Especially for kids: October 2007 Archives
The general public is able to view the excellent 3-page Jackson County Happenings for the month of November, published by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.
(Requires the free Adobe Reader program to view.)
Highlights: the publication includes information about the On Agate Hill play in Sylva on November 4 (better get your tickets now), the Great Smoky Mountain Book Fair in Sylva on November 9 and 10, another blacksmithing class on November 10 and 11 in Dillsboro, and WCU's Madrigal Dinner on November 30 (tickets go on sale on Tuesday, November 9).
(Requires the free Adobe Reader program to view.)
Highlights: the publication includes information about the On Agate Hill play in Sylva on November 4 (better get your tickets now), the Great Smoky Mountain Book Fair in Sylva on November 9 and 10, another blacksmithing class on November 10 and 11 in Dillsboro, and WCU's Madrigal Dinner on November 30 (tickets go on sale on Tuesday, November 9).
In addition to the Egg Haunt on Thurs. Oct. 25 and the Pumpkin Patch Trail on Sat. Oct. 27 (click for details), kids have several other opportunities in our area to show off costumes and generally have fun tromping about:
Haunted Warehouse at the old Chasam plant on Scotts Creek Road; 7:30 p.m. each evening Thurs. Oct. 25 through Wed. Oct. 31 (but not Sun. Oct. 28). This is a fundraiser for juvenile diabetes patients in our area. The 30-minute tours run until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, until 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and until midnight on Wednesday (Halloween). Directions: turn onto Skyland Drive from Business 23 (Asheville Highway); after about 3/4 of a mile, turn right onto Scotts Creek Road just before the bridge over Scotts Creek itself. The plant is located on the right at 380 Scotts Creek Road; parking is available in the gravel lot on the left side of the road. For more information call 631-3959. A Sylva Herald article has additional coverage.
In nearby Franklin is Pumpkinfest held during the day on Fri. Oct. 26 and Sat. Oct. 27. Live entertainment is provided all day Saturday, along with a pumpkin rolling contest ("I regret that I have but one pumpkin to give for my country" -- Nathan Hale.). For more information call 421-7613 or visit www.franklinpumpkinfest.com.
Haunted Trail and Barn at the Old Buchanan Farmhouse in Webster (529 Buchanan Loop); Fri. Oct 26 and Sat. Oct. 27 from 7 to 10 p.m.; suggested donation of $5 per family. It's recommended that kids be age 10 or more. This is a fundraiser for Mountain Youth Resources, to help build a new Hawthorn Heights emergency youth shelter (to replace the 70-year-old shelter being used now). The shelter serves youths, age 10 through 17, from the 7 westernmost North Carolina counties. For more information call Margie Allison at 586-8958.
9th annual Harvest Carnival at the Lifeway Community Church in downtown Sylva at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Allen Street; Sat. Oct. 27, 6 to 9 p.m. Games and live entertainment for children and adults. Call 631-9322 for more information.
Haunted "Trunk and Treat" at Greens Creek Baptist Church; Wed. Oct. 31 from 6 to 9; free. Church members provide candy from the trunks of their vehicles in the church parking lot, which is located about a mile and a half up Greens Creek Road, off U.S. Highway 441 South.
Trunk-or-Treat Fall Festival at East Sylva Baptist Church; Wed. Oct. 31 from 6 to 8:30; free. Church members provide candy from the trunks of their vehicles in the church parking lot. Free hot dog supper at 6. Games, hay rides, cakewalk and bonfire. For more information call 586-3853 or visit www.eastsylvabaptist.org.
Haunted Warehouse at the old Chasam plant on Scotts Creek Road; 7:30 p.m. each evening Thurs. Oct. 25 through Wed. Oct. 31 (but not Sun. Oct. 28). This is a fundraiser for juvenile diabetes patients in our area. The 30-minute tours run until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, until 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and until midnight on Wednesday (Halloween). Directions: turn onto Skyland Drive from Business 23 (Asheville Highway); after about 3/4 of a mile, turn right onto Scotts Creek Road just before the bridge over Scotts Creek itself. The plant is located on the right at 380 Scotts Creek Road; parking is available in the gravel lot on the left side of the road. For more information call 631-3959. A Sylva Herald article has additional coverage.In nearby Franklin is Pumpkinfest held during the day on Fri. Oct. 26 and Sat. Oct. 27. Live entertainment is provided all day Saturday, along with a pumpkin rolling contest ("I regret that I have but one pumpkin to give for my country" -- Nathan Hale.). For more information call 421-7613 or visit www.franklinpumpkinfest.com.
