Dozens of spooky events scheduled for Halloween season

It's nearly October, which means Halloween is just around the corner.

Throughout October, Cape Girardeau and the surrounding counties will have a number of spooky events, ranging from family-friendly to fright-inducing.

Stacy Dohogne Lane, director of public relations for the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said seasonal events are a great way to draw visitors to the area and a fun way for community members to get out and about.

"At the Convention and Visitors Bureau, our goal is always to get visitors to Cape Girardeau, to extend their stay, more nights in the hotels, so for us, having all these really cool seasonal events, that's something visitors love to hear about," Dohogne Lane said. "So it's always a big help to us to be able to tell visitors, 'This is everything going on in Cape Girardeau; here are the really neat Halloween seasonal ones.' It really makes Cape feel vibrant, gives people another reason to visit or extend their stay, so we love being able to tell folks about seasonal events in Cape Girardeau."

The events leading up to Halloween allow people of all ages the opportunity to get out and have fun with their families and friends -- especially the haunted-downtown walking tours in Cape Girardeau, which include doses of ghostly mystery on an all-ages level.

Gavin Byars portrays a zombie at the Retribution haunted house Oct. 22, 2015, in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

"I think people kind of like to be lightly scared, and Cape Girardeau lately has had so many neat seasonal events that have popped up, so there's really something for everyone," Dohogne Lane said. "I mean, the haunted downtown walking tours, Tom Neumeyer and Christy Mershon have been doing those for a couple years now, and those really mix history, getting to be outside in that beautiful fall weather, with the spooky October thing happening, too, so it's kind of a fun mix for folks."

Spooky events to spice up your October:

Sam Washburn portrays a vampire at the Retribution haunted house Oct. 22, 2015, in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

Kaitlyn Dodd portrays a three-eyed lady at the Retribution haunted house Oct. 22, 2015, in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

• Learn fun facts about scarecrows as you build your own to take home from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Bollinger Mill State Historic Site, 113 Bollinger Mill Road in Burfordville. Twine and straw will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring old overalls, shirts, accessories and a pillow case for their scarecrow. This program is free, but preregistration is required. To preregister, call (573) 243-4591.
• Cape Girardeau Haunted Downtown Walking Tours will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 8, 15, 21, 28 and 29 beginning at 42 S. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. Cape Girardeau's historic downtown is full of "true" tales of ghosts and memorable characters. The tours will cost $20 for individuals or $30 for couples and will be led by Christy Mershon and Tom Neumeyer. For more information, call (573) 335-1631.
• Beggs Family Farm near Sikeston, Missouri, is the place to go for corn mazes and wagon rides, as well as its "phobia farm." The farm will be open for the 2016 season from Saturday through Oct. 30. Admission is $11 for all those older than 2 on the weekends and is discounted throughout the week or for large groups. Visit beggsfamilyfarm.com for details on daily hours.
• A Boos on Broadway walking tour will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 13 and 26 along Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau. Attendees will follow the Broadway corridor from the river and hear chilling tales of haunted opera houses, frightening furniture makers, murders, mayhem and more. All are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. The tour guides will be Christy Mershon and Tom Neumeyer; and tickets will cost $20 for individuals or $30 for couples.
• Cape Girardeau's annual Haunted Hall of Horror provides plenty of frights at the Arena Building in the weeks leading up to Halloween. This year's fright fest will be Oct. 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 and 31.
• New Madrid, Missouri, is famous for its ghost tours. Tours will be held Oct. 14, 21, 22 and 28. Tours begin at 7 and 9 p.m. and are approximately 90 minutes long. Tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple. Tours will take place rain or shine, so attendees are encouraged to come prepared. For more information, visit newmadrid.wix.com/hauntedtour.
• Halloween storytelling will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at Bollinger Mill State Historic Site, 113 Bollinger Mill Road in Burfordville. This free event is sponsored by Missouri State Parks; the featured storyteller will be Marilyn Kinsella.
• Rocky Holler Haunted Hayrides is celebrating its 25th anniversary and will host hayrides from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 at its farm on County Road 303 in Jackson. The hayrides cost $10 per person. This event is family friendly and appropriate for all ages. There will be concessions and a bonfire. For more information, call (573) 243-6440.
• Black Forest Haunted Ghost Town will be open from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Oct. 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29. Admission will be $8 for adults and $5 for children 10 and younger.
• A Boo! Silliage event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15, at the Bolduc House, 125 S. Main St. in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The event will include a child's Loup Garou Hunt, making s'mores, helping the New Bourbon Militia patrol on a hunt for Loup Garous and Witch Fingers, campfire stories and a film. An admission fee will be charged.
• Dejà vu Spirit Reunion, an annual cemetery tour that benefits the upkeep of Missouri's oldest cemetery, will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Ste. Genevieve Memorial Cemetery at the intersection of 5th and Market streets in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The cemetery, established in 1787, includes the tombs and grave markers of the area's earliest French pioneers, other European immigrants, African-American slaves and freemen, Native Americans and even a mass grave for victims of a steamboat explosion. Attendees will be able to tour the cemetery via lantern light and chat "face to face" with spirits clad in traditional dress. Tickets will cost $7 for adults and $3 for students and children.
• The St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway will host a ghost dinner-train event at 6 p.m. Oct. 29 at the station, 252 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. The event will begin with a walk in the Jackson Cemetery, where participants will visit the graves and encounter the ghosts of those who took part in an actual murder and hanging in Jackson in 1898 and 1899. A wine tasting will follow on the train before it leaves the station. Dinner will be served during the ride, and the ghosts will join guests for an evening full of surprises. Seating is limited on the train, so those wishing to participate are encouraged to make reservations early. This event will last approximately three hours. The cost is $40 per adult; call (573) 243-1688.

lyoung@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Pertinent address:

113 Bollinger Mill Road, Burfordville, Mo.

42 S. Main St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

2319 Route U, Sikeston, Mo.

Broadway, Cape Girardeau riverfront, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Arena Building, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

New Madrid, Mo.

Rocky Holler USA, Jackson, Mo.

Black Forest, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

125 S. Main St., Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

5th Street and Market Street, Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

252 E. Jackson Blvd., Jackson, Mo.