October’s chilling start is a welcome relief this year, and with it comes the perfect time to fall under the spell of these thrilling Halloween marches, movies, and main events.
Parades
Halloween Pet Parade & Costume Contest, Robbinsville Town Center Gazebo, Lake Drive. Saturday, October 29.
Saturday’s start to Halloween weekend is for Robbinsville residents to walk beside their wagging neighborhood pets in a Halloween parade and costume contest held at the Town Center Gazebo on Lake Drive. This outside, free event is organized by Robbinsville Recreation & Parks, with a $10 fee per furry participant.
Online registration is preferred and closes at noon on October 28, with walk-in registration available the day of the event from 9:30 a.m. More at robbinsville-twp.org/departments/recreation_division.
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Hometown Halloween Parade, Arts Council of Princeton, Palmer Square Green, Princeton. Friday, October 28.
The local community of costumed Princetonians can gather on the Palmer Square Green at 5:15 p.m. for the Arts Council of Princeton’s free “Hometown Halloween Parade,” where the Princeton University Band will be playing live.
The parade kicks off at 5:45 p.m. and ends at the Princeton Family YMCA. More at artscouncilofprinceton.org.
Screenings
Princeton Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau Street, Princeton. October 3 through 31.
The Princeton Garden Theatre has a bewitching lineup that, as programming coordinator Shannon Quinty describes, is sure to satisfy appetites for both “the slightly spooky (like ‘Labyrinth’ & ‘Beetlejuice’) to full-on terrifying (‘Halloween’ & ‘Ganja & Hess’).”
“We feel there is no better way to celebrate ‘Spooky Season’ than by watching scary movies in a theater with an enthusiastic audience. Hearing the gasps and jumps from the crowd is what makes these scary movies great. It is an experience that cannot be properly replicated at home,” Quinty says via email.
Movies are listed in date order: “Ganja & Hess” (1973), October 3; “Labyrinth” (1986), October 6; “The Birds” (1963), October 12; “Delicatessen” (1991) — part of their ‘Food on Film’ series with cheese plates sold by Lawrenceville’s Cherry Grove Farm — October 19; “The Lost Boys” (1987 – 35th Anniversary Screening), October 20; “Beetlejuice” (1988), October 26; “The Thing” (1982 – 40th Anniversary Screening), October 27; and “Halloween” (1978 – a Halloween Night Screening).
All show times are at 7 p.m. except for Halloween, which starts fittingly on October 31 at 7:30 p.m. More at princetongardentheatre.org.
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Halloween Fright Fest and Family Fright Fest, Hopewell Theater, 5 South Greenwood Avenue, Hopewell. Wednesday through Sunday, October 26 through 30.
Silver screen scares come in two editions at the Hopewell Theater, starting with the Halloween Fright Fest’s showing of “Dracula” (1931), October 26; two chances to see Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960), October 27 and 30 and a “twinning” pair of times to see Stanley Kubrick’s” The Shining” (1980), October 27 and 29.
For the Family Fright Fest, though, catch weekend matinee times closer to the date of the holiday, with “The Goonies” (1985) at 2 p.m. and “Beetlejuice” (1988) at 4:30 p.m. on October 29; and the original “Ghostbusters” (1984) on October 30 at 6 p.m.
Anyone who comes in costume receives a free small popcorn or bottled water from concessions, and for the Family Fright Fest, children 12 and under get free admission — as long as a ticket is reserved and at least one adult (18+) accompanies the child. More at hopewelltheater.com.
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Wine and Paint and Rocky Horror Movie Nights, White Hill Mansion, 217 West Burlington Street, Fieldsboro. Saturday, October 8, and Friday, October 14.
The Friends of White Hill Mansion coordinate tours and events in the historically “haunted” setting of White Hill Mansion, but even ghosts need to do the time warp. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), a horror-musical referred to as “the original cult classic,” will be screened for free starting just after sunset on October 8.
