St. Mark Catholic Church at 9970 Vale Road in Vienna has opened its pumpkin patch. On weekends the patch is open from 9 a.m. until dark, on weekdays from 4 p.m. until dark. All the pumpkins were grown on a Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico.
<cal2>Vienna's annual Halloween party for children ages 4-12 will beheld Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. Admission is free. There will be carnival games and prizes for everyone
<cal2>Scarecrow-making will be held at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site in Great Fallson Oct. 19 and 20 from noon to 2 p.m. . Bring an outfit for your scarecrow plus an old pair of pantyhose, and the leaders will supply the stuffing and a good head for his shoulders. $5/scarecrow.
The 56th Annual Halloween Parade and Mixer, run by Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce, will occur at the Sun Trust Bank, 515 Maple Ave., East. The Mixer is from 5-7 p.m. and the Parade from 7-9 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Vienna Inn and sponsorship opportunities are available. The cost is $5 per person. For more information call 703-281-1333.
The Halloween Fun Fest will take place at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean on Saturday, October 26, from 4-7 p.m. All children in the community are invited with a parent or guadian and to participate -dressed in a Halloween costume- in the Halloween parade. Activites include games, crafts and the perennial pumpkin decorating and coloring. "Slime-ade" will be the drink of choice. The church is located at 1545 Chain Bridge in McLEan. For more information call 703-356-3346 or visit www.redeemermclean.org.
Halloween fun at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site in Great Falls. Enjoy children's activities, crafts, s'mores and storytelling by Mason Tailspinner on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 2-4 p.m., $4 adult and $2 child or senior.
The 11th Annual Halloween Spooktacular and Costume Parade will be held on Oct. 31 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Great Falls Village Center. For more information, contact the Village Centre Condominium Association at 703-759-2485 or at www.greatfallsva.com.
Cox Farms will hold its 30th annual fall festival, through Nov. 3. Located at 15621 Braddock Road in Centreville, it will be open daily, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., with the last entry at 5 p.m. Phone: 703-830-4121; Web site: www.coxfarms.com. Weekdays except Columbus Day, admission is $7 for those 2 and over; weekends and Columbus Day, it's $9.
It offers 50 acres of hayrides, rope swings, mountain slides, baby animals, pumpkins, apple cider, live entertainment and lots more. Children can play a life-size game of Candyland or frolic with other "kids" at Billy Goat Village. Farmer Jack does a musical, cow-milking show with Bingo the Cow, and Johnny Vince sings funny children's songs. Weekends also feature face painting, pony rides and magic shows.
Cox will hold specially themed Weekend Festival days. In October, D.C. United will hold its "Kicks for Kids" soccer program there. And Nov. 2-3 will be a Pumpkin Smashing Festival for kids bringing their Halloween pumpkins.
Harmon's Hayrides offers hayrides on Belgian Draft horses through the Virginia Fall countryside for groups of 20 to 140 people. The rides are held at Meadow Acres Farm evenings at 7 and 8:30 p.m. On weekends, the times are 2, 3:30, 5, 7 and 8:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Cost is $4/child under 12 and $8/teens and adults. A campfire afterwards with cider and doughnuts is an additional $4/person. Meadow Acres Farm is located at 43120 Hollyspring Lane, Centreville. Call 703-327-6731. E-mail: belgins@erols.com.
Slightly Scary Stories. Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10:30 a.m. at Fairfax City Regional Library, 3915 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax. Call 703-246-2281 to register. Stories and activities. Ages 3-5 with adult.
Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns. Thursday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. at Richard Byrd Library, 7250 Commerce St., Springfield. Call 703-451-8055 for more information. Songs, stories and pumpkin lighting. Ages 3-5 with adult.
The Ninth-Annual Goblin Gallop 5K race and 1K fun run will take place on Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Fair Lakes Shopping Center, off the Fair Lakes Parkway, in Fairfax. The fun run begins at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K starts at 9 a.m. Proceeds go to The John Quadrino Foundation to Benefit Children with Cancer. The event will take place, rain or shine, and will kick off in front of Jared's in the shopping center. The 5K entry fee is $20 if postmarked by Oct. 22; late and race-day registration is $25. Entry fee for the 1K is $15 if postmarked by Oct. 22; late and race-day registration is $20. It's a USATF-certified course, and the first three overall male and female finishers will win $150, $100 and $50, respectively. Top age-group finishers will also receive prizes. Register on-line at www.racepacket.com. For more information, call 703-536-2027, e-mail GoblinGallop@MWZB.com or see www.goblingallop.org.
Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns. Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the Kings Park Library, 9000 Burke Lake Road, Burke. For more information, call 703-978-5600. Stories and pumpkin lighting. Age 3-5 with adult.
Fright Night. Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Pohick Regional Library, 6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke. Call 703-644-7333 to register. Stories for the brave of heart. All ages.