'halloween'

It’s that time of year, driving home I can see all the Halloween decorations in the front yards. Leaves blowing across the street and soon we will see kids running around in costumes on Halloween night. As a parent, I get excited and fearful for this event. Seeing my children helping each other getting ready with their costumes, make-up and then out the door for treat or treating. The joy of this annual family tradition, yet the worry of the surroundings, watching running excited children for candy, crossing streets without looking and cars in the dark. How do we keep this yearly tradition safe?

Safe Kids Grand Forks is an organization that brings together the expertise of individuals in our community and region who are committed to reducing childhood injuries. Safe Kids has Halloween safety tips and some great resources to help parents and kids reduce risk of injuries. For instance, did you know that carrying glow sticks or flashlights can help your trick or treating experience better, along with letting drivers see your little ones on the street. Some of these resources can help give you some simple creative and safe costume ideas. And good reminders, drive extra safe on Halloween night and to be sure your little trick or treaters are safely buckled when traveling. Find more tips on their website!

If that wasn’t enough, Safe kids has generously been handing out reflective strips for parents and kids. You can pick up a reflective strip and see Safe Kids Grand Forks display here at the East Grand Forks Campbell Library or call Safe Kids Grand Forks 701-780-1489 for more information.

The community has done a great job offering indoor or parking lot events. These are a great fun, safe alternative to “Door” trick or treating. The East Grand Forks Campbell Library will be handing out candy, giveaways, and library information at these two upcoming events:

Halloween Skate & Treat

Tuesday, October 25, 2022
5:00pm - 7:30pm
VFW Arena - East Grand Forks, MN

Entry is $7 and is presented by East Grand Forks Park & Recreation with all proceeds going to the EGF Food Shelf and Northern Lights Figure Skate Club. Wear your costume and bring your skates, as the arena will have concessions, contests, games and skating. Trick or treating will be handed out by our local businesses. Don’t have skates? No problem, skating rentals will be available when you pre-register for the event. You can pre-register and pay online or pay at the door. To can find out more details online or call 218-773-8000.

Haunted Heritage Village

Saturday, October 29, 2022
11:00am - 2:00 pm
Heritage Village - East Grand Forks, MN

Another great event to mark your calendar for is the Annual Haunted Heritage Village. This event is generally steered towards children pre-K to grade 3 but this is a family event, all are welcome. Activities include games, crafts, Dakota Science Center providing experiments, trick or treating, and concessions. This is a free event, but will be collecting canned goods and monetary donations for the local food cupboard.

We can’t wait to see all the creative Halloween costumes this week! Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Even though I am a huge wimp, I still love to dip my toe into horror stories this time of year. There’s something about the fall -- the skeletal trees, the gusts of wind rustling leaves on the ground, the chill in the air -- that draws me to the spooky. Lucky for me, and for you, we’ve got a wide range of horror – titles for those who want the mildest of scares all the way up to hardcore scary gore-core. If you’re looking to dip your toe in too here are a few titles that are my Goldilocks level of horror (not too tame, not too scary, just right).

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

(Science Fiction WENDIG) Chuck Wendig weaves a tale that is oh-so-prescient in Wanderers. A young girl gets out of bed one morning and starts walking. She doesn’t talk or respond, just walks. And soon others join her. A flock of sleepwalkers begins a cross-country journey, no stops for food or rest, just a relentless push forward. They’re protected by “shepherds” – family and friends who follow the flock, determined to find out what’s wrong, determined to protect them. For on their journey, they will discover an America convulsed with terror and violence, where this apocalyptic epidemic proves less dangerous than the fear of it.

The Outsider by Stephen King

(Mystery KING | eAudiobook) When Flint City’s beloved Little League Coach, Terry Maitland is implicated in a gruesome crime, the whole city reels. Terry Maitland, the English teacher, a murderer? No one can believe it. Though Maitland has an alibi, Detective Ralph Anderson orders a quick arrest – he has Terry’s DNA all over the scene. As the investigation expands and evidence proving Maitland’s alibi surfaces, more questions than answers emerge. How can one person be in the same place at the same time? I was drawn to The Outsider by its description of a confounding murder investigation, but I stuck with it as it twisted into a search for a supernatural predator. (And Holly Gibney – you’ll want to meet Holly Gibney!)

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

(eBook) If you like a little humor with your horror, check out the Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. When a mysterious and handsome stranger moves into Patricia Campbell’s quiet neighborhood in Charleston, she’s intrigued. The only other exciting thing in Patricia’s life is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true crime and suspenseful fiction. But when some local children go missing, Patricia begins to suspect that the newcomer might be involved. She begins her own investigation and uncovers something much more horrifying than she had anticipated.

Honorable mentions:

• Animus by Antoine Revoy
• The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
• The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
• Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill