A chilling Halloween primer for North, Central Whidbey

October has brought us howling winds, heavy rains and shorter days.

Toss in a little rolling fog and some eerie sunsets and you can see how Whidbey Island has created quite the buildup for an extended Halloween weekend.

The creepiest weekend of the year is upon North and Central Whidbey, where enough Halloween-themed events and activities are taking place over the next three days to make a zombie’s head spin.

Already three haunted houses have set the mood, including one in the dark chambers of Fort Casey State Park, where the two-day event is wrapping up tonight.

“Most of the rooms are pitch black,” said Oak Harbor High School freshman Hunter Carter, one of about 130 volunteers helping at the historic Army fort. “So it’s creepy enough by itself.”

Creepy, you’re after?

The 16th edition of Oak Harbor’s Frightville at the Roller Barn might be too scary this year, featuring a look of 19th and 20th century century sanitariums minus anything resembling sanitation.

There are more than two dozen rooms to encounter and a cast of characters well versed in terror.

“We don’t have that many people making it all the way through this year,” organizer Johanna Boyle said after the event’s second weekend.

“We have about 50 percent not making it through to the clowns.”

Some of the horror in Oak Harbor will be inescapable to the public.

Watch out for zombies dragging their legs along Midway Boulevard Saturday — all part of the Monster Mash Street Bash, now in its fourth year.

The event will start at the Whidbey Playhouse, where zombie makeup will be applied to willing participants and zombie apocalypse survival tips will be given by magician JR Russell. It all starts at 3 p.m.

Some participants are already in character when they arrive.

“Some people really come decked out with contact lenses and stuff. It’s kind of scary,” said Teresa Besaw, one of the event’s organizers.

The “zombie crawl” will start at 5:15 p.m. and finish at the Midway Trader Village, where there will be children’s games, tents for organizations and live music.

People in costumes walking in the darkness creates a situation of heightened awareness of public safety for law enforcement officers.

Island County Sheriff Mark Brown isn’t opposed to good fun but emphasizes safety and caution on this Halloween weekend.

The Island County Sheriff’s office issued a Halloween press release this week to educate the public about the dangers of sexual predators. In Island County, there are about 100 current registered sex offenders of which 20 are listed on the department’s website.

Brown encouraged people to check the website at www.islandcountywa.gov/Sheriff/Pages/Home.aspx.

But his strongest word of caution is to not allow children to trick-or-treat unchaperoned on Monday night.

“Even sex offenders identified on the website are not necessarily the entire problem,” Brown said. “In other words, it’s the ones you don’t know about that would be of concern.”

This is why Brown encourages organized events for children such as Oak Harbor’s popular “No Tricks, Safe Treats” event along Pioneer Way from 5-7 p.m. Monday.

A portion of the street will be closed so little goblins can safely walk and receive treats from merchants. There also will be a costume contest and prizes.

Skagit Valley College also its hosting a Halloween event at its Oak Harbor campus from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday. The event is free and offers treats for children and haunted lounge tours for those interested in a scare.

Other events this weekend that might appeal to children include a Halloween Torchlight Parade at 5 p.m. today in downtown Coupeville. Free flashlights will be given to the first 100 kids who are ages 10 and younger. There also will be a costume contest at Cook’s Corner Park at 4:45 p.m.

Another unique event will take place Sunday when Coupeville’s Great Pumpkin Race goes from 2-5 p.m. on Alexander Street between Coveland and Front streets.