Are We There Yet?: Halloween Is Just Beginning

Get your Halloween on this weekend ... and prepare to party for a full week!

I admit, Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays. It always seems to rain (or snow, a la 2012) and my daughter STILL has to go trick or treating. I suck it up and take her because I was not allowed to trick or treat when I was a child. (My mom had her reasons; I've gotten over it.)

Then there's the candy ... oh, all that candy. Who needs it? Well, ironically, my daughter kind of does. As a child with type one diabetes, she chooses to treat low blood sugars with candy. Did you know Smarties have the same chemical makeup as the official diabetic-friendly glucose tabs - but taste much better? So we pick out the Smarties (and other assorted good-for-treating-lows candy like Nerds and Starburst) and then we have a pile left ... from which she then picks out a few she wants to actually eat, non-reliant on blood sugar levels, and leaves the rest for the "switch witch" to come take and leave her a toy.

It's all so exhausting. And let me tell you, the switch witch doesn't need all that candy, either.

But I am indeed gearing up to start this weekend. Here are some Halloween-themes picks for family fun.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, Fairview Hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation team will host the 2014 Monster Dash, a fun 5k run/walk and a 1-mile walk starting at 10 Maple Ave. in Great Barrington, the site of Fairview’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Service.  All ages and abilities are welcome to run and walk and people are encouraged to wear a costume. Race day registration takes place from 8 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. in the Rehabilitation Department.

Moving along, "Beetlejuice" will be shown for free at 11 a.m. at the North Adams Movieplex. Those who bring in a non-perishable food item will be entered to win prizes.

Next up, the Berkshire Humane Society will be hosting a Halloween Adoption Party at Purradise, located at 301 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, from noon to 3 p.m. In addition to shelter animals up for adoption, there will be lots of fun activities for the entire family, including face painting, games and a costume contest.

Wrapping up Saturday is a party at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds. Starting at 4 p.m., there will be a pumpkin carving contest (bring your own pumpkin), followed by a 6 p.m. screening of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," followed by a bonfire. Costumes are encouraged but bring a blanket (or two or three).

Moving along to Sunday, Oct. 26, head to the Berkshire Mall for the annual "Malloween" celebrration from noon to 2 p.m. Kids can go store to store to collect candy and then join Live 95.9 in the food court for games and prizes and even more candy (yay).

Then at 4 p.m., watch or join in the Adams Lions Club's annual Halloween parade for children. Children, in costume, are asked to gather at 4 p.m. at the Adams Community Bank Center Street parking lot. The parade will step off at 4:30 pm, with marchers heading from Center Street to the east side of Park Street, then turning right onto East Maple Street to the Depot Street lot. In the Depot Street lot, the Adams Lions Club trailer will serve hot dogs and refreshments and the club will award prizes for the best costumes.

And if you're already looking toward the actual holiday, click here for our list of trick-or-treat hours.

Happy haunting.

Rebecca Dravis is the community editor at iBerkshires. She can be reached at rdravis@iberkshires.com.