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Published Thursday, October 29, 2009 in Local

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

Little firefighter Sonny Durham with dad Peter makes the rounds in downtown Newnan for the 2008 Main Street trick or treat. The annual event for preschoolers is Friday from 10 a.m. to Noon.

Plenty of fests, Halloween events on tap

By Winston Skinner

The Times-Herald

Pumpkins -- some carved to reveal funny or scary faces -- are all over.

Children can hardly think about what they must do each day -- daydreaming about their upcoming transformation into a cat, superhero, witch or ghost. Teens and adults are pondering where they will go to experience a scare or two.

Halloween will be here Saturday. In and around Coweta County, there are dozens of events that offer fun and thrills for people of various ages.

There are at least four experiences ongoing which offer scary moments in the area. They are:

* Grantville Haunted House, 19 LaGrange St. Today 7-10 p.m., Friday from 7 p.m.-midnight, and Halloween 4 p.m.-midnight. Younger children can come from 4-5:30 p.m. on Halloween for trick or treating and a non-scary visit to the house. Admission is $5.

* A House of Horrors, in the old theater behind City Hall in downtown Hogansville. Admission is $10 adults and $5 ages 12 and younger. Hours are Friday 7-10 p.m. and Saturday 6-10 p.m.

* Greenville Jail Haunted House, off the Court Square, Greenville. Starts 7:45 p.m. today-Saturday. The $5 admission goes toward restoration of the 1896 jail.

* Judgement Journey, a vision of the tribulation of end times, Faith Baptist Church, LaGrange. Tickets for the 45-minute journey are $7 in advance/$10 at door. For advance tickets, call 706-845-0000 or 888-845-0001. No one under 16 will be admitted without an adult.

Many children will be donning costumes and searching for treats as dusk descends Saturday. There are, however, several options to traditional trick-or-treating.

The Preschool Trick or Treat organized by Main Street Newnan will be Friday in downtown Newnan at participating shops and offices from 10 a.m. to Noon.

Weather permitting, there also will be a free movie -- "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" -- at First Avenue Park Friday at 6:30 p.m. Parents bringing youngsters to either Main Street event are asked to bring a canned good for each family member.

"We are encouraging people to drop off canned goods on each corner of the square throughout the day on Friday," Linda Kee of Main Street said. The food will go to the Coweta Community Food Pantry.

Also on Friday, there will be Trunk or Treat at First Baptist Church of Moreland 6-8 p.m. There will be "tons of free candy," said Daniel Ausbun, the church's pastor.

Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church on Summers-McKoy Road will hold trunk or treat Saturday at 5 p.m. Jerry Yates, pastor, said Mt. Carmel is inviting "parents throughout the community to bring their young children" to the event.

"Mt. Carmel's parking lot will be full of cars, and their trunks will be filled with wonderful candies and other sugar-filled delicacies, on which the neighborhood's young goblins, gouls, and other characters may fill up," Yates said.

Trunk and Treat is also set in the John Hardy Parking lot across from City Hall in Hogansville Saturday 5:30-7:30 p.m. -- rain or shine.

Georgian Place, an assisted living community on Millard Farmer Industrial Boulevard, will -- for the fourth year -- hold Trick or Treat Street Saturday. Children up to age 12 are invited to visit 6-8 p.m.

The Carnegie Library in downtown Newnan and the Powell Library on Hospital Road both are offering special events today.

Christina Barber, a local resident who is author of "Spirits of Georgia's Southern Crescent" and some other spooky tales, will be telling stories at the Carnegie noon-1 p.m. Barber said she will also be giving a talk to the students at Maggie Brown School "about local ghost legends and writing in general" this morning.

After her visit to the Carnegie, Barber will be autographing her works at nearby Scott's Bookstore.

Coweta County children are invited to Powell Library for a free costume parade and carnival for family night today at 7 p.m. Youngsters will be able to hear not-too-scary Halloween stories, participate in games, receive prizes and show off their favorite costumes. Members of the library's Teen Advisory Board will be assisting with the event.

