Eight Ways to Celebrate Halloween in Garden City

Haunted Hikes: Tickets to haunted hikes at the Garden City Bird Sanctuary are now available. The hikes are scheduled Friday-Sunday Oct. 18-20, from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 each with a $2 discount for reservations by Oct. 12. Funds raised are needed for the support and maintenance of the community nature center, especially after a year of cleanup from Superstorm Sandy. For information, email gcbirdsanctuary@gmail.com or visit the bird sanctuary on Facebook. Gate entrance is opposite 181 Tanners Pond Road.

Halloween Fest and Costume Parade: Halloween Fest at the Garden City Bird Sanctuary is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19, from 3 to 5:30 p.m.  The event features games, contests like the Mummy Wrapping contest, races and crafts. Get you face painted for the festivities! The Halloween costume parade steps off at 5 p.m. Best costumes receive awards. $10 donation per ticket. Reservations can be made by emailing gchalloween@gmail.com. A $2 discount per ticket is offered for reservations received by Oct. 12. Funds raised are needed for the support and maintenance of the community nature center, especially after a year of cleanup from Superstorm Sandy. For information, email gcbirdsanctuary@gmail.com. Gate entrance is opposite 181 Tanners Pond Road.

Family Halloween Party: The Garden City Casino will host its Family Halloween Party on Oct. 27 from 3-7 p.m. The Casino welcomes all Garden City families in to the event, which will offer a DJ, pizza, party games, a costume contest and more. Cost is $40 per family. Reservations are recommended. To reserve your tickets, contact Eva Gaspari at evagaspari@aol.com by Oct. 24.

Halloween Experiments: On the eve of Halloween, Young Adults can join Garden City Middle School science teacher Chris Buchman and his traveling science lab to do experiments with dry ice. Learn how to use dry ice to launch rockets, fill balloons and even drink it. Feel free to wear costumes. Register beginning Oct. 15.

Pumpkin Crafts: Children ages two-and-a-half to 5 (not yet in kindergarten), along with an adult caregiver, can stop by the Garden City Public Library to make a pumpkin craft. Contact the children's department at 742-8405 x216 or gardenchild@gardencitypl.org. Registration begins Oct. 15 at 9:30 a.m. on Eventkeeper. Each child needs his or her own library card to register. (Due to limited room capacity, only one adult and one child will be allowed in per registration.) This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Pumpkin Picking: The Great Pumpkin Patch at the corner of Stewart Avenue and Nassau Boulevard is open through Halloween. Grab some before they're all gone and have a pumpkin decorating/carving party with the kids!

"Spooktacular" Concert: Friends of the Garden City Public Library will sponsor a free, one-hour concert, “Spooktacular Classical Music,” performed by operatic mezzo soprano Phyllis Fay Farmer and accompanied by pianist Emily Olin on Thursday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. at Garden City Public Library. Enjoy spooky music performed in English, French, German and Russian, including “The Spirit's Song” by Haydn, “Danse Macabres” by Saint-Saens, “The Gnome” by Schubert and “The Grunchin’ Witch” by John Duke. No tickets are required. Call 742-8405 for more info.

Trick or Treat: What Halloween isn't complete without trick-or-treating? Superstorm Sandy put the kibosh on this annual tradition for many last year. Here are some safety tips worth reading before taking your lil' monsters around town, provided by the Garden City Police Department.

How will you celebrate Halloween this year? Let us know in the comments section below.