Celebrate fall with ghouls and gourds galore

Fall has arrived and with it, Halloween fun.

The Haunted Shack outside Carlton opened last weekend. The smaller but spectacular Haunted Hawthorne is alive and well, with frights every weekend behind a family home in Cloquet. There's even an option for those who prefer to be terrified while driving their cars, courtesy of the County Seat Theater.

Following is a list of area amusements, some tame and some spine-tingling and downright spooky:

The County Seat's drive-in Halloween Spooktacular will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19, in the front parking lot of the Cloquet theater at 2035 Frontage Road, off the I-35 roundabout. Start in your vehicle for a drive-thru haunt down Spooktacular Alley 6-8 p.m. Friday or 4-7 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy additional activities inside and out, and a 20-minute Halloween play on the stage showing twice each evening. Includes free hot beverages and treats for the kids. Suggested donation of $5 per person or $20 per car. No reservations required. Donations will be used for the new shop/rehearsal space addition to the theater.

The Haunted Shack and Ru-Ridge Corn Maze at 1781 County Road 1 in Carlton, are both open.

The Haunted Shack is Carlton County's most professional fright night and includes multiple attractions, including the Haunted Hayride, Trail of Terror through the Corn and the Fence Maze of Horror. Hours are 7-10 p.m. (Thursdays and Sundays it goes to 9 p.m.) Oct. 11-13, Oct. 17-19 and Oct. 24-26. Entry is $20. A tamer Kids' Day/Faint of Heart show cost $15 and runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Visit facebook.com/haunted.shack, hauntedshack.com or haunted-ridge.com for more information.

Ru-Ridge Corn Maze is open 4-8 p.m. Thursdays, 4-10 p.m. Fridays (bring flashlights in the evening), Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 3. Tickets are $8, free for age 2 and younger. Hayrides are $3 extra, barrel train rides are $2. Enjoy an 8-acre corn maze and lots of family activities, including games, a kids ninja course, a stawbale maze, a corn pit and plenty of photo opportunities.

Haunted Hawthorne in Cloquet is a family-friendly backyard Halloween display. Glenda Miller and her family at 827 Hawthorne St. will have frights in the backyard maze 7-10 p.m. Friday through Sunday this weekend and next. Children under age 12 should be accompanied by an adult. Strollers and wheelchairs might not fit through the maze. Tickets are $15 and available at https://hauntedhawthorne.fearticket.com/frontapp.

Visit the Haunted Forest at 7187 Saginaw Road in Saginaw. Ride to the trail for a walk-through haunt and receive snacks and refreshments at the end. "We scare because we care" is their motto, because they support community charities. Open 7-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7-9 p.m. Sundays through the month. There's a "blackout" Oct. 28 for ages 13 and older, and trick or treat for younger ones 2-5 p.m. Oct. 29. Admission is cash only: $20 for age 13 and older, $10 for 12 and younger. Get $1 off with food donation. Visit facebook.com/hauntedforest7187.

The Carlton County Historical Society in Cloquet is hosting a "Night at the Museum" 5-7 p.m. on Halloween night. The free event offers tours of the museum at night and the option for a walk through the "haunted hallway" in the basement.

Neighborhood fun

There are plenty of homeowners outdoing themselves on a yearly basis for the chance to fascinate and frighten trick-or-treaters. Here are a few to check out:

Considered the Halloween equivalent of Bentleyville before a hiatus, Jeffrey Vollman revived his Esko Halloween yard in 2023, with younger kids in mind. It's a low-scare event - but offers a haunted trail - at 262 E Highway 61, about two miles past the four-way stop in Esko. With almost 150 lighted pumpkins, it's more cute than terrifying, although there is fog, thunder and lightning at night. "There's a little girl who comes every day from down the road, just to look at the pumpkins and other displays," said Vollman, estimating he spent close to three hours a day last winter making displays work. The Esko display is open Friday and Saturday nights through Halloween, at no charge. Halloween will be the last night and the only night there's candy.

A few miles away in Cloquet, Bil Nicholson has been busy creating an entire Halloween world in the front yard and porch of the home at 330 Fourth St. Come Halloween night, lightning will flash and the sounds of thunder will rumble through the air as a fog slowly creeps across the ghoulish scene.

There's more, if you dare. Behind Cloquet City Hall, neighboring homes transform each October on the 100 block of 13th Street. At the corner of Carlton Avenue and Ninth Street, the Schlenvogt family fills the yard with caskets and cobwebs and darkly humorous tombstones.

Fun geared specifically for trick or treaters is a whole other category. Top of the list might be Carlton's extremely popular downtown trick-or-treating 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.

Is your organization holding an event for the public or does your neighborhood have a special Halloween haunt? Email details to news@PineKnotNews by noon Tuesday, Oct. 22, to get in next week's paper.