Published: October 22, 2009 02:49 pm      

OUT & ABOUT | Oktober best

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

An Oktoberfest “Simply the Best” Thank You Party will be held at 8 tonight at Ace’s, 316 Chestnut St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

Doors will open at 6, and music by the Johnstown Classic Rockers will begin at 8.

Ace’s was named best wedding reception and banquet facility by public voting.

Oktoberfest food, which costs $1 per item, will include hamburgers, Italian sausage, kielbasa, haluski and pigs in the blanket.

Admission at the door is $5.

Information: 536-4176.

Musical spirits

“Ghosts: The Musical” will be haunting the area at 8 tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Cresson Lake Playhouse, 279 Shapiro Road, Loretto.

The play is the story of an aging theater about to be torn down for a mini mall and the ghosts of the performers who have appeared there.

Tickets are $17 for adults and $10 for children younger than 12 years old.

Information: 472-4333.

Ghouls on parade

The 41st annual Johnstown Halloween Parade will march down city streets at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Organizers are expecting at least 75 units in the two-hour-long parade. Participants will be high school bands, floats, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, Shriners, dancers, walking units, fire companies, motorcycle groups and baton twirlers.

The parade will come up Main Street to Clinton Street, turn left onto Clinton and then turn left onto Washington Street.

Atlantic Broadband will film and televise the spooktacular and rebroadcast it during the weekend on Channel 14.

-- The annual Bedford Elks Halloween Parade will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, beginning at East Pitt Street, Bedford.

The parade will turn left onto Juliana Street before disbanding at the courthouse.

The rain date will be Wednesday.

Information: 623-9510.

Amazing mazes

The corn maze at Weakland Farms, Route 164, west of Portage, will be open from 4 to

8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 1 to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1.

The cost is $6 per person.

-- A fall harvest and corn maze at Barr Ridge Farms, Route 271, north of Nicktown, will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays through Oct. 31.

The cost is $4 for adults and $3 for children.

-- The corn maze at Faranda’s Farm, 1171 Penn Ave, Hollsopple, will be open from 4 p.m. to dusk Fridays, 11 a.m. to dusk Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 30 and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 31.

Flashlight Nites will be held today and Saturday and Oct. 30-31.

Admission is $10 or $8 for groups of more than 20.

Festive festivals

The 25th annual Autumnfest will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Seven Springs Mountain Resort near Champion.

Guests can view fall foliage while taking a chairlift to the top of the mountain, and a Bavarian-style buffet will be served.

There will be an arts and crafts bazaar and musical entertainment.

Chair lifts are $5 per person per ride and the alpine slide is $7.

Halloween happenings

Hallowboo will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Idlewild Park, Ligonier.

Guests will enjoy trick-or-treating through Story Book Forest, and hay bale and hedge mazes.

Admission is $21.99 with guests age 2 and younger admitted free. Coupons for $4 off are available at participating Giant Eagle locations.

Information: (724) 238-3666.

-- A Haunted Village will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 30 and 31 at Old Bedford Village, 220 Sawblade Road, Bedford.

A haunted village, hayride and haunted corn maze are included with admission.

Evening admission is $8. Children ages 5 and younger will be admitted free.

Information: 623-1156, (800) 238-4347 or on the Web at www.oldbedfordvillage.com.

Frightful hauntings

Hauntings at Huston’s Haunted Hollow Campground, Route 281, Rockwood, will be held from dusk to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

The hollow is not recommended for children younger than 7 or those with medical conditions.

There also will be 30-minute Hayrides of Horror that venture into the Evil Forest.

The cost is $13 for adults and $11 for children ages 10 and younger and group discounts.

-- Ghostly and ghastly spirits will take over Kennywood Park for Fright Nights from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

Fright Nights are not recommended for those 13 and younger.

-- Ghosts & Goblins Tours at Lincoln Caverns near Huntington will combine the good and evil of the season Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

Family-friendly tours will be offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, while haunted, scary adventures will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Tickets for the friendly tours are $11.95 for adults and $6.95 for children ages 4-12.

Tickets for the haunted cave tour and trail are $11.95.

Horror premiere

“House of the Wolf Man,” a 1940s-style horror film shot in black and white, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ligonier Theatre, Main Street.

The film, which stars Ron Chaney, grandson of the legendary Lon Chaney Jr., will be released nationally in November.

Tickets are $10 by reservation because seating is limited.

Information: (724) 238-4317.

