There's Still Time To Catch Fall Festivals, Fun Near Chicago Heights

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Fall is a great time to get outside in Illinois and take in the rich offering of festivals.

The changing colors of autumn provide a scenic background for fall and harvest festivals, which have contests ranging from apple bobbing and pumpkin carving to lumberjack contests and Halloween parades.

Fall is also the season for corn mazes, pumpkin patches and apple orchard visits.

Here are a few festivals and events in or near Chicago Heights worth putting on the calendar:

Oct. 15

• McCord Gallery Trunk or Treat!, 9602 W. Creek Rd., Palos Park
  • 12 to 2 p.m. FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! So, get your costume on & stop by for some treats!
• Free Pumpkin Fun Run Set For Oct. 15 At Hadley Valley Preserve
  • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The free, all-ages run will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, at Hadley Valley - Gougar Road Access in Joliet.

OCT. 20

• Bloom District 206 Fall Band and Choir Concert, 22331 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago Heights
  • Doors open at 5:30, show starts at 6 p.m. Intermission at 7pm. Band concert begins at 7:30.
• 'Carnival of Fear' Adult Costume Cocktail Party at Jones Center, 220 E. 15th St., Chicago Heights
  • 6:30 to 9 p.m. Adults only. Specialty cocktails, appetizers, raffles, auctions and costume contest. All attendees get a tour of haunted community center. Find out more.

OCT. 21

• 'Carnival of Fear' Haunted House at Jones Center, 220 E. 15th St., Chicago Heights
  • 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Admission $5. All proceeds go to Jones Center.
• Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner Party, 933 S. State St., Lockport
  • Get ready for a glamorous Halloween evening of mystery, intrigue, and murder at this masquerade ball murder mystery party at the only speakeasy in town!

OCT. 22

• Trunk or Treat at Jones Center, 220 E. 15th St., Chicago Heights
  • 10 a.m. to noon. Tour haunted community center for $3, proceeds go to Jones Center. Prizes for scariest and most original vehicles. Find out more.
• Scary at the Prairie 5K Costume Run & Spooky Sprint, Breidert Green Park, Frankfort
  • 10:30 a.m. Run, walk, creep, or crawl in your favorite Halloween costume through Prairie Park in Downtown Frankfort.
• Halloween Hoedown
  • 1 to 3 p.m. in downtown Lemont. The free event includes a parade, costume contest, trick-or-treating downtown Lemont, and photo opportunities.
• The Ghastly Grins: An Improvised Fright Night, 7 p.m. at 16801 S. 80th Ave., Tinley Park
  • 7 p.m. It’s not funny to be scared yourself. But it is sometimes funny to see other people get scared. So why not see our actors get scared for your amusement? As composer Danny Elfman wrote in the classic This is Halloween, “Wouldn’t you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see.” Admission is $9.

OCT. 27

• Tennis Trick Or Treat Hunt, H-F Racquet and Fitness Club, 2920 183rd St.
  • 6 to 8 p.m. Come get tricked or treats with tennis balls filled with candy. Participants will get to search the tennis courts in the dark to find which tennis balls have candy inside. Pizza and beverage included. Costumes are optional | gym shoes are required. Ages: 6-10. $10 fee. Registration required.
• Family Halloween Party at Gaelic Park, 6119 147th St.
  • 6 p.m. start! Bring the kids and invite a friend to our Halloween Party! Gaelic Park's annual Halloween tradition is a wonderful time to make memories with the kids. We'll have hayrides, s'mores around the fire pit and more Halloween fun! Costumes are optional. Free event. Food and drink available for purchase. Call (708)687-9323 with questions.
• Boo Bash at Orland Square Mall, 288 Orland Square Dr.
  • 3 to 6 p.m. Wear your favorite costume and join in the annual Boo Bash on Thursday, Oct. 27! Enjoy face painting, balloon artists, airbrush tattoos, character meet & greet, make & take crafts, dance performances from American Dance Center and more!

