Editor’s note: Below is a sampling of events that are coming to Franklin County and the North Quabbin region to help residents celebrate Halloween. Additional music-related events were recently highlighted in Sheryl Hunter’s Sounds Local column.

Rag shag parades to be held throughout county

Towns across Franklin County will hold their annual rag shag parades to celebrate Halloween. The generations-old tradition consists of the parade, candy distribution and a costume showcase.

Erving’s parade will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Care Drive and will end at Veteran’s Field, where there will be treats and a bonfire starting at 6:30 p.m.

Turners Falls’ parade will begin after a costume contest in the parking lot of Aubuchon Hardware at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The parade will end at the Great Falls Discovery Center, where prizes will be awarded and candy will be distributed to children.

Northfield’s parade, sponsored by the Northfield Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9874, will begin in front of Town Hall at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, and march down Main Street to Northfield Elementary School.

Shelburne Falls will have its parade on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 6 p.m. starting below the Blue Rock restaurant on Depot Street and ending at the Fraternal Order of Eagles on State Street, where children will receive treats.

Participants in Ashfield’s parade will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the Post Office parking lot. The parade route leads to the Fire Station, with trick-or-treating along the way. At the end of the parade, the Lions Club and the Fire Department will serve candy, doughnuts and apple cider.

Wheel of Fate at Athol Public Library

ATHOL — Drop by the Athol Public Library’s Teen Space any time between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, to have your fortune told by the Wheel of Fate. No matter what the wheel predicts, you’ll go home with an extra treat. Open to ages 12 to 18.

There were 125 trick-or-treaters last year. House decorators are asked to have on hand the number of treats they can afford. Once out of treats, they are advised to turn off their exterior light. Costumes are optional.

North Quabbin Chamber hosts preschool stroll

The North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau will host a Halloween stroll for Athol and Orange children on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to noon. This spooky, fun-filled tradition is made possible by the chamber and local businesses.

Preschool-aged children are invited to trick-or-treat along Main Street in each town. Look for an Orange pumpkin in the windows of local businesses, libraries and town halls.

Bernardston offering drive-thru trick-or-treating

BERNARDSTON — Five Bernardston groups will host drive-thru trick-or-treating at the United Church of Bernardston’s parking lot on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Guests are asked to enter the parking lot from Hartwell Street. Upon leaving, attendees are encouraged to stop by the Fire Station on Church Street, where emergency personnel will also be handing out candy. Costumes are encouraged.

The organizations co-sponsoring the drive-thru event are the Bernardston Kiwanis Club, the United Church of Bernardston, the Bernardston Vets Club, the Bernardston Recreation Committee and the Bernardston Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization.

‘Giggling Ghosts’ at Pine Hill Orchards

COLRAIN — Griswold Memorial Library will hold “Giggling Ghosts,” a Halloween celebration with spooky stories, at Pine Hill Orchards on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mary Jo Maichack, a storyteller with 35 years of experience, will tell silly, funny and spooky ghost stories.

Tilton Library and Deerfield Police Department hosting weekend events

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Two events are taking place in Deerfield, with Tilton Library and the Deerfield Police Department hosting events on Saturday and Sunday.

Tilton Library welcomes families to partake in a slew of activities on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m., in partnership with the Atlas Farm Store. Families can participate in pumpkin decorating and other crafts, as well as listen to live music, taste apples and take home a treat bag.

The following day, the Deerfield Police Department is hosting its 37th annual Halloween Hayride at 5:45 p.m.

Folks are invited to Deerfield Elementary School, where the hayride will depart at 6 p.m. Treats and refreshments will be available at 6:45 p.m. In the event of rain, the hayride will be canceled, but treats and refreshments will still be offered.

Erving holding trunk-or-treat before parade

ERVING — The Erving Public Library will have treats and a photo booth available from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29. Residents are also invited to a trunk-or-treat at 5 p.m. outside on Care Drive before the town’s parade.

Additional public parking will be available at Erving Elementary School.

Greenfield Recreation Department to hold downtown trick-or-treating

GREENFIELD — Residents are invited to celebrate Halloween in the downtown area on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with trick-or-treating, followed by a rag shag parade and a costume contest.

Trick-or-treating will take place at businesses in the community from 4 to 5:30 p.m., at which point the rag shag parade will begin at the Mohawk Mall and end at Energy Park. A costume contest will follow. Prizes will be awarded for funniest, best cartoon character, scariest, group/family and Howl-o-ween costume.

Franklin County’s YMCA will host Gaga ball, an obstacle course and family fun in the gym. Snacks will be served.

Garden Cinemas celebrates Halloween

GREENFIELD — The Garden Cinemas will celebrate Halloween with special programming of “spooktacular” films and a live show.

Halloween Day on Tuesday, Oct. 31, will start at the Garden at 1 p.m. with a live performance by renowned medium Karen Tatro, who will present ghost tales and a slideshow of her paranormal investigations into haunted locations around New England, including the barn that launched the “Conjuring” movie franchise.

