Haunted House is sure to frighten

I hope you all had time to get things winterized because the nights are already frigid; about 10 degrees colder up here in the northeast county than in Spokane. It may be cooling down, but the fun is still heating up.

I visited with the Elk Music Association members as they were planning the set-up of the Haunted House, and it was impressive. If you want to experience some Halloween fright, you need to go the Halloween maze of rooms. (Not for small children or the faint of heart!)

Haunted House 2009 will be at the Grub and More Restaurant (formerly Sly’s Saloon) at 39115 N. Newport Highway in Elk, which is between Riverside Family Foods and Miller’s One Stop. It will be open on Friday and Saturday, from 7 p.m. to midnight. The cost is $5 per person, and there will be hot dogs, chili and hot drinks available, as well as a variety of baked goods. Of course, there will be tricks and treats.

Dress up in your favorite warm costume and brave the Haunted House 2009. A portion of the proceeds will go to a local animal shelter. EMA’s nonprofit mission is to bring entertainment, music and arts to the community. Contact: Ricki Belden at (509) 292-2996.

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For the younger children there is a Safe and Fun Halloween Party on Saturday, downstairs at the Elk VFW hall. The party will be from 5 to 7 p.m., and there will be lots of games, prizes and treats. The party sponsors, the Elk VFW Ladies Auxiliary, will serve free hot dogs, chips and juice for the kids and their parents. Wrap those kiddos up in warm costumes and head to the VFW for a safe Halloween with plenty of activities and goodies. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

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For our neighbors to the west, Deer Park Elementary will offer a free Fall Carnival on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. It is for children age 9 and younger and includes carnival games with prizes and lots of treats. There is also a fundraiser dinner at $4 per person.

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It is hard to believe, but it is about time to start getting ready for the holidays. Our east side neighbors in Blanchard, Idaho, the Blanchard Area Seniors Inc., will hold a holiday bazaar on Nov. 7 at the community center. They have limited vendor space available.

The senior group will join the Blanchard Arts Guild in hosting an art show featuring local artists on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m., also at the community center. The event was made possible by a grant from the Florence Wasmer Fund for the Arts and Culture in the Inland Northwest Community Foundation. There is no admittance charge to the show, which will include an art auction and micro brew and wine tasting to benefit future arts-related programs at the center. Information for all events: (208) 437-1037.

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The Riverside High School leadership class has organized a competition between second-period classes to collect coats for Karen Sowele’s Coats for Our Kids project. If you would like to donate a new or gently used coat, you can drop it off at the school office or at God’s Closet free clothes bank at the Inland Grange, corner of Nelson and Conklin in Elk.

God’s Closet clothes bank is open every Monday from 9 a.m. until noon and everyone is welcome. Sowele hopes to have a big coat day by mid-November.