Ghost writers

A workshop on writing a scary or surprising ghost story will be held from 6 to 8 tonight at Ligonier Valley YMCA, 110 W. Church St., Ligonier.

The workshop is sponsored by Ligonier Valley Writers and is free and open to the public.

The presenter will be Barb Miller, who teaches the writing popular fiction program at Seton Hill University.

Miller has published historical novels, mysteries, young adult books and a paranormal mystery.

Refreshments will be served, and all ages and skill levels are welcome.

Information: (724) 238-7580.

Cinematic singing

“A Night at the Movies,” the fall concert of Greater Johnstown Community Chorus, will be presented at 7 tonight at First United Methodist Church,

436 Vine St., Johnstown, and at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 100 Scalp Ave., Richland Township.

The chorus will sing songs from the movies ranging from “Pennies From Heaven” to “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

Tickets are $7 at the door.

Information: 539-0795.

Always a bridesmaid

“Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” will be presented today through Nov. 1 at Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Richland Township.

The cast consists of five bridesmaids who hide out in an upstairs bedroom rather than attend the wedding and a male who provides a romantic interlude.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and Thursday through Oct. 31 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 1.

Tickets are $15, $13 and $10.

Information: 269-7200 or (800) 846-2787.

Paranormal party

An All Souls Benefit Dinner, sponsored by the Venue of Merging Arts, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at Parrot Bay Cafe, 705 Chestnut St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

Reservations are required by Monday.

A dinner will begin at 7, and a photo exhibit, “Seen and Unseen,” will be on display.

The evening will feature Lee Ann Gray, instructor of paranormal studies at Penn Highlands Community College, and SPLATT, paranormal investigators.

The cost is $25.

Reservations: 410-2245.

Buried treasure

Author Jean Crichton will give a presentation on her book, “Digging for Treasure: Two Pioneer Coal Developers in Portage, Pennsylvania,” at 7 p.m. Thursday at Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

The book focuses on the story of Crichton’s father, Andrew B. Crichton.

She also will speak on her research into the early bituminous industry in Portage and other parts of central Pennsylvania.

A Johnstown native, Crichton reported for The Tribune-Democrat from 1971 to 1976. She now lives in Summit, N. J., where she has been writing the history of the Crichton family.

A book signing will follow Crichton’s presentation, which is free and open to the public.

Information: 539-1889.

Mirror, mirror

The classic fairy tale “Snow White” will come to life at 2 p.m. Sunday at Arcadia Theater, 1418 Graham Ave., Windber, as part of the “Coal”-ala Bear Series for Children.

Tickets are $6.

Information: 467-9070.

Historic encounter

“Francis and the Peace of Brother Sun” will be presented at 7:30 tonight and Saturday at the JFK Center, St. Francis University, Loretto.

The 65-minute play is the fictionalized version of a historic event – Francis of Assisi’s meeting with the Muslim leader of the Islamic world in Egypt during the Crusades in 1219.

A dinner theater will be held at 6 each evening.

Those who wish to attend the dinner theater performance must make a reservation.

Tickets are $8 for the show only and $20 for dinner and the show.

Reservations: 472-3930.

Fall banquet

New Day Inc. will hold a banquet at 6 p.m. tonight at Richland Township fire hall, Scalp Avenue.

Staff members of the Windber and Johnstown branches of New Day will highlight a local mission emphasis, “The Kingdom Assignment.”

Special music will be provided by New Hope Ministries.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the door.

Films and workshops

Two presentations of CineMuse Hi-Def Cinema will be held this weekend as part of the children’s programming at Children’s Museum at Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

“Operation Dung Beetle” will be shown at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

“Creature Feature,” a fun and informative look at some of the world’s strangest creatures, will be presented at 2:10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The programs are free with museum admission or to JAHA members.

“Music & Movement,” a hands-on and interactive workshop presented by Mark Weakland, will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Activities will include moving to the beat and singing.

Children will have the opportunity to construct their own shaker and drum and play them during a folk song.

This workshop is for children ages 4 to 8, and parents and teachers are welcome.

“Spooky Story Time,” a workshop for children ages 8-12 presented by Amanda Lindberg, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Children will learn about Halloween and listen to Halloween stories, decorate pumpkins, participate in a costume contest and enjoy a spooky snack.

Children should come dressed in costume. Pumpkins and snacks will be provided.

All workshops are $5 per child or free for JAHA members. Pre-registration is recommended because space is limited.

Information: 539-1889.