By Jessica Pope
The Valdosta Daily Times — VALDOSTA — With its much-anticipated House of Horror, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Library will help kick off the Halloween season.
The second annual haunted house will be open to everyone 13 years of age and older from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday and will be followed by an All Hallows Eve Ball from 9:30-10:30 p.m. for teens and adults ages 16 and up. Everyone must be in a costume to attend the ball.
On their Web site (www.sgrl.org) library officials noted, “Bring your friends for a spooky time at the library with music and refreshments.”
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Library will follow up with more Halloween fun from noon-2 p.m. on Saturday. The annual Fall Carnival will feature lots of classic carnival games, fresh popcorn, a bounce house and real carriage rides.
Looking for even more Halloween activities?
• Individuals and families interested in a not-so-frightening maze — assuming a lack of familiarity with the Stephen King short story, “Children of the Corn,” or its film adaptations — will enjoy Hahira’s Corn-fusing Maze. Featuring paths, dead-ends and turns cut into 10 acres of cornfield, the maze will be open to the public from 6-9 p.m. every Friday and from 1-9 p.m. every Saturday through Nov. 14. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and younger. Military and groups of 15 or more will receive a $1 discount per person. To learn more call (229) 300-0185.
• An A-Maze-Ing Place features six acres of maze, a children’s Sweet Nibblet maze, hayrides, boiled peanuts, a bounce house, and more. The maze is open from 6 p.m.-midnight on Fridays, 4-10 p.m. on Saturdays and 2-7 p.m. on Sundays through Nov. 15. It becomes a haunted maze from 9 p.m.-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $8 for the adult Cream of the Crop corn maze, $6 for the children’s Sweet Nibblet corn maze, and $3 for the hayride. To learn more call (229) 740-2346.
• St. John Catholic School will host a Halloween carnival for the community from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday at 800 Gornto Road. Among the many featured activities are a sweet shop, bounce house, double slide, obstacle course, haunted house and cake walk. Food will be available for sale. To learn more call (229) 244-2556.
• Reed Bingham State Park will host a Fall Festival from 7-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Activities are $1 per person and include a haunted house, a spooky hayride through the mysterious woods and a boat ride down the river in search of eyes in the dark. Parking is $5 a car. To learn more call (229) 896-3551.
• Wild Adventures Theme Park will celebrate all things Halloween with Phobia during the month of October. Young, old and in between are invited to face their fears by visiting at least one of the scary haunted houses and various scare zones located in the park or taking a walk through the PsychoPath. For the children, friendlier frights are available. To learn more visit www.wildadventures.com.
• The 23rd Civil Engineering Squadron at Moody Air Force Base will host a haunted house on Friday and Saturday just north of the base. A less scarier version with the lights turned on will run from 6-7:30 p.m. each night. The lights will be turned off from 7:30-11 p.m. for all others. Tickets are $5 for adults and free for children.
• The 200 E. Adair St. Horror, often referred to as “the scariest haunted house in town,” will be open from 6-11 p.m. today and Friday and from 6 p.m.-midnight on Saturday. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for children 12 and younger. Funds raised benefit PRIDE, an organization serving individuals with mental disabilities.
• There will be an outdoor haunted area at 5125 River North Circle, just off Shiloh Road, from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday. Among the featured activities are a haunted graveyard, ghosts, a pumpkin patch and candy. This event is free of charge.
• The Brooks County Sheriff’s Office will hold its annual Safe Streets Halloween Festival starting at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday on the lawn of the Brooks County Courthouse. Activities include a haunted house, hot dogs, drinks, candy, a pumpkin patch, face painting and more.
• Confetti & Lace at 3123 N. Oak St. Ext. will host a Halloween day of fun from noon-5 p.m. on Saturday. Activities include a bounce slide, a visit from Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob and Hokey the Clown making balloon animals. To learn more call (229) 247-4613.
• The River Road Haunted House, which can be found 1.5 miles past the Highway 122 turnoff onto River Road in Lanier County, will once again scare those brave enough to enter its doors. The two-story, 5,000-square-foot Victorian home built in the late 1800s or early 1900s will be open from 8 p.m.-midnight on Friday and Saturday. It has been described as “a perfect haunted house,” one just as good as anything staged by Universal Studios. Tickets are $3 for those 20 years of age and under and $5 for everyone else. Proceeds benefit the Lanier Animal Partnership and Support nonprofit group. To learn more call (229) 482-3120 or (229) 460-8233.
• The Halloween tradition of Trick or Treating will be recognized from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday. Area residents can avoid the tricks traditionally played on this holiday by providing their neighborhood children with a few sweet treats. Families are encouraged to use common sense and practice safety, making the season enjoyable for everyone. Children should be accompanied by their parents as they go from house to house, carry a flashlight or glow stick to make them more visible to automobiles and avoid eating any candy or other treats until they have been examined.
• Halloween Song and Light Show, Sew and So Fabrics, 601 E. Park Ave., has installed a Halloween show in its window that moves to the music. Visitors are invited to park in the Marion Street lot, tune their radios to 89.7 FM, and hear the music that accompanies the light show, from 7:30-10 p.m. nightly through Saturday.