There are fall festivals galore in the next few days. Many are sponsored by churches. On the calendar are:

* Fall Outreach Program, Heatherwood Baptist Church, White Oak. A Bible Journey is offered -- with the last one at 7 p.m. There also is a Jerusalem Marketplace, free food and games. Today and Friday, 6-8:30 p.m.

Fall Outreach will start at 2 p.m. Saturday. There will be a chili cookoff 5-6 p.m., followed by games and food 6-8 p.m.

* Harvest Carnival, Gracepointe Church, Peachtree City, Friday, 6 p.m. Free candy, food, games, activities.

* Harvest Festival, Sharpsburg Church of the Nazarene, Friday, 6-9 p.m.

* Harvest Festival, All Saints Anglican Church, Peachtree City, Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. "The festival will include pony rides and games for children. Local musicians will give free concerts," according to member Freddy Burdeshaw.

"A variety of handcrafted items will be on display. Some crafts may be purchased directly from vendors. Others will be available through silent auction," Burdeshaw said. Jewelry, stained glass and decorative gourds will be for sale, as will homemade cakes.

Burdeshaw said there will be "plenty of refreshments for sale such as hotdogs, popcorn, soft drinks and sweets." Proceeds go to the All Saints Youth Ministry and the church building fund.

* Fall Festival, White Oak Shopping Center parking lot, Sarturday, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Booths, moonwalk, dunking tank. Barbecue plates, $5. "We will have a country store with a variety of home décor items and toys," said Doug Anderson of Newnan Christian School, sponsor of the event. There will be a cake auction at 2 p.m. "which will be the highlight of the festival," Anderson said.

* Hallelujah Autumn Festival, Providence Baptist Church, Summers-McKoy Road, Saturday, 1 p.m. Cake walk, coloring contest, games, food, prizes.

* Hallelujah Festival, St. Smyrna Baptist Church, Saturday, 4-7 p.m.

* Harvest Fest, Senoia United Methodist Church, Saturday, 4-8 p.m. Face painting, music, snacks, soup, sandwiches. Trunk or treat, 6-8 p.m.

* Fall Festival, Woolsey Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Saturday, 4:30-7 p.m. "This is for all children through sixth grade," said member Patti Phillips. "A hot dog supper will be served under the pavilion from 5- 6 p.m."

Phillips said "this family-friendly and kid-friendly event" will also feature inflatables, popcorn, trunk or treat, a cake walk, games, candy, a hayride and face painting.

* A Night At the Farm, Sovereign Grace Church, LaGrange, Saturday, 5-7 p.m. Games, prizes, candy, food, moonwalk, slide, obstacle course. Free.

* Fall Festival, Macedonia Baptist Church, Saturday, 6-8 p.m. Church volunteers "will create a circus atmosphere and offer our community's children a safe place to enjoy Halloween," Sue Ballard said. Trunk or treat will be held 6-8 p.m. regardless of the weather.

"Children will receive treat bags and then visit the many trunks for games and activities as they collect treats. They can also enjoy a inflatable bouncer, cake walk and other activities," Ballard said.

There will be door prize drawings. "Hot dogs and drinks will be complimentary to children and available to purchase for adults," Ballard said. "There is something for everyone in the family to enjoy."

* Fall Festival, Unity Baptist Church, Saturday, 6-8 p.m. Candy bags, games.

* Harvest Fest, Flat Creek Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Saturday, 6-8 p.m. Games, candy, inflatables, cake walk, hot dogs, trunk or treat.

* Fall Festival, First Baptist Church, Newnan, Saturday, 6-9 p.m.

There are other events that combine Christian music and fall festive fun. New Life Tabernacle at 140 E. Washington St. will hold its annual Youth Block Praise starting Saturday at noon. "There will be face painting, games, music and fun," Vanessa Harris said.

A gospel singing at the Old Veal School near Roopville Friday at 7 p.m. features the singing of Home Grown from Carrollton and Calvary Heirs and Howard Yarbrough from Bremen.

The Veal event also will include a costume contest with prizes of $25 for the best boy and girl costumes in two age groups, 1-8 and 9-16. Bags of candy will be given away, and there will be a drawing for grocery gift cards.

Grace Covenant Worship Center at Hogansville is having a Fall-O-Ween Him Festival on Saturday from noon-6 p.m.