By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
This season brings so many beloved traditions, like picking out a costume, participating in games like bobbing for apples and baking treats like ‘Oreo dirt’ and pumpkin cupcakes, and riding the Terror in the Junkyard hayride, smiling and screaming at every turn.
Children get the best parts of Halloween through schoolwide costume parades and trick-or-treating (receiving free candy is every adult’s fantasy). Holidays are universal, meaning that they apply to everyone, no matter their age.
So how can we celebrate Halloween as adults? Here are some ways to embrace the holiday festivities:
Carve Pumpkins
This activity is so fun no matter your age. Get creative with your design and utilize the best tools to sculpt your squash into a masterpiece. Make sure to take pictures throughout the process and light up your pumpkins on your porch at the end. A couple of adult beverages make this activity even better.
Host or Attend a Seasonal Event/Party
There are so many local events to attend in October! The Atlantic City Halloween Bar Crawl, The Showboat Costume Party, the Ocean City Halloween Dog Parade, and Boo at the Zoo at the Cape May County Zoo are great places to bring out your spooky side. You could also host a Halloween party with games, refreshments, and contests. The opportunities are endless!
Decorate Your House
The Halloween aesthetic has become quite popular. Visit your local Spirit Halloween or department store and pick up some fun decorations for both inside and outside your home. For even more fun, compete with your neighbors (or if you have a classroom or office, compete with your coworkers) for the best-in-show space.
Participate in a Horror Movie Marathon
Here are some films to get you started: The Shining, The Exorcism, The Purge series, It, The Human Centipede, The Woman in Black, Us, Children of the Corn, Poltergeist, Halloween, Hereditary and Paranormal Activity.
Visit a Haunted House
Being scared can be thrilling! Terror in the Junkyard in Egg Harbor Township offers an inexpensive haunted experience for all levels of courage. If you are willing to travel, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia has developed a national reputation for their Halloween festival and haunted tours. See what is happening for Halloween at the Forever Forest in Egg Harbor City on page 66.
Play at an Adventure Farm
Farm fun is not just for kids! R &J Farm, Saul & Son, and Misty Meadow are just a few that offer corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkin patches, and plenty of seasonal fun.
Bake Halloween Treats
Halloween, like most holidays, comes with its own menu of goodies. Blast some seasonal tunes like Thriller, Spooky Scary Skeletons and the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack and get baking. Hand out your creations to neighbors, friends from work, and family members. What can you bake? Stir up some Jack-o-Lantern cookies, caramel apples, candy corn chocolate chip cookies, ghost-dipped pretzels or spider web cake.
Tell Ghost Stories Around a Bonfire
Nothing can be simpler than gathering your loved ones and huddling around the warmth of a fire. Challenge each other to tell scary stories, and if you need some inspiration, look up origin stories of monsters like the Jersey Devil, Mothman, the Boogie Man, or Medusa. Attend “Murders, Mysteries and Ghost Stories at the Mansion” in Somers Point Oct.25, 6:30-8pm.
