OCTOBER 2023

FAMILY TIME
“Non-Traditional” Family-Fun
Halloween Activities
BY VALENE AYAR
Every year, it seems as if Halloween
is arriving earlier and earlier
in the year….and I don’t know
about you guys, but I don’t hate it.
Halloween is such a fun way to
bond with your children and get creative
while you do it. While you can
go the traditional “trick-or-treating”
route, (an oldie but a goodie), why not
put a fun spin on it and start branching
out to create new ghoulie traditions
you and your kids will love and
remember for years to come?
Here are a few ideas, many of
which already exist locally. All you
have to do is show up —preferably, in
costume!
Metro-Detroit Local Activities
Classic Halloween fun for little ones is
available at the Zoo Boo in Royal Oak
weekends from October 7 until October
22. Explore the Detroit Zoo and
experience festive pumpkin displays
and strolling entertainment from jugglers
and magicians. Capture memories
with themed photo opportunities
all while visiting each of the trick-ortreating
spots scattered throughout
the Zoo.
The entire Zoo will be open, allowing
you to visit your favorite animals
and watch them enjoy a treat of their
own. Special Halloween-themed enrichment
activities will be taking place
each day at various animal habitats.
For fairy tales and folklore, look
no further than Troy. On Friday, October
20, in Troy’s Historic Village, their
annual trick-or-treating event brings
the theme to life. Grab your glass slippers
and hop in the pumpkin-carriage
for enchanting decorations, fantastic
games and crafts, and bewitchingly
good trick-or-treating. As always, Village
trick-or-treating is friendly, not
scary, and will have teal pumpkin options
available. Register in advance for
reduced admission.
In Sterling Heights, enjoy “Sterling
Frights” Halloween on Saturday, October
21 in Dodge Park. The 9th annual
celebration runs from 10am until 1pm
A scary movie night can keep little ghosts and goblins happy.
and includes live music, hayrides, a
straw maze, cider and donuts, candy
for the kiddos, photo opportunities,
inflatable activities, rides and more!
For a Spooktacular magic show,
visit Shelby Township Public Library
on Saturday, October 28.
Magical Halloween adventures
await in this exciting, not-scary show
performed by magician, comedian,
and juggler Joel Tacey.
There are a couple of local Boo
Bashes on the same weekend so make
it a “Boo Bash” weekend! The first, in
Southfield Pavilion on Saturday, October
28, will have ghoulish games,
creepy crafts, live entertainment, and
trick or treating. The event is for children
ages 2-12, but everyone must purchase
a ticket to enter.
The second Boo Bash takes place
Sunday, October 29 in Heritage Park.
Dress up in your favorite costume
and enjoy a hayride, making s’mores
and crafts, a creepy crawly creature
display, and a trick-or-treat trail. The
event runs from 11am until 3pm. When
registering, make sure you select your
hayride time; they run every 15 minutes.
Registration is required for both
adults and children, and a paid adult
must accompany children on hayrides.
The Trick or Treat Trail in West
Bloomfield happens Sunday, October
29 in Marshbank Park.
Get more treats than tricks this fall
by walking along the safe and friendly
½ mile-paved trail with your neighbors,
friends, and family. Put on your
costume and head out to collect goodies
from costumed characters and local
businesses and organizations.
Halloween Fun at Home
The above activities are wonderful alternatives
(or additions) to more traditional
Halloween activities, but if you
would like to implement your own, or
better yet, mix it up and do multiple
activities, here are a few you can do on
your own.
Create a “House of Horrors.” One
of the best parts of Halloween is not
the candy and treats, but the creative
spirit of the holiday. And one of the
best ways to showcase your creativity
is by turning your home into a haunted
house that everyone in the neighborhood
can visit and enjoy! Even if
you do not consider yourself creative,
with the help of YouTube, TikTok, and
Google, you can find an endless slew
of ideas to adapt or to build off and
make your own.
Boo your family, friends, and
neighbors. This is a great alternative
to trick-or-treating. It also allows you
the opportunity to show your children
that giving is more important than
receiving. Put together some treats
and goodies (stickers and small toys
are always a fun option), drop them
off on porches, ring the doorbell, and
run! Think of it as trick-or-treating in
reverse. You can put them in little bags
and attach a fun note letting people
know who is responsible for the yummy
surprise. Your kids will also get an
adrenaline rush from the sleuthing of
it all. And we can all use a nice, fun,
and harmless “sense of danger” occasionally.
Happy Booing!
Host a scary movie marathon.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I
couldn’t get enough of movies like Hocus
Pocus and Beetlejuice. As I entered
my teen years, my tastes changed and
I enjoyed the likes of The Sixth Sense,
Scream, and I Know What You Did
Last Summer. Now as a full-grown
woman in her late 30s, it is back to Hocus
Pocus, The Harry Potter series, and
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find
Them series. What does that mean? It
means this can be a tradition for both
kids and adults that will never get
old. You can even do it outside with a
large projector screen (check Amazon)
while you sit by a campfire and make
s’mores!
While Halloween was traditionally
enjoyed mostly by children hopped
up on sugar in the past, it does not
have to be that way anymore. There
are so many new and exciting ways to
celebrate that everyone in the family
can (and will) absolutely love! Check
out some of these activities yourself.
When you do, be sure to take pics, post
them on social media, and be sure to
tag @TheChaldeanNews so we can
celebrate with you! Happy Halloween,
ghouls and goblins!
Editor’s Note: Information and
some excerpts were pulled from
littleguidedetroit.com.
46 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2023