THESE EVENTS WERE FOR 2005 -- PLEASE CHECK WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS FOR CURRENT INFORMATION

Lots of museums are planning family-friendly Halloween events that are designed for “kids of all ages.” If the spooky programs aren’t your thing, check out some of these Halloween parties, programs, and workshops!

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* BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART, Muncie IN
October 28
6:00 PM
“Annual Halloween Party”
Ball State University Museum of Art's annual Halloween Party is back by popular demand! Guests will have opportunities to enjoy a spooky scavenger hunt with lots of prizes, Kreepy Krafts for Kids, refreshments and frighteningly fabulous music from special guests Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel. The highlight of the event is the costume contest, with prizes for the most creative, most beautiful, most original, most frightening, and many more. Contest winners will take home great prizes from Scotty's Brewhouse, Subway, Baskin-Robbins, Burkie's Drive-In, Concannon's Pastry Shop, Papa John's, and many more! In the past, this event has mainly been for Ball State students, but a “spirit of reinvention from beyond the grave” has expanded this traditional event to include youngsters and families in the community. The Museum is located on Riverside Avenue at Warwick Road on the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana.


* WM. McKINLEY PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM & LIBRARY, Canton OH
October 28
6:00 PM
“Booseum”
The Annual Halloween Party is back! Kids in costume can trick-or-treat in the museum’s Street of Shops, a life-sized, indoor replica of a town. There will be hayrides (weather-permitting), a Scavenger Hunt in Discover World (the museum’s science center), a fortune teller, costume contest, spooky story telling, open hearth cooking, and more! Have a hot dog supper in the “Museum Café!” Admission is $5 per person.


* CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS
October 23
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
“Families Explore: Egypt”
Participants will learn about ancient Egyptian glassmaking techniques and hear scary stories behind pieces in the Egyptian glass collection. You will write secret messages in hieroglyphics, build a pyramid, and decorate your own mummy case. You can also create a kilt or collar necklace like Cleopatra’s to add to your Halloween costume! Join in belly dancing lessons from the Rochester-based troupe Sahara Shimmer. The Family Exploration series helps children understand what life was like when certain glass objects from the Museum’s collection were made. Different cultures are featured one Sunday each month and all activities are included in the price of admission. Families who attend will receive a “passport,” which they can bring with them to the remaining Families Exploration events to receive stamps. Those who collect six stamps during the year will enjoy a special gift from the Museum’s GlassMarket. Please call Kristy Bartenstein at (607) 974-3306 for more information.


* CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS, Corning NY
Now through November 30
“Walk-in Workshop”
Visitors to the Walk-in Workshop may make, for the first time ever, small glass pumpkins. The cost is $18 per pumpkin and workshops last about 30 minutes.


* STAMFORD MUSEUM & NATURE CENTER, Stamford CT
Sunday, October 16 – rain or shine
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
“Harvest Spooktacular”
Gunsmoke, the popular C&W musical group, will entertain attendees during this family-oriented special event. Other attractions include a puppet parade, fall foliage hike, apple cider and spooky spiders, antique tools and creepy ghouls, haystack prizes and Halloween faces, pony rides, farm demonstrations, visits with farm animals, games, contests and food. The “Little Boo Barn” will provide chills and thrills for brave participants. During a “Haunted Hayride Hunt,” visitors will try to spot Halloween creatures hiding along a wooded road. In the Pumpkin Patch visitors can buy pumpkins to take home for decoration. SMNC educators will demonstrate butter-making techniques and regale attendees with apple lore while pressing apples to make cider. “The Village Smithy,” Jared Silversher, will demonstrate vintage tools for peeling and coring apples. Visitors will be invited to sample a variety of apples and those with hearty appetites can dine on tasty apple treats plus corn-on-the-cob and other edibles that will be for sale in the food tent. Parents are invited to take advantage of the Connecticut Child Identification Program (CT CHIP) sponsored by local Freemasons to obtain a package of vital identifying items that can be used as an aid to recovery and identification if their child is reported missing (www.ctchip.org). Ferguson Library Bookmobile and the KOOL96.7 Prize Krew will also be on hand. Admission included in SMNC entry fee; additional charge for food and some activities.


* TERRACE HILL – IOWA GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE, Des Moines IA
October 24 - 27
6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 8:00 PM
Terrace Hill, National Historic Landmark and Iowa Governor's Residence, will conduct a program called "Scare-us" Hill. Come join in on the nighttime tours and storytelling by professional storyteller, Maureen Korte. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call (515) 281-3604 or send an email to Carla.herling@iowa.gov to make your reservation today as this program fills up quickly!


* MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM, Milwaukee WI
October 29
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
“Halloween Hauntings”
Heighten Halloween magic with stories about the world's spooky mysteries. Explore the archaeology of Transylvania and discover the true history of Dracula. Learn what ancient Egyptians believed about mummies and whether the dead could come back to life. Come in costume, trick-or-treat through two floors of exhibits, explore a glow-in-the-dark room and listen to experts reveal the fact and fantasy behind Halloween. Highlights include Egyptian Mummies, Transylvania Tales, Shrunken Heads, and The Feejee Mermaid. Participants can pet a baby alligator, face the “Crate of Doom,” and make a spider hat, bat clips, candy corn magnets and ghostly crafts. Activities are free with Museum admission: adults (16-61) $9, seniors (62-plus) $8, and children (3-15) $6. For more information, call (414) 278-2728, (888) 700-9069 or visit www.mpm.edu.


* MINNESOTA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, St. Paul MN
October 29
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
October 30
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
October 31
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
“Habitot® HULAween”
This year, the museum has added some sun to the fun with a “ spook-tacular” tropical costume party! Your costumed cuties can make a boo-tiful lei necklace and terror-rific tropical mask. Do the lim-boo, play at the black light beach, and of course, go trick-or-treating throughout the Museum. Cost is $6 per Museum member and $10 per non–member if paid before October 21, $8 per Museum member and $12 per non–member if paid after October 21 or at the door. Children younger than 1 are free.


* ROCK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Janesville WI
October 22
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
“Snap Apple Night”
The Rock County Historical Society will host this free event for children 12 and under. Taken from Victorian customs and the early Irish traditions of Samhaim, the event offers a combination of fun and games with treats and free prizes. Children must come in costume. Snap Apple is a Victorian Era game that is a combination of bobbing for apples and smacking a pinata. Apples are suspended on strings and the person has to try to get a bite out of the apple without using their hands.


* THE AMHERST MUSEUM, Amherst NY
October 21 & 22
Halloween Party
See the museum’s 13 historic buildings transformed into a fun, spooky town! Kids can trick-or-treat throughout the village. There are additional stops between buildings to help fill up their goody bags. This event is geared to children ages 3-10. All kids and adults receive cider and donuts at the end. There is a fee and registration is required. For more information call the museum at (716) 698-1440 or visit the museum’s website at www.amherstmuseum.org.