Fall is in full force on Whidbey Island, and residents can participate in activities to celebrate the season all month long. Whether your autumn vibe is pumpkin spice and everything nice, spooks and scares or somewhere in between, October on Whidbey has something for everyone.
NORTH WHIDBEY
For lovers of a good scare, the Twisted Barn is already ongoing. The Roller Barn’s annual haunted house tells the story of “Jack Twisted” and has scare level options to accommodate all levels of fear tolerance.
The full scare haunted house with actors and automations will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Oct. 7 through Oct. 28, as well as Halloween night. Visitors with some trepidation can enjoy an actor-less mid-level scare between 7 and 10 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays Oct. 12 through Oct. 29, plus Friday, Oct. 6, Monday, Oct. 30, and Friday Nov. 3. Lights-up matinees with no actors will be open from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 14, 21 and 28.
Tickets can be bought online at therollerbarn.com.
Pick pumpkins and enjoy the corn maze at K&R Farm Stand in Oak Harbor throughout the month of October. The Case Farm pumpkin patch in Oak Harbor is also ready for pickers.
Pioneer Way crystal shop Enchanted You is hosting a “Hocus Pocus” night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 7. Members of the public can stop in for an evening of socializing and “magical surprises,” according to the shop, which is located at 749 Pioneer Way in Oak Harbor.
Whidbey Farm and Market on Monroe Landing Road has a number of ongoing attractions, including a pumpkin patch and a pirate-themed corn maze. On Oct. 28 and 29, the maze will have a spooky twist, becoming the “Haunted Ghost Ship” corn maze.
The Farm and Market will also host a Harvest Moon Market to raise funds for the Whidbey Island Renaissance Faire from 5 to 10 p.m. Oct. 14. The market will have vendors, food trucks, a beer garden and live music.
Oak Bowl and Mario’s Pizza will host a family friendly Halloween bowling party from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27. Costumes are encouraged, and children will all receive free treat bags. Enjoy glow bowling and prizes all evening long for $75 a lane, including shoe rentals. Reservations must be made online at oakbowl.com.
That same evening, The Center in Oak Harbor will host a Halloween dance party from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 each, and guests must be 21 years or older. This event will include a costume contest, and beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for purchase.
Nerfed, Oak Harbor’s Nerf gun arena on Goldie Road, has a slew of Halloween events lined up on Oct. 28. An all ages costume party will take place with normal darts from 3 to 4:30 p.m., an all ages candy cannon contest will follow from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., a second costume contest for ages 12 and older with rivals will happen from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and the final costume contest of the evening — this one for adults, featuring glow-in-the-dark dodgeball — will last from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The entry fee is $10 per player.
Collect candy at a trunk-or-treat event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at Rise Academy of the Arts, located at 275 Pioneer Way.
The same evening, enjoy Saratoga Orchestra’s “Music, Magic and Mystery,” a concert hosted by Whidbey magician J.R. Russell. The performance will feature music from “Harry Potter” and “Practical Magic,” “Danza de los Duendes” and “The Composer is Dead,” a musical murder mystery with music by Nathaniel Stookey and text by Lemony Snicket.
The North End performance of “Music, Magic and Mystery” will take place at 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at Oak Harbor High School. Tickets can be purchased online at sowhidbey.com.
A “No Tricks, Safe Treats” trick-or-treat event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Halloween on Pioneer Way in Oak Harbor.
For those with base access, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island will host a number of Halloween events for individuals and families.
NAS Whidbey’s Skywarrior Theatre will show Halloween movies at 6 p.m. Oct. 6, 10, 20 and 27. The films shown will be “The Addams Family,” “Haunted Mansion,” “Casper” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
A pumpkin painting craft night will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Convergence Zone on base. The $10 entry fee includes a ceramic pumpkin, paint and supplies.
The Convergence Zone will host another craft night from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 19, and this time, the craft will be an autumn wreath. The $15 cost includes all materials.
Navy families can participate in a trunk-or-treat from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 20 on the Seaplane Base. The “Halloween Spooktacular” event will also include a scavenger hunt at the Naval Exchange, music and more.
CENTRAL WHIDBEY
Meerkerk Gardens in Greenbank will host a fall plant sale and Octoberfest celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 7. Enjoy live music with food and a beer garden provided by local vendors. Admission costs $10 for adults, while kids under 16 may enter for free. Leashed dogs are welcome.
Coupeville art shop Meet Market is putting on a community pumpkin party from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 13. Visitors can carve pumpkins while listening to music and enjoying snacks and hot drinks. Meet Market is located at 7 Front Street in Coupeville.
Later that weekend, from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 15, Meet Market will host another community event. The “Spooky Pottery Workshop” with Jordan Jones is a class that will teach guests how to make Halloween-themed handbuilt pottery.
Coupeville crafters may also be interested in painting pumpkins at Greenbank Cidery, also located on Front Street in Coupeville, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 18. Ivy Breen will host the class, and a $60 fee covers the cost of the pumpkin, supplies and a flight of cider. Sign up at meetmarket.org.
The annual “Haunting of Coupeville” has begun, and activities and attractions throughout town are part of the fun. This year’s theme is “The Addams Family.” Visitors can pick up a map of this year’s scarecrow contest participants at the Chamber of Commerce or Coupeville Library and vote for their favorites throughout the month of October.
The Weary Bones Graveyard, a spoof cemetery full of silly headstones, can also be visited all month long. Access is available through the Rec Hall parking lot on Coveland Street or Alexander Street.
Pick pumpkins all month long at Scenic Isle Farm in Coupeