Tri-Cities triple treat

Whether you're a parent searching for a fun activity for your small child, or a teen or adult looking for a thrill, there should be plenty of activities in the Tri-Cities area this Halloween season.

Here is a look:

Family fun

Schneider Fall Festival: A costume parade, pumpkin decorating and a scarecrow contest are all part of Saturday's Schneider Elementary School Fall Festival at 304 Banbury Road, North Aurora.

The parade will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m. The festival follows from 2 to 6 p.m. and includes a pumpkin patch, games, raffles, tattoos, a bake sale, craft fair, face painting and a spooky pirate ship.

This school fundraiser is sponsored by the Parent Teacher Organization. Funds raised are used to provide books and other reading materials, teaching aids and classroom equipment for the school. Businesses can support the school by donating goods and services for the raffle, making a cash donation or sponsoring one of the games. For information, call the school at (630) 301-5014.

Halloween Family Fun Fair: On Saturday, the Elgin Parks and Recreation Department and Sherman Health present the 21st annual Halloween Family Fun Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Heritage Ballroom at The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way. Admission is free.

The Halloween Fun Fair is one of the largest family attended events. This year's event will include pediatric development screenings, child car seat safety checks, book sale, fun fair games and prizes, a safe toys booth and other events. Sherman will hold a costume contest for children ages 12 and younger from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For details, call (847) 931-6123.

AID Fall Festival: The Association for Individual Development will hold a Fall Festival, featuring a haunted house, kids' games with prizes, and a bake sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 27 at 409 W. New Indian Trail Court in Aurora.

Admission to the haunted house is only $2, and 50 cents per game. The haunted house was made by staff and clients and is also wheelchair accessible.

Proceeds from the fees are used for activities and outings for individuals who participate in AID's Developmental Training program, offered at the Keeler Center. The program helps people with severe disabilities to become as independent as possible in the following skill areas: self-help, daily living, speech and language, fine and gross motor development, socialization and pre-vocational skills. The program also provides long-term training in daily living and adaptive skills in order to increase or maintain social independence. For details, call MaryAnn at (630) 966-4252.

AID is a nonprofit, community-based organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of children and adults with disabilities by promoting individual achievement and community inclusion. AID serves more than 3,800 individuals in Kane, Kendall, and DeKalb counties, Hanover Township in Cook County and throughout the entire city of Aurora.

VNA parade, treasure hunt: On Oct. 27, the Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley will host a costume parade and treasure hunt with the popular television character Dora the Explorer. The event will be from 2 to 4 p.m. at the VNA Health Center, 400 N. Highland Ave. in Aurora.

"We want to do something fun for our patients and the families right here in our community," said Tracy Methling, VNA director of development, who planned the day's activities. "All kids will receive special prizes as they follow the map to the hidden treasures throughout our facility."

The event will take place at the new VNA Health Center at the northwest corner of Highland and West Park in Aurora. The 56,000-square-foot health care facility features comprehensive pediatric, OB/Gyn, family practice and senior care. VNA physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and other medical staff serve everyone, including those with little or no health insurance.

VNA patients also receive complete pregnancy care, including prenatal care and deliveries by VNA obstetricians. Onsite pharmacy and laboratory (blood work) services are also available.

The VNA Costume Parade and Treasure Hunt is free to the public and everyone is welcome to attend. Community members can come at any time during the event; allow 30 minutes for the treasure hunt. Also, those who wish to wear their holiday costumes are encouraged to do so, though it's not necessary to participate. For information, call Tracy Methling at (630) 482-8121.

Pumpkin Patch Party: First Baptist Church of Geneva will host a Pumpkin Patch Party from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 27 at its west campus, 3435 Keslinger Road, Geneva.

A variety of games for children to play will be available for children, age 2 through fourth grade, where children can receive prizes and candy. Lunch also will be offered for $2 per person, or $10 per family which will consist of hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, apples and brownies. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is not required. Costumes are optional. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Mothers Club party: The North Aurora Mothers Club will have its annual Halloween party from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at Fearn Elementary, 1600 Hawksley Lane, North Aurora.

Delnor party, parade

Delnor-Community Hospital will have a Pumpkin Party & Parade from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 31 in the Delnor 351 Medical Office Building. The event is open to children ages 1 through 5; costumes are required. The cost per child is $5. Registration is required.

All children attending will receive a Delnor nylon backpack for trick-or-treating, a mini teddy bear from the "Mini Teddy Clinic" and small prizes from the games area, as well as giveaways and lots of safety information. A short trick-or-treat parade will allow children to take a walk through certain areas of the hospital and get treats along with way.

There will be free car seat checks from 10 a.m. to noon and again 2 to 3 p.m. in the Medical Office Building parking lot.

To register or for more information, call (630) 208-3999.

