By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer
(Oct. 25, 2019) Halloween is just around the corner and Worcester County is crawling with spooky activities for the family this weekend and through All Hallows’ Eve.
Ocean City:
– Ocean City Recreation and Parks will host its annual Halloween Spook-Out Party on Sunday, Oct. 27, from 1-3 p.m. inside the Northside Park gym on 125th Street.
Hayrides around the lagoon at Northside Park, on 125th Street in Ocean City, are part of the Halloween activities this weekend.
Activities include carnival games, arts and crafts, hayrides and costume contests scheduled throughout the event. Complimentary candy and snacks will be available, and prizes will be awarded for best costumes.
Participants of all ages are welcome, including parents.
No preregistration required. The entrance fee is one bag of individually wrapped candy per child.
For more information, visit www.oceancitymd.gov or contact Ocean City Recreation and Parks at 410-250-0125.
West Ocean City:
– Children can go trick-or-treating at the Ocean City Outlets and White Marlin Mall in West Ocean City on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 4-6 p.m.
White Marlin Mall is located at 12641 Ocean Gateway, a half mile west of Ocean City on Route 50 at Route 611 next to the Ocean City Outlets. For the past 32 years, the mall has been a family-oriented location to enjoy the evening for trick-or-treating.
Children must be in costume when they visit the merchants participating in the trick-or-treat promotion. Treats are available only to children 12 years and younger who are in costume.
Once again, the White Marlin Mall event will coincide with “Treats, No Tricks!” event at the neighboring Ocean City Outlets that also invites children 12 and under to trick-or-treat on Thursday, Oct. 31.
Visit www.whitemarlinmall.com for participating merchants or other Halloween-themed activities. Visit www.outletsoceancity.com for more information about the Ocean City Outlets event.
– Stop by Frontier Town, off Route 611 in West Ocean City on Friday or Saturday, for the annual Spooks and Spirits weekend celebration from 6-9 p.m.
Find spooky trails where guests can maneuver their way through a vampire’s lair, a train tunnel filled with people carrying chainsaws, among others.
In addition, there will be jugglers, a DJ, karaoke, Cascading Carlos, face paint, sand art and activities for children who might be too scared for the haunted trail
Food, including hotdogs, pizza and s’mores will be available.
A haunted trail through the Wicked Woods of FrontFEAR Town at the Western Theme Park costs $8 on both Friday and Saturday. The haunted trail may not be suitable for small children. Complimentary for campers.
Call 800-228-5590 for more information.
Ocean Pines:
– Area residents will find a few tricks and a whole lot of treats at the annual Ocean Pines Halloween/Fall Festival at White Horse Park on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department will host several spooky offerings during the event held at 235 Ocean Parkway, including costume contests for children 10 years old and younger, carnival games, face painting, pony rides for a small fee, candy, and a haunted hayride.
Children ages 2 and under will have their costume contest at 11:30 a.m., children ages 3-4 at noon, ages 5-7 at 12:30 p.m. and 8-10-year-olds at 1 p.m.
Costumed children will meet under the pavilion for a parade in front of the judges, who will determine the first-, second- and third-place winners in each category. Winners will receive a gift bag full of goodies.
The Kiwanis Club will be selling hot dogs and other refreshments.
All ages are welcome. Admission is free, but there will be a fee for some attractions.
Volunteers and candy donations are needed for the day of special activities and to run some of the games. Contact the Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department at 410-641-7052 if interested in helping or for more information about any of the activities.
Snow Hill:
– Children 12 and younger are invited to trick-or-treat while dressed in their favorite costumes at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill on Friday, Oct. 25, from 6-8 p.m.
The “Track or Treat” will include 27 vendors for the children to visit to collect treats. Guests are asked to bring a bag to collect goodies from local vendors.
There is no admission fee although attendees are encouraged to bring a canned good for donations. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, contact Kelly Buchanan at 410-632-2144 ext. 2503 or email kbuchanan@co.worcester.md.us.
Pocomoke City:
– Join Mac & Tuck, two North American River Otters, for an afternoon of games, candy and an otter program, during the Otterly Spooky event at the Discovery Center in Pocomoke City on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 1-2 p.m.
Children can wear costumes and join in on the parade. There will also be games and attendees can make snacks for the otters.
The cost is $5 per child for Discovery Center members and $10 per child for non-members.
The Discovery Center is located at 2 Market Street, in Pocomoke City, and is open year-round Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
For more information, contact Stacey Weisner at 410-957-9933 or email Stacey@DelmarvaDiscoveryCenter.org.