lanterns will light the path during this 14-day
event. Children ages 1-12 will receive candy from costumed volunteers
throughout the zoo. For information, persons may call 417-864-1800. |