Get in the Halloween Spirit with These 3 Family-Fun Events
Looking for some family-friendly (read not too scary) Halloween fun? Look no further than Belmont County with these three events.
1. Halloween Camp Out at Barkcamp State Park (65330 Barkcamp Rd.). The Friends of Barkcamp will have this annual event on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 4-10 p.m.Trick or Treat will be from 4-5:30 p.m. Costume judging will begin at 6 p.m. and campsite decoration judging will begin at 8 p.m. A haunted trail will be offered from 8-10 p.m. There will be roasted marshmallows. Hot dogs will be $1 each. All proceeds benefit playground improvements at the park. Visit https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-barkcamp-1266353450055936 for more information or call the park office at 740-484-4064.
2. Monsters at the Mall 5K, (Ohio Valley Mall, 67800 Mall Ring Rd., St. Clairsville) returns on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. This is an indoor, costume race with a fun twist. Registration fee is $25 and the first 200 registrants are guaranteed a t-shirt. Race day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. outside the rear entrance to the mall (near Michael’s). Download an entry or register now at https://secure.getmeregistered.com/register.php?event_id=132892&c=71460_681060 All proceeds benefit the Coats for Kids program. Trophies will be awarded to the top three male and female overall runners and walkers. Medallions will be awarded to the top three in nine different age categories. Door prizes will be available. There will also be a free Friendship Dash for children age 10 and under. For more information e-mail race directors Casey Morrison or Alonna Ackerman at monsters@themall5k@gmail.com.
3. Enter Into Twilight: A Celebration of Bats, sponsored by the Belmont County Soil and Water Conservation District, will take place on Oct. 29 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the St. Clairsville Bike Trail Gazebo (100 N. Market St., St. Clairsville).
Celebrate bats and learn more about why they are important to our ecosystem. There will be live demonstrations of big brown bats and owls by Ohio Nature Education, and a virtual reality experience of Bracken Cave.
The event will also include a story walk along the bike trail with several stations including face painting, parts of bats, bat habitat, echolocation, equipment used to monitor bats, bat populations, myths about why bats are scary, the importance of bats, and the decline of bat population and conservation efforts.
For more information and to RSVP call Liza Butler, Belmont SWCD Wildlife/Forestry Specialist at 740-526-0027 or e-mail butler@att,net.
Be sure to stop at the St. Clairsville Public Library (108 W. Main St.) from Oct. 21-Nov. 8 to see a bat display and learn more about these beneficial and fascinating animals.