Attendees must arrive by 7 p.m. and bring chairs and/or blankets, with refreshments and props available for sale.
Then, on October 14, White Hill Mansion is hosting a “Wine & Paint Night” with supplies and instructions from partner Village Arts. Attendees will be painting a 16” x 20” rendition of a “Vintage Jack O’ Lantern.” Snacks and refreshments included, wine BYOB. More at whitehillmansion.org.
Trunk or Treats
Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat, Dragonfly Farms, 966 Kuser Road, Hamilton. Festival October 1 through 30; Trunk or Treat Saturday, October 29.
Dragonfly Farms may regard itself as “Hamilton’s best kept secret,” but the garden center and home décor shop on Kuser Road’s family attractions might have just let the black cat out of the bag.
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for all of October, the family-run business invites guests to jump around in a moon bounce, see animals in their petting zoo, and explore a hay maze. The farm’s pumpkins are available for purchase and can either be painted or bowled with. Food trucks will also be present throughout the month.
Weekend tickets are $10 for one adult and child each, with $4 per additional adult and child. Weekday tickets are $8 for one adult and child each, with $2 per each additional adult and child. Children 2 and under are free.
On Saturday, October 29, there will also be a trunk or treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. More at dragonflyfarms-nj.com.
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All Around Town Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt/Contest and Trunk or Treat, Ewing Senior & Community Center, 999 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing. October 1 to 27 and Saturday, October 29.
Under watchful eyes and stuffed straw, scarecrows throughout town are waiting to be noticed by the scavengers of Ewing — who, if they successfully find all of the decoys on display, have a chance to win $200. Track the clues to new designs from participating residents, as well as vote for the “People’s Choice” award for the scarecrow with the most star power.
The contest ends on Thursday, October 27, at 4:30 p.m. The winners will be declared two days later during the township’s “Trunk Or Treat” event, which serves as a “safe alternative” to the tradition for children from the ages of toddler to eighth grade.
Candy must be pre-packaged, and the event requires pre-registration for participating vehicles ahead of the 3 p.m. event. Cars will be set up in the parking lot of the Ewing Senior & Community Center. More at ewingnj.org/community-programs.
Other Spooky Fun
Field of Terror, Kyle Family Farm, 831 Windsor-Perrineville Road, East Windsor. Fridays & Saturdays: 6:45 to 10:45 p.m. Thursdays, Sundays and Halloween Monday: 6:45 to 9:45 p.m.
For those looking to take their feelings of fright to the ultimate level, East Windsor’s Field of Terror has spent 20 scary years transforming from the daytime setting of Kyle Family Farm into what their website calls the state’s “premier haunted attraction farm.”
There are five attractions to pick from, with the newest addition to the repertoire, the Kornfield of Karnage, joining the Karnival, Timmery Manor, Terrortown Haunted Hayride, and Paintball Wagon Ride.
Ticket prices start at $20 for single passes and vary by the number of attractions, with bundles available. More at fieldofterror.com.
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Inside the Real World of Ghost Hunting, Mercer County Library System (Ewing Branch), 61 Scotch Road, Ewing. Thursday, October 27.
Get a “behind-the-books” look at ghost hunting with the Paranormal Consulting & Investigations of New Jersey (PCINJ), a group taking the Ewing Branch of Mercer County Library System on a true expedition into the spiritual unknown on Thursday, October 27, at 7 p.m.
By offering an “insider’s look” on the cases, stories and history behind their investigations, PCINJ aims to give a voice to these hauntings — even, if MCLS says, “the ghosts of New Jersey tend to be quite outspoken.” This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and registration is required online. More at mcl.org.
Back Again
Bordentown Walking Tours, 135 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown.
Bordentown Walking Tours returns with their ‘Haunted History Tours,’ available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 30 to Oct. 23, then every day from Wednesday, Oct. 26 to Sunday, Oct. 30.
Adult (16+) tickets are $20, while child (15 and under) tickets are $15. Tours are approximately one hour in length and start at Bordentown’s Old Town Pub.