Scary rides, hikes

Terror on the Railroad: The Illinois Railway Museum, 7000 Olson Road in Union, offers Terror on the Railroad from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 19-20, 26-27 and 7 p.m. to midnight Oct. 31. It includes a haunted train wreck, Train of Chills and the Screamliner. This is for ages 13 and older. Cost is $10, includes museum admission. For details, call (815) 923-4391, ext. 471 or visit www.terroronthe railroad.com or www.irm.org.

Pumpkin Trolley: The Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin will hold its annual Pumpkin Trolley at the museum, 361 S. LaFox St. (Route 31). Pumpkin Trolley hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Kids of all ages ride the trolley to the Pumpkin Patch to pick up their pumpkins and enjoy other activities. Fares are $3.50 for adults, $2 for senior citizens and for children ages 3-11. Children younger than 3 ride free. Pumpkins are $1 a piece. For details, call (847) 697-4676.

Haunted Hike: The Three Fires Council Boys Scouts of America will host its 17th annual Haunted Hike at Camp Big Timber, 37W955 Big Timber Road in Elgin. The haunted hikes will be from 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays, Oct. 19 and 26; and 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 20 and 27. The event is open to the public and admission is $9. Admission is $7 to Scouts (boys and girls) wearing their uniforms. A kiddie hike will be from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Oct. 27 with a $6 admission. Parking is free. For details, visit www.threefirescouncil.org.

Scary stories in woods

The St. Charles Public Library and the Kane County Forest Preserve District offer "Scary Stories" from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Tekakwitha Woods, 35W076 Villa Marie Road about 4 miles north of downtown St. Charles.

It will be offered from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for students in third to 12th grade with a parent. Make sure to bring a blanket and flashlight. You must make other arrangements for younger children as they may not attend this event. Families living outside the library district may register with the Kane County Forest Preserve at (847) 741-8250, ext. 10.

Hiawatha Ghost Train: On Oct. 27-28, the Halloween Hiawatha Ghost Train will travel through the Fox River Trolley Museum, 361 S. LaFox St. in South Elgin. This is a reserved-seating, after-hours railcar ride for children and their families. At the end of the line, there will be a campfire and ghost stories. Fares are $8 for adults, $7 for children, 11 and younger. Advance registration is necessary. Visit the Web site at www.foxtrolley.org/reservations. The museum also hosts the Haunted Trolley rides from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 27-28. It's a spooky good time for children of all ages.

Haunted houses

Elburn Leos: This is the seventh year for this haunted house, run by the Leos, the junior branch of the Elburn Lions Club for people ages 12 to 18.

The Haunted House is at Lions Park, Stetzer and Filmore streets in Elburn. It runs from 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 28. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children age 10 and under. Bring a canned good and get $1 off the price of admission. On Sundays, there is a special group price of $25 for four people. For details, visit www. elburnhauntedhouse.com, or call (630) 365-6315.

St. Charles Jaycees: The Jaycees will celebrate "The Year of the Reaper" at the Tin Cup Pass Shopping Center, Main Street and Tyler Road in St. Charles. The haunted house will continue through Oct. 31.

Admission is $7, and $1 off with a canned good donation. Haunted house hours are 7:30 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 7:30 to 10 p.m. Sundays and Oct. 30-31.

There is a Kiddie Matinee from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 for the very young. Admission is $2. For information, visit www.stcharlesjaycees.org or call (630) 584-2666.

Haunted Manor: Charlestowne Mall's annual Haunted Manor is open every day during October at the mall, 3800 E. Main St., St. Charles. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 7 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 31. Admission is $4 per person, and children, age 4 and under, get in free.

The event is safe for families. The organizers can increase or decrease the scare factor for each group.

For groups of 10 or more, including Scouts or birthday groups who are treated to special surprises, call Helen Zaidan at (630) 336-2442 to make a reservation.

Elgin Turners: The Elgin Turners will have a Haunted House on Fridays through Sundays until Oct. 28 and on Halloween at the hall, 112 Villa St., Elgin. The haunted house will be open to "those who dare to enter!" from 7 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturday, and 7 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays. On Oct. 31, the hours will be 7 to 10:30 p.m. Admission is $9 per person. For details and updated hours, call (847) 697-4431 or visit www.elginturners.org.

Nightmares Basement of the Dead: 42 W. New York St., Aurora: Friday through Sunday, Friday through Sunday and Oct. 26-31. 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays and Oct. 29-31. Group discounts and online coupons available. Not appropriate for children younger than 13. (630) 896-2466 or www.42fear.com.

Wheaton Jaycees Haunted House: DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 W. Manchester Road, Wheaton: La Maison de Morte, 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 28; 7 to 10:30 p.m. Oct. 30-31. $8. For ages 8 and older. www.wheatonjaycees.org/halloween.