The author of two books, Tatro has been featured on the Biography Channel’s “My Ghost Story” and the SyFy Channel’s “Ghost Hunters.”

At 5 p.m., the Garden will host its annual free showing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Free for kids of all ages, the show is only 28 minutes long and concludes with plenty of time for kids to march in the rag shag parade.

Other movies screening over the weekend include: “A Haunting in Venice,” “The Exorcist: Believer,” “Saw X,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Leyden hosting second trunk-or-treat

LEYDEN — Leyden will have its second annual trunk-or-treat at Avery Field from 4 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Avery Field.

Around 30 families attended the inaugural candy-giving event last year. Aside from trunk-or-treating, festivities will include competitions for best costume and best trunk decorations judged by members of the Selectboard.

‘Monster Dash’ 5Kback in Northfield

NORTHFIELD — The 13th annual “Monster Dash” 5K road race will take place Saturday, Oct. 28, at 9 a.m.

Runners, walkers and bikers of all ages are encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes. Registrations are available online at bit.ly/3FsQ1gZ or on race day at Town Hall, which serves as the race’s start and finish location. Registration is $20 for adults and $12 for students, with a maximum fee of $35 for a family. All proceeds benefit the First Parish Unitarian Church of Northfield.

The first 150 to finish will be awarded a mug or pint glass. Additional prizes and refreshments will be distributed following the race.

New Salem plans town common trick-or-treating

NEW SALEM — Trick-or-treating will be offered on the town common from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Residents are welcome to bring a table and set up earlier on the common to pass out treats. This event is sponsored by the New Salem Recreation Committee.

For details, call TaMara Conde at 978-575-1034.

Orange venueshosting multiple events;Selectboard sets trick-or-treating hours

ORANGE — Halloween festivities for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade are planned for Ralph C. Mahar Regional School from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26.

It is free for all families, though parental supervision is required. There will be trick-or-treating, games and storytelling. The event is sponsored by the Mahar Key Club, the National Honor Society and the Ralph C. Mahar Student Council.

Also, the Selectboard voted to recommend trick-or-treating for between 5 and 8 p.m. on Halloween. As always, this is simply a recommendation — people can go trick-or-treating whenever they want.

Also, the Orange Pumpkin Festival is planned for the Revival Wheeler Mansion from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. There is a rain date of Oct. 29.

There will be carnival-style games; pumpkin carving and costume contests run by local businesses; food vendors and local craft vendors; and a creepy doll-themed haunted house inside the mansion.

Entry to the event is free, as is participating in the pumpkin carving and costume contests. Game tickets will be $1 apiece, and most will require one to two tickets. Haunted house tickets are $5 each. More information is available at orangepumpkinfestival.com.

Petersham trick-or-treating

PETERSHAM — Trick-or-treating will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to gather in front of the Country Store for the annual Parade Around the Common. The parade ends at Town Hall. A presentation by the Petersham Lions Club at Town Hall with Animal Adventures will follow.

Plus, the scarecrows on the library lawn and town common will remain up through Nov. 1.

Trunk-or-treat in Royalston

ROYALSTON — The Phinehas S. Newton Library in Royalston will be open for trick-or-treating and snacks on Halloween, Oct. 31, along with the police-sponsored trunk-or-treat on the town common from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Fall-A-Palooza at library

ROWE — The Rowe Town Library will host a Fall-A-Palooza on Saturday, Oct. 28, starting at 10 a.m.

The event will start with a history talk at the East Cemetery presented by the Historical Society. At noon, there will be a chowder cook-off at Smith Chapel. There will also be a scarecrow contest and pumpkin carving outside the library.

This is the second year this event has taken place.

Zombie Bar Crawl

SHELBURNE FALLS — Businesses are joining forces to host an inaugural Zombie Bar Crawl on Saturday, Oct. 28.

Participating bars and restaurants include: Juicebox at 4:30 p.m. with zombie face painting; the West End Pub at 6 p.m. with black-and-white horror movies on screen; the Blue Rock restaurant at 7 p.m. with specialty cocktails; Floodwater Brewing Co. at 8 p.m. with music from Sunny D and the Tangy Originals, followed by a DJ set from Ed Laire; and Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley at 10 p.m. with specialty drinks and DJ Kenny B. Frank.

Each location will have a costume contest.

“It will be fun to see the zombies walking about the streets of Shelburne Falls,” said event organizer and Floodwater Brewing Co. owner Zack Livingston.

Wendell planning another ‘Ghost Town’

WENDELL — The town has “Ghost Town 2023” scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, on the town common, with a rain date of Sunday.

Trick-or-treaters will gather by the gazebo for fun activities and proceed to the “Ghost Town” at dusk, which will be roughly 6:20 p.m. People can reserve a “Ghost Town House” lot by texting Rosie Heidkamp at 978-544-8457 or by contacting the Wendell Free Library at 978-544-3559.

“Houses” can be as simple or elaborate as people want. Most lots have a tree to hang decorations.

Treats do not need to be candy. Other ideas include stickers, riddles or knock-knock jokes.