In addition to the original Hilltop Route, the tours have added a new option, the Clara Barton route, that according to lead Ghostess and Bordentown manager Liz Sheridan, takes participants by two of Bordentown’s “post-Revolutionary landmarks: the former Poor Clares Estate and the Clara Barton Schoolhouse.”
Prior to her founding the American Red Cross in 1881, Barton was a teacher from Massachusetts who, upon witnessing New Jersey’s deficit of free public schools, created the first institution of its kind in the state. Barton amassed over 600 students in attendance — compared to the six she started with — and a new brick building was constructed.
But Barton, according to New Jersey Women’s History and the Bordentown Historical Society, was deterred when, after experiencing a bout of illness, she was replaced as principal by a man. Barton went on to Washington D.C., where she continued to make history.
In recent years, the Clara Barton Schoolhouse was restored and rededicated. Now distinguished as a historical building to honor an American icon, Sheridan adds that the site has been inquired about since the tour company’s first year in business, with the new route going in the opposite direction of the hilltop. More at bordentownwalkingtours.com.
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Howell Living History Farm, 70 Woodens Lane, Lambertville.
Enjoy the results of happy husking with the Howell Living History Farm’s famous corn maze, known as “the longest-running” in the state, as it takes a trip to the amusement park in a new design on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October.
At a short distance from the main farm at 17 Valley Road in Lambertville, this year’s inspiration came from a “circa-1930s traveling carousel that was recently donated to Howell Farm,” according to their press release, which has “pathways cut in the shape of an old-fashioned” merry-go-round.
Whirl around the four-acre field of puzzles and trivia, then stop by the pumpkin patch or hayride for more. The cost of admission comes in three rates: $12 for ages 13 and older, $10 for ages 5 to 12, and free for ages 4 and under. More at howellfarm.org.
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Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, Lawrence.
Terhune Orchards’ Fall Family Fun Weekends pick up from September and run through October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. With farm festivities and fresh produce abound, Terhune continues another tradition, the “Personality Pumpkin Contest,” which will feature its winners on display through October 30.
No carving is permitted in this challenge where participants “decorate, paint [and create] gourds that are equally as gorgeous on the inside. Submissions are due by October 27, and winners will be announced on October 28 for their presentation during the final weekend of the season. Pumpkins with the “winning personalities” will receive a $75 Terhune gift card.
General admission tickets (ages 3+) are $15, with other packages including pumpkin picking, wine and food available online at terhuneorchards.com. Prices are lower during the last weekend of October, with general admission tickets sold for $12 per person. More at terhuneorchards.com.
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The Princeton Tour Company features their Princeton Ghost Tour/Hunt & Cemetery Visits once again on Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 14 to 29. Tours are approximately two hours and start at 7 or 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 each and rated PG-13. Guests are supplied with equipment in the hopes, once trained by tour guides, to grab a moment with a ghostly figure. More at princetontourcompany.com.
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Halloween 5K and 1 Mile Run/Walk, HomeFront, Carnegie Center, West Windsor. Sunday, October 30.
HomeFront’s Halloween 5K and 1 Mile Run/Walk on Sunday, October 30, remains a hybrid way to “change the lives of local homeless children” with the Mercer County nonprofit organization. Participants are able to run on the in-person themed course at the Carnegie Center or attend virtually.
The “Preschooler Pumpkin Dash” starts at 9 a.m., and the main race starts at 10 a.m. There will also be live music and a costume contest. More at homefrontnj.org.
Hamilton's Dragonfly Farms celebrates their 'Fall Festival' every day of October, as well as a 'Trunk or Treat' on Oct. 29.,
Howell Living History Farm’s ‘longest-running’ corn maze is a merry-go-to spot this year with a classic carousel design to explore on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October.,
Robbinsville’s pets hit the promenade in a costume contest from the township's Division of Recreation & Parks on Saturday, October 29.,
