by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Halloween is more than just another drinking holiday. You also get to dress up as whatever you want for the night. Okay, so that’s a lot like clubbing already, except that it gives you license to be even more bizarre than you usually are. Here’s a sample of what’s going on around town as far as pre-Halloween activities, as well as a separate list for the night of Halloween.
October 26th at the 5 Points Theatre. The masquerade ball is a Black Tie Optional affair and is a benefit for the First Coast Pride HIV testing, prevention and education program. Bewitchments of the evening include: Sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, Midnight Champagne toast, an eclectic mix of music from 2 DJ’s, cash & prizes for top three masquerade costumes and live entertainment. Tickets ($35) may be purchased online at http://www.masqueradejax.com or by calling 1-888-411-6482 x701
October 26th at Freebird Live (Jacksonville Beach) featuring the Genitorturers, X-Sister-Z, Man and Machines. There will also be Saw IV movie giveaways.
October 27th at Eclipse (4219 St Johns Ave. in Avondale). Dark Alternative Music from throughout out time. Drink specials. Costume Contest and Gothtastic Fun!
October 27th at 7 pm. Horror Classics, Costume Contest, Prizes, Music by Triclops I, Tasty Food from Burrito Gallery, Scariness and More! 9th and Main (1850 N. Main St. Springfield)
Nobody does Halloween quite like a drag queen, which is why we love Halloween at the Metro! They’ve got four nights of Halloween fun going on, with costume contests and a disco theme. Disco of the Undead October 28th Doors Open at 8 pm. Costume Contest at Midnight October 29th & 30th. Disco Inferno October 31st “Because Polyester Never Dies!” Costume Contests, prizes, cash. Inertia Pumpkin Carving Party October 30th Show up with a pumpkin at 7 pm and get down with some cutting action on hearty gourd-like vegetables in an effort to eventually frighten small children through the cunning use of candles. Halloween Party Featuring Gorilla Joe at Plush November 2nd starting at 8 pm
Things kick off at the Starlite around 8 pm, but people will come early in all their Halloween splendor to shop in the area and eat at some of the places in the neighborhood.
(1253 McDuff Avenue South). It’s the last day of the LABOR Show, so buy some art, wear your costumes and have an artsy Halloween.
“Because Polyester Never Dies!” Costume Contests, Prizes, Cash.
featuring Hell Within and Spread the Plague.
Costume Contest with Cash and Prizes! Contest judging begins at 10:00pm. Door prizes from the Grape for the first 25 costumes. Drink Specials for everyone!. Ages 21+ only. Cover $5 marksjax.com
Night of the Living Dead by Lori Allen Ohm. No, this isn’t a showing of a classic movie. It’s a play but essentially it deals with the same sort of Universal Themes as the movie—undead zombies with a blood-thirsty lust for human flesh. Huzzah! It’s thrills, chills and dark satire this Halloween season! Too bad you have to drive all the way to the Hippodrome in Gainesville to experience it. Info: (352) 375-HIPP or thehipp.org Location: The Hippodrome in Gainesville. (See review on page 31)
A seasonal treat in the Agatha Christie vein, the witty murder mystery, A Party to Murder, by Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes, creeps on to the Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre stage Friday October 26th, continuing Thursdays through Saturdays until Nov. 10th at 8 pm, with two Sunday matinees Oct. 28th and Nov. 4th at 2 pm. Jeff Wells directs this thriller, which takes the stage at the Atlantic Beach Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd., on the corner of 7th in Atlantic Beach. Tickets are $15 and $12 (for Seniors, students and military) and reservations are recommended (due to limited seating) by calling (904) 249-7177.
Enjoy this hauntingly funny musical and comedic improvisation of Ghosts Goblins and Leprechauns Comedy Show at McKnight’s Little Ireland. The fun begins at 8 pm on October 26th at 113 Anastasia Blvd. For more information call (904) 829-0870.
It’s a double feature of scary movies at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, Florida’s newest outdoor arts and cultural venue. This Night Owl Cinema Double Feature of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events & The Shining is a great and free way to kick off your Halloween celebrations on October 26th. The Night Owl Cinema Series is free and open to the public. Shows are at 7:30 and 9:30 pm The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is located at 1340 A1A South in St. Augustine. For more information, call (904) 471-1965 or visit staugamphitheatre.com.
It’s time for the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society’s fourth annual “Stowe, Steamboats and Stories,” from 7 to 9 pm on Sunday, October 28th, at the Walter Jones Historical Park in Mandarin (11964 Mandarin Road). The costumes are ready and stories polished. More than a dozen reenactors are prepared to bring alive historical figures from Florida’s past. During this free event, visitors will journey into the park by lamplight and meet Harriet Beecher Stowe, Maple Leaf survivor Mrs. Chadwick, steamboat magnate Captain Brock, an 1870s trapper’s wife, and others. Last year, more than 350 attended the annual event. For information visit mandarinmuseum.net or call (904) 268-0784.
October 5th – 31st Forget romance and embrace the eerie on a spooky carriage tour. Country Carriages will be providing a spooky tour of St. Augustine throughout the haunting month of October. Tours depart nightly from St. Augustine’s Bayfront on the hour between 7 & 10 pm. Reservations are required. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for Children 5 -11. For reservations or more information, call (904) 669-8361.
October 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 27th, and 31st Venture into the Keepers’ House and Tower at night, learn about the history of the St. Augustine Light Station, listen to paranormal tales and experience darkness inside the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The tours begin at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 per adult and $20 per child. Children must be at least 7 years old and 44 inches tall to climb the tower. Space is limited and reservations are required. For more information, please call (904) 829-0745 x207.
October 19th-21st & 25th – 31st Enjoy a most haunting experience on St. Augustine’s premier “Frightseeing” Tour, which explores the darker side of St. Augustine’s past. The only tour that takes you inside three of the most haunted places in the entire city: The Old Drug Store, The Spanish Military Hospital and The Old Jail. Tours are scheduled nightly and start at 8 pm. Tickets are $24 for adults and $12 for children. For more information, call (904) 829-3800, or visit trolleytours.com.
October 25th– 31st Join the ghostly pirate that has commandeered the 72’ Schooner Freedom and holds passengers captive as they sail the dark waters of the Matanzas Bay. Entertaining tales and assistance from the captives are the highlight of this adventure—not to mention the rations and grog that add to enjoyment. Tickets are $35 for adults and kids 2 -12 are $25. For tour times, tickets and more information, call (904) 810-1010. Reservations are required for these tours.
October 26th, 27th & 31st Have a hauntingly good time on one of Ripley’s Halloween tours or adventures. Take the Ripley’s Ghost Train Adventure, Haunted Express, Mourning Tour or the Walking Ghost Adventure to experience the spookiest stories or to be a part of the sleuthing for spirits in the Nation’s Oldest City. Bring the kids to Ripley’s Garden for family-friendly stories. The Ghost Train Adventures take place from 8:30 to 11:30 pm, and tickets are $24 for adults, $12 for children; the Ripley’s Walking Ghost Adventures are at 8 & 9:30 pm and tickets are $15 per person; the Ripley’s Mourning Tour–a fun and quirky stroll with Death–is at 10:30 am, and tickets are $15 per person; the Ripley’s Haunted Express Tours are at 8, 9 and 10 pm, and tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for children, Ripley’s Children’s Story Garden is from 6 to 8 p.m. and admission is free. All tours, except the Walking Ghost Adventure depart from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, located at 19 San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine. The Walking Ghost Adventure Departs from 3 Cordova Street. For more information, call (904) 824-1606 or visit redtrains.com.
October 27th Bring the dogs to the dog-gone-friendly Colonial Spanish Quarter from 9 am to noon for a barking-good time. Make sure your doggie is dressed in costume for the doggone-est Halloween Costume Contest which takes place at 10:30 am. If you don’t have a four-legged friend, Goliath and Bebe’s World will be there with some adorably-adoptable pets. The Colonial SpanishQuarter is located at 53 St. George Street. Admission is $6.89 for adults, children $4.24 and $5.83 for seniors. For more information please call (904) 825-6830 or visit ci.st-augustine.fl.us.
3rd annual howling halloween costume contest and fundraiser October 28th Spooks and goblins will be haunting Paws Park at Wingate Park, but these won’t be your standard Halloween spooks with the usual tricks or treats. These trick-or-treaters will be four-legged with wagging tails and wet kisses. Prizes will be awarded for the following: most original dog costume, best dog and owner costume, funniest dog costume, scariest dog costume and best group. The group must include dogs. Friends of Paws Park volunteers will be hosting the event to raise money to help pay for maintenance and improvements to Paws Park. For more information, visit pawsparkjaxbeach.com, email info@pawsparkjaxbeach.com or call (904) 513-9240
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