Halloween isn’t just fun for 5-year-olds carrying their plastic pumpkins from door to door collecting candy; it’s enjoyable for all age groups. To get the most out of this spooky holiday, check out one of many events happening in and around Marquette to get in all your thrills.

Local bars

There are quite a few local haunts getting into the spirit of things for this spooky celebration.

The UpFront, The Doghouse Pub and the Holiday Inn are offering costume contests with a variety of prizes.

John Mahler, owner of the Doghouse, said the contests are done to celebrate and ensure everyone has a good time.

“It’s just for fun. We give away some gift certificates, we pick first, second and third,” Mahler said. “It helps to get people to think a little more about their costume, and it’s fun, that’s purely why we do it.”

The UpFront will also be hosting a fundraiser for the Children’s Museum, including a costume contest in their banquet hall, which allows people under 21 to attend. The winner will receive gift certificates for participating businesses around town. The winner of the contest in the restaurant will receive $150. Minneapolis rock band Summit Avenue will be playing on Friday night as well.

Campus activities

The residence halls will be hosting campus wide trick-or-treating for kids in the Marquette community. There will also be a costume contest at the hockey game on Friday night.

Gant Hall Resident Director Dylan Shiver said a lot of college kids like to participate in handing out candy.

“Just because you’re a college kid doesn’t mean you can’t pass out candy,” Shiver said. “It’s still fun to dress up and give out candy.”

Costume ideas

The perfect place to get some killer costume ideas is the new Halloween outlet in the Westwood Mall, spanning two stores worth of fake blood, wigs, moustaches and accessories. It’s enough to make the costume connoisseur drop dead with glee.

For a unique approach, try dressing up as a deviled egg, a voodoo doll or Raggedy Ann. If the prices are enough to scare you into pinning some socks to your shirt and going out as static cling, you can always try any of the thrift stores in town, such as Goodwill or St. Vincent De Paul, as both offer large varieties of costumes.

Everyone knows that the costume is one of the key ingredients to a great Halloween night, so don’t neglect spending some time finding what suits you best.

The Paulding Light

For a real-life haunted phenomenon, the brave of heart can try catching sight of the ghostly apparition that appears nightly in Watersmeet, about two hours west of Marquette. Those who make the drive can experience the infamous Paulding Light. Legend and lore are abundant surrounding this swaying light that appears in the woods, seeming to float and bob while sometimes changing colors. One tale speaks of a railroad worker who was hit by an oncoming train while holding his lantern; he now haunts the area by swinging the lantern back and forth along the path where the tracks used to lie.

The phenomenon can be more unexplainable than frightening, but to really get spooked, try walking down the path into the woods towards the light. I guarantee you won’t make it very far.

The Hayes Corn Maze

If a fall drive out of town strikes your fancy, try heading to Hayes Corn Maze, about an hour south of Marquette off of U.S. 41. You can navigate your way through tricky rows of corn and then check out the pumpkin patch.

The maze offers no loitering monsters, so if a mild night without the fear of heart palpitations is your bag, try winding your way through. If you find all 10 check stations throughout the maze, you will qualify for a $100 grand prize. That’s enough incentive to plow through rows upon rows of corn.

Whether you choose to hand out candy, try your luck at the costume contests around town or simply go on a ghostly adventure with friends, make the most of your night of fright, for it only comes once a year.