OCT. 28

• South Chicago Heights Kids Halloween Party, at Senior Center, 3140 Enterprises Park Avenue.
  • 6 to 8 p.m. This event is for ages 11 and under and their parents. Please join in ome ghoulish games and puppets, spooky fun, and frightening food! The deadline to register for this event is Friday, Oct. 21 at the Village Hall, 3317 Chicago Road. Fee must be paid at time of registration. Cost: $2 per child and $4 per adults. Must be a South Chicago Heights resident.
• Painting & Costume Party, with Prizes & Candy, at Arts and Crafts Studio by Mucci World, 7913 W. 171st. St., Tinley Park
  • It's all treats, no tricks, at our painting and costume party! Join us for painting, prizes, and play! We will have an instructed pumpkin canvas painting session, a costume contest, candy bags, and more! The first prize will win a canvas party for four, the second prize wins a ceramic party for two, and the third win four free studio passes to use our paints and supplies. Refer a friend and get $5 off your ticket. More info online.

OCT. 29

• Flashlight Pumpkin Hunt, Iron Oaks Environmental Learning Center, 20000 Western Ave, Olympia Fields
  • Times start at 4:30 p.m. Visit a woodland pumpkin patch after dark while completing activities and solving mysteries along the way. Locate “pumpkins” and trade them in for a real pumpkin, decorating kit and some sweet treats to take home. Participants must be accompanied by a non-paying adult. Each child needs to register for the program. Make sure to bring your flashlight and be prepared for adventure! Costumes are optional, but would really make this event fun! Participants will complete challenges on their own, at their own pace, with the help of their adult. Register for the 4:30 p.m. section for a daylight hunt. Times are 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30. Ages 1–12. Registration required.

OCT. 30

• Downtown Tinley Boo Bash, Oak Park Avenue Metra Station, 6700 South St., Tinley Park
  • Noon to 3 p.m. Boo Bash includes spooky hayrides, games, crafts, entertainment, and much more. Food and beverages are available. The event runs from Noon to 3 p.m.
• Howl-o-ween Dog Walk!, 5657 Albert Dr., Oak Forest
  • 12 p.m. Family friendly dogs and friendly owners welcome to a dog walk. FREE. Costumes are not required. Short walk. Contest at end. Approximately less than an hour. Invite your neighbor and their dog. Must pick up after dog.

OCT. 31

• Trick-or-treating in Chicago Heights

NOV. 3

• Woodland Pumpkin Hunt, Iron Oaks Environmental Learning Center, 20000 Western Ave, Olympia Fields
  • 5 to 6 p.m. Preschoolers and Kindergartners will learn how mice prepare for the cold weather and camouflage in the winter foliage, all while students enjoying a fun story. Each student will hunt for their perfect (pie size) pumpkin, take it to the decoration station, and then home! A nonpaying adult must accompany participant. Ages 2–6. $10 R / $12 NR

NOV. 5

• Chili Cook-off,19000 Halsted St / Army Reserve Center, Homewood
  • 11:30 a.m. Free to enter; free to attend. Supports the Soldier Family Readiness Group at the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade.
• Infant Jesus of Prague School Halloween Trivia Night, 1101 Douglas Ave., Flossmoor
  • 6:30 p.m. Scary movie trivia, beverages to lift your "spirits," and frightfully good fun! If you've got it-haunt it! Come with the best costumes to win prizes in our Costume Contest. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and play begins at 7 p.m. Beer, wine, and beverages available for purchase. (No outside liquor allowed). Tables may bring their own food and snacks. $100 per Table of 10. $20 per person for Mixed Tables or at the door. $20 Pack of 5 Mulligans. $5 for 1 Mulligan. Tables are reserved on a first paid basis—tables will not be reserved without payment. Adults only—please leave your little ghouls at home! For more information contact jcruz@ijpschool.org.