Coweta County groups scaring up plenty of Halloween treats
By W. WINSTON SKINNER
winston@newnan.com
If you have ever wondered which store is the scariest one around, the parents and students at Odyssey Charter School want to help you find out.
The eighth grade class at Odyssey has teamed up with Coweta County Special Olympics to present The Haunted House at Ashley Park in Newnan. The spooky experience is recommended for ages 10 and older.
The Ashley Park event includes seven bouncy houses, pony rides, a photo booth and a farmers market. There will be a raffle, a silent auction and a coupon walk. A firetruck will be on the scene.
Admission is $10 for a wristband. People who bring a can of food will save a dollar. There also is an option of seeing the haunted house for only $5.
The haunted house will give visitors a chance to feel their way through a dark maze of terrifying specters, ghosts and ghouls. Those who dare will visit a haunted hospital and a spooky graveyard.
The Odyssey fundraiser began last weekend. Hours Friday will be 5-9 p.m., and it will be open Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Donated food will go to the Coweta Community Food Pantry.
Spooky goings-on are also on tap in Coweta County’s neighboring counties to the south. In the Meriwether County seat of Greenville, the historic jail is again the site of a haunted house.
The brick structure, built in 1896, was the location of at least one hanging when it was a jail. Volunteers put on the haunted jail for the first time in 2009.
Mariea Murphy, who owns the building and organized the event, said the scary experience will be offered today, Friday and Saturday – and again on Halloween night. Hours are “from dusk till doom,” she said, and admission is $10.
Hogansville’s Haunted Theater is returning for some Halloween-season frights. Opening night was Oct. 20. Additional “hauntings” are set for Friday and Saturday – and for Halloween. All of them will start at 7 p.m.
There is a $10 admission for adults, and entry is $5 for those 12 years and under. Parents of children under are 6 are strongly cautioned that the Haunted Theater experience is “scary.”
The theater is located in downtown Hogansville at 400 E. Main St.
For Cowetans who still need a pumpkin as Halloween draws near, the Pumpkin Patch at Moreland United Methodist Church still has them in all sizes. Hours are – weekdays, noon-8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-6 p.m. Pumpkins range in price from $2-$20.
The fundraiser will “help fund our community outreach programs” Deborah Smith said. Visitors to the broad lawn of the Moreland church can also purchase pecans “to benefit our youth program,” Smith said. Pecans are $2 per pound in the shell or $3 cracked.
Hopewell United Methodist Church in Tyrone also has a Pumpkin Patch. That patch is open through Oct. 31 seven days a week from 12:30-7 p.m.
The Hopewell project money goes to missions. Hopewell is located at at 351 Jenkins Rd., directly across from Sandy Creek High School.
Churches and schools have been celebrating autumn with a variety of fun events. Western Elementary at Welcome and Eastside Elementary near Senoia both held fall festivals on Friday. Unity Elementary in Luthersville held theirs on Tuesday with games, a hotdog sale and tours of the haunted hallway.
Several events are still on the calendar:
Friday Oct. 26
• Trunk-or-Treat will be held at First Baptist Church, There will be more than 75 trunks, inflatables, hotdogs and horse rides. The event will be held from 6-8 p.m.
• Trunk-or-Treat will be held at the Field of Dreams adjacent to Allen-Lee Memorial United Methodist Church in Lone Oak. The event will start at 6 p.m., and a hotdog supper will be follow in the fellowship hall.
• Sunnyside Baptist Church on Greenville Street in Newnan has its Fall Festival 6:30-9 p.m. There will be a hayride, apple bobbing, a cakewalk, Bingo, games and refreshments.
Saturday, Oct. 27
• Pumpkin Festival And Trick or Treat on Main Street in downtown Fayetteville is being mounted on Saturday by Fayetteville Main Street.
Joyce Waits, Main Street coordinator, said “a variety of family events” are planned. Starting at the Gazebo at 10 a.m., residents can shop at an extended Market Day that runs until 5 p.m.
“With nearly 100 vendors, it should be easy to find something to purchase and get a head start on your holiday shopping,” Waits said.
The Halloween event is “a long-standing tradition for kids of all ages,” Waits said. She said the festival “will be a fun spectacle around the square as families are encouraged to come downtown and enjoy hay rides, train rides, face painting, games and much more.”
Activities will be interspersed between the Market Day vendors. Children will be able to visit vendor booths and downtown businesses for trick-or-treating from 3-4 p.m. Also, at 2:30 p.m. the first dog costume contest will be sponsored by the Fayetteville Rotary Club.
“This year, the costume contest will begin at 4 for children ages 13 and under, with prizes awarded in different age groups,” Waits said. “During the day, everyone is encouraged to view the hundreds of decorated pumpkins on display across the street at the Old Courthouse lawn.”
• Sigvaris and Atlanta Trek are teaming up for a bike ride and fall festival 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Sigvaris location in Peachtree City –1119 Highway 74 South. All proceeds benefit Camp Southern Ground, being built on 500 acres in Fayette County to serve children ages 7-17, with both typical and special needs. The camp is the passion project of Grammy Award winning artist Zac Brown.
For information on the ride and festival, visit www.facebook.com/SigCentury .
• Members at Russell Temple AME Church on Westside School Road are planning a Fall Festival 11 a.m-5 p.m. Rib plates will be available for $7, said member Bernice Hall.
• A free Fall Festival at Summit Family YMCA is 1-3 p.m. Costume contest, crafts, pumpkin painting, games, food, live entertainment and a haunted hallway. Summit Y is also holding a costume swap. Individuals can bring an old costume and swap it for another one off of the rack.
