All Hallows Eve scares visitors silly
Scaring each other silly is a community effort at Naper Settlement, where this year's All Hallows Eve Halloween celebration features a new pumpkin-carving contest.
Skilled jack-o'-lantern creators are asked to submit their entries into the Hack the Jack contest, presented by the Naperville Jaycees, between 4:30 and 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, for an entry fee of $15 per pumpkin.
Settlement visitors will have the chance to judge the hollowed-out gourds' relative merits throughout All Hallows Eve, running Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20 and 21.
"It's a way for people to get involved," said Emma Vodick, settlement public relations coordinator. "They're giving out prizes."
Also new this year will be a Magical Starlight Theatre presentation called "Escape from Gringotts," a Harry Potter-themed bit of drama. Potter fans will recall that Gringotts Bank, a financial institution in the fictional wizarding world, was operated by goblins.
Haunting photos, enlarged and mounted on canvasses, will form the new Fort Pain Dark Art Gallery.
"We've collected a bunch of photographs and things that are kind of spooky," Vodick said.
There's also a new haunted house added to this year's mix.
Chicago writer Lindsay Currie, who specializes in scary stories for young readers, will be on hand to sign copies of her new book aimed at middle-schoolers, "The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street."
A dramatization from the book, which concerns a new Chicago resident's paranormal experiences, will be presented in the Paw Paw Post Office, Vodick said.
Coming back this year will be the H.H. Holmes Murder Castle, which debuted in 2016 in the Martin Mitchell Mansion, along with old favorite attractions presented throughout the settlement on each of the two evenings.
Vodick said visitors may stroll from building to building to witness dramatizations, which each last from 5 to 10 minutes.
The Ohio Burn Unit fire spinners and a group of aerial performers from Actors Gymnasium will entertain outside the mansion.
Stage acts will include magician Steve Chezaday and Tom Hill's human curiosities. Dave DiNaso's Traveling World of Reptiles will be on display inside the tavern.
Also returning this year will be a contingent of high-school-aged volunteer thespians from Center Stage Players who will present a scene from Dr. Frankenstein's monster-creating lab.
"They're definitely going for more of a haunted house theme," said Center Stage Director Megan Hill. "It's more geared to ages 11 and up. It's not super, in-your-face gore."
Vodick said All Hallows Eve is not recommended for children ages 8 or younger. Visitors are not permitted to wear costumes, she said.
She said concessions will include chicken, kettle corn, candy and doughnuts.
"I just love All Hallows Eve because of the haunted village, and just walking around and seeing each performance," she said.
If you go
What: All Hallows Eve
Where: Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville
When: 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20 and 21
Tickets: $20 per person, available online or at the door
Info: napersettlement.org