Haunted Trail and Barn at the Old Buchanan Farmhouse in Webster (529 Buchanan Loop); Fri. Oct 26 and Sat. Oct. 27 from 7 to 10 p.m.; suggested donation of $5 per family. It's recommended that kids be age 10 or more. This is a fundraiser for Mountain Youth Resources, to help build a new Hawthorn Heights emergency youth shelter (to replace the 70-year-old shelter being used now). The shelter serves youths, age 10 through 17, from the 7 westernmost North Carolina counties. For more information call Margie Allison at 586-8958.
9th annual Harvest Carnival at the Lifeway Community Church in downtown Sylva at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Allen Street; Sat. Oct. 27, 6 to 9 p.m. Games and live entertainment for children and adults. Call 631-9322 for more information.
Haunted "Trunk and Treat" at Greens Creek Baptist Church; Wed. Oct. 31 from 6 to 9; free. Church members provide candy from the trunks of their vehicles in the church parking lot, which is located about a mile and a half up Greens Creek Road, off U.S. Highway 441 South.
Trunk-or-Treat Fall Festival at East Sylva Baptist Church; Wed. Oct. 31 from 6 to 8:30; free. Church members provide candy from the trunks of their vehicles in the church parking lot. Free hot dog supper at 6. Games, hay rides, cakewalk and bonfire. For more information call 586-3853 or visit www.eastsylvabaptist.org.
The Pumpkin Patch Trail, Jackson County's annual Halloween event for children ages 12 and under, will be set against new scenery this year, and will take place on the Saturday a few days before Halloween arrives. On the Saturday prior to Halloween (Oct. 27) at 6 p.m., local ghosts, goblins and witches ages 12 or under are invited to trek through a trick-or-treat trail at Cullowhee's Jackson County Recreation Complex (the Rec Center), with a rain date of Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The trail will include 15 to 20 decorated booths at which volunteers from area churches and businesses will provide the treats. Non-food items also will be available. The event continues until candy or people run out, which usually happens around 8 p.m. Lines are expected when the trail opens at 6, so it might be smart to arrive around 7 instead.
Why the Change in Location
The Jackson County Recreation/Parks Department says the change in location is needed partly because crowds have grown so large in the traditional location (the neighborhood between St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Church of Christ, just off of Grindstaff Cove Road in Sylva).
The new location also means parking should be easier, explained event coordinator Dora Caldwell: spaces will be available at the recreation center and at nearby Cullowhee Valley School.
But more importantly, kids should have as much fun at the new location because the trail will include dozens of carved illuminated pumpkins just like last year (they are prepared by the recreation/parks department) and the same kinds and quality of candy (paid for by the recreation department, as in past years) will be distributed by volunteers at a number of decorated booths. The outdoor location at the recreation center will have about as many booths as the number of houses that participated in last year's trail in the Sylva neighborhood.
Another Fun Opportunity for Kids Occurs on Thursday Night
Another event for kids sponsored by the Recreation/Parks Department is the annual Halloween Egg Haunt on Thursday Oct. 25 beginning at 7 p.m., also at the Rec Center.
Parents can bring kids as early as 7 p.m., when judges will begin judging costumes. Prizes will be awarded for 2 age groups.
Black-and-orange candy-filled plastic eggs will be hidden for kids to find. The egg hunt (officially called the "haunt") begins at 7:30. Flashlights are encouraged.
The Halloween Egg Haunt is temporarily being held this year at the recreation center rather than its traditional location at Mark Watson Park due to a construction project currently underway on a road at Mark Watson Park.
On Halloween night, of course, kids and their parents might visit traditional locations. For those who come into Sylva, the Downtown Sylva Association is encouraging downtown businesses to be open to trick-or-treaters on Wednesday evening (Oct. 31).
For More Information
If you have questions about about the Pumpkin Patch Trail or the Halloween Egg Haunt, Ms. Caldwell can be reached at the recreation center at 293-3053.
