BOO! Your Ultimate Guide to Halloween in Wilton

Bucolic Wilton turns B-O-O-colic at Halloween, with activities and events galore. When do the scares happen? Where will the ghouls and goblins emerge? Find out all you need to know about Wilton’s frightfully GOOD spooky Halloween times and events.

Monday, Oct. 20

Third Annual Scarecrow Fest, Wilton Center, through Nov. 1:  The Wilton Chamber of Commerce’s Annual HalloWeekend kicks off this week with their Third Annual Scarecrow Fest! Sixty scarecrows have returned to Wilton Center and will remain through Nov. 1. A panel of five judges (including GOOD Morning Wilton’s editor!) will select their favorites in five categories:  best overall, scariest, funniest, most traditional and most creative. This year’s winners will be announced at the Pumpkin Parade on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Friday, Oct. 25

Family Howl Prowl, Woodcock Nature Center, 5 p.m.-close:  Fall is here and there’s a HOWL in the air! Come join Woodcock Nature Center for a hayride, S’mores, night spotting scavenger hunt, owl presentations, raft trips onto the pond and a visit from Atka, the ambassador wolf from the Wolf Conservation Center (6:45-7:30 p.m.). Registration and pre-payment are required by calling 203.762.7280. Don’t delay—this event tends to sell out. Bring flashlights. Food and beverages available for sale. (Rain date Wednesday, Oct. 30th)  $20/individual or $40/family. See the WNC website for more information.

Fright Night—Ambler Farm, 6-8 p.m.:  SOLD OUT, See Saturday (below)

Halloween SPOOKTACULAR! Wilton Family Y, 6:30-8:30pm:  Trick or Treating around the Wilton Family Y, a haunted house, crafts, a scavenger hunt, tattoos, face painting and the Scholastic Book Fair! Pizza and soda will be available for $5 per person and bags of popcorn for $1. Open to the public, Admission: $2.00 per person.

Trackside Gets Spooky—Middle School Party, Trackside Teen Center, 7-9 p.m.:  Trackside will be transformed in the spirit of Halloween for this annual event. All students in grades 6-8 are invited to show off their best costumes as they strut down the spooky “Orange Carpet” on their way to Halloween fame. Enjoy the spooky photobooth and an evening of candy, costumes, contests, dancing and fun. New this year is the Instagram Costume Contest. Everyone will have the chance to win prizes for the Best or the Scariest Costume; prizes include a new digital camera or tablet. Tickets are $5 in advance on the Trackside website or $10 at the door.

Saturday, Oct. 26

Wilton Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade & Trick or Treating in Wilton Center, 2-4 p.m.:  Need somewhere safe and well lit to take your little pumpkin to snag a respectable haul on All Hallow’s Eve? Channel your inner princess, monster or ghost and have some frightful fun in Wilton’s downtown. The Pumpkin Parade, led by the Cat in the Hat and the Wilton Family Y‘s Gordy, will begin at the Gazebo at 2PM. Trick-or-treating bags will be handed out to the first 200 children. Families can stroll downtown as Wilton Center merchants will be open for trick-or-treating after the parade.

Halloween Portrait Fundraiser, Moments by Andrea Photography, Town Green Gazebo, 2:15-4:15 p.m.:   Moments by Andrea will be set up at the Gazebo with a festive fall scene offering free professional portraits of children in their costumes for anyone who makes a donation of $20 or more, to benefit the Wilton Interfaith Food Pantry and Heating Oil Fund (cash and checks made out to ‘Wilton Community Assistance Fund’ accepted). Last year the effort raised $1,200! Each family that participates will get a few images.           

Fright Night, Ambler Farm, 6-8 p.m.:  Drop off the kids (grades 3-5) at Ambler Farm for haunted activities and frightful (and not so frightful) storytelling. Past attendees still talk about the ghost dog that frequents the Farm! Creepy sights and mysterious sounds abound when the moon rises at the Ambler Farm. Moonlight hayride, games, refreshments included. Enrollment is limited, only a handful of spots left at press-time. $20 members/$25 non-members, register here.

The Haunted Library, Wilton Library, 7:30 – 9 p.m.:  Do you dare take a walk through the haunted Wilton Library? Children ages 6-10 are invited to drop in any time between 7:30 and 9 p.m. to join in the spooky, spine tingling after-hours library experience. Ghoulish snacks will be served and ghostly games will be played. No registration; no fee. Sponsored by the Coyle Family Young Readers Fund.

Sunday, Oct. 27

11th Annual Halloween Hustle 5K + Scarecrow Scamper Kids’ Run, Registration 9 a.m., start 10 a.m. Kids run starts 11 a.m.:  Join the Wilton Chamber of Commerce for an active, healthy start to Halloween! The Halloween Hustle 5K + Scarecrow Scamper Kids’ Run, sponsored by Bankwell, is a fast and fun, timed and measured course winding through Wilton Center, up to the high school, and ends at Merwin Meadows. Participants are encouraged to don a spooky, madcap or “boo”-tiful Halloween costume! Check-in begins at 9AM at the Chamber office (120 Old Ridgefield Road), with a 10AM start. The 5K ends at Merwin Meadows, where the Scarecrow Scamper Kids’ Run starts at 11AM. $30 entry fee, $10 Scarecrow Scamper (kids 12 and under); register on the Chamber website. All pre-registered 5k racers receive a special commemorative Halloween Hustle 5K t-shirt; Scarecrow Scamper participants receive a participation medal.

Drop-in Halloween Crafts, Wilton Library, 1 – 5 p.m.:  Children of all ages can stop by the Wilton Library during regular library hours and make a Halloween craft to take home. No program fee, no registration. Made possible by the Coyle Family Young Readers Fund.

Trackside Gets Haunted—Haunted House and Trunk-or-Treat, Trackside Teen Center, 3-7 p.m.:  Trackside will be turned in to a haunted house for children of all ages.  There will be haunted rooms, creatures, and goblins. Outside from 3-5 p.m. there will also be a Trunk-or-Treat for safe candy fun. The cost of the haunted house is $5 per child, $10 per family.

Wednesday, Oct. 30

Scare Off! (A Story Scare-a-Thon), Wilton Library 4 – 5 p.m.:  What could be more fun on a dark October day than to listen to scary stories? Wilton Library staff members Lesley Keogh and Michael Robin will tell their favorite tales of horror to kids, grades 3 and up. Do you DARE to attend? Registration required, parents and guardians must stay in the building.

Hair-Raising Halloween Costume Contest, Wilton Library  4 – 5 p.m.:  Come to the Wilton Library and wear your costume! Will you be the scariest? Or the frilliest? Or the funniest? Everyone gets a special certificate for participating. No registration required, all ages welcome. Children under 8 must be accompanied by caregivers. Sponsored by the Coyle Family Young Readers Fund.

Thursday, Oct. 31

Trunk-or-Treat, Hope Church, 5-7 p.m.:  Hope Church hosts a safe, family-alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating, in the church’s parking lot. Open car trunks, lots of goodies, and toned-down decorations perfect for pre-schoolers and toddlers. Hope Church, 240 Wolfpit Rd.

Town of Wilton Trick or Treating, varies by neighborhood:   School Resource Officer Richard Ross has written some safety tips for children and families to keep in mind at Halloween and they can be found on the Wilton Police Department website. [/colored_box]

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