• Oaklawn Baptist Church on Pine Road holds a Fall Festival 2-4 p.m. Games, cakewalks, hayrides and food are planned.
• Holy Zion Center Of Deliverance Church on Temple Avenue has its Fall Festival 2-6 p.m. Vivian Wilson said the event is “free for all” and will offer “food, fun, games, face painting,” and music.
• Tabernacle of Prayer on Jefferson Street has its Fall Festival Saturday 3-6 p.m. Rachel Ritter said there will be “games, prizes, food and fellowship.” Ritter said 20 tickets for the various activities will be $5.
• Fall Festival at Orchard Hills Church starts 4 p.m.
• Annual Hallelujah Festival and Trunk-or-Treat at St. Smyrna Baptist Church on Heery Road —4-8 p.m. – will include games and food. Costumes welcome.
• Fall Festival at Mills Chapel Baptist Church is 5-10 p.m.
• Fall Festiva at Elim Baptist Church on Handy Road is 5-8 p.m. Plans include games, a hayride, trunk-or-treat and food.
• Open Door Baptist Church in Senoiahas a Family Fall Festival at 5 p.m.
• Fall Festival is 5 p.m. at Alvaton Baptist Church.
Sunday, Oct. 28
• The Shoal Creek Fall Festival will be noon-5 p.m. at Peachtree City Seventh-day Adventist Church. The event – co-sponsored by the church and Shoal Creek Adventist School – includes activities for children, an international food court, baked goods, a flea market and a Christmas bazaar.
• Cokes Chapel United Methodist Church near Sharpsburg has Trunk-or-Treat 3-5 p.m. Church secretary Brenda Hanes said Cokes Chapel’s gathering will be “an evening of fun for the entire family, with food, games, prizes” and moon walks.
• Providence Baptist Church on Providence Church Road has Trunk-or-Treat Sunday 4-6 p.m. Jill Elder, church secretary, said the annual event is expected to bring in “close to 600 people this year.”
The Providence parking lot will be filled with decorated vehicles. There will be several inflatables, and free popcorn, snowcones and hotdogs. Children may attend in costume or in play clothes. There will be a cakewalk for adults with tickets at 50 cents.
• WellSpring Church holds a Fall Festival at Eastside Elementary near Senoia 4-7 p.m. The fundraiser will help Sarah Roes attend YWAM Discipleship Training.
Scott McInnis, pastor at WellSpring, said the event promises “tons of fun” with food, “carnival games, hayrides, candy (and) prizes.”
• Unity Baptist Church Trunk-or-Treat is 5-7 p.m. Candy and corndogs available.
• Trunk-or-Treat at Cornerstone United Methodist Church is 5-7 p.m. - Games, crafts and trunk-or-treat.
• Youth of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church lead an All Hallow’s Eve service at 5 p.m. Will include ghost stories of the Old Testament and music from the St. Paul’s Jazz Ensemble.
After the service, everyone will join the youth in the courtyard for a carnival and hot dog supper. The final event of the evening at St. Paul’s will be Trunk-or-Treat in the church parking lot.
Tuesday, Oct. 30
• Pioneer Ford in Bremen holds its fifth annual Trunk-or-Treat for children 12 and younger. Admission is one unwrapped toy per person. Runs 5-9 p.m. with a moonwalk, a hayride, door prizes, marshmallow toasting and a costume contest for ages 1-12.
There also will be food – hotdogs, popcorn hot cider, boiled peanuts and witches’ brew. Cash awards will be given for the top three places in the trunk/pickup decorating contest. To register for the contest, call 770-537-3673.
Halloween, Wednesday, Oct. 31
• “Munchkin Masquerade” – sponsored by Main Street Newnan – will be held in historic downtown 10 a.m.-noon. The event draws the littlest ghosts and goblins to the downtown business district for Halloween fun each year.
• Brenda Clifton, minister to children and families at First Baptist Church of Newnan, said First Baptist’s Fall Festival will be held Wednesday at the church’s corner parking lot 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will include a “free hotdog supper,” Clifton said.
• A Fall Festival at Macedonia Baptist Church is 6-8 p.m.Trunk-or-Treat, games, treats, a bouncer and a cake walk are planned. There will also be free hotdogs, chips and drinks for children under 11.
•Community-wide Fall Festival is 6-7:30 p.m. at East Newnan Baptist Church. There will be a 22-foot inflatable slide, a bungee run, an obstacle course and monkey motion. Horse rides and trunk-or-treat are also planned.
Church member June Harris said there will be “fresh popcorn, a chili cook-off, a cakewalk ... and loads of candy and goodies for the children.” She said the event will offer “a great opportunity for family time.’ Food will be available for $3 per plate.
• Fall Festival at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Luthersville is 6-8 p.m.
• Flat Creek Baptist Church between Peachtree City and Fayetteville has Harvest Fest 6-8 p.m. Games, a petting zoo, inflatables, candy, a cake walk and food will be part of the fun.
• Woolsey Baptist Church on Hampton Road in Fayetteville holds its annual Fall Festival Wednesday 6-8:30 p.m. The event will offer “free admission for an evening of family fun,” according to Patti Phillips.
Phillips said “costumes are welcome” but “no scary ones.” Woolsey’s festival will include hotdogs, trunk-or-treat, popcorn, candy and hayride. There also will be a cakewalk for a “$1 donation for missions,” Phillips said.
She said the festival will be a “safe alternative to Halloween.”
• The Fall Festival at Cathedral of Praise Assembly of God in Digby is 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10
• Newnan Family Worship Center on Jefferson Street holds its Fall Festival 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Inflatables, a hayride, games, prizes and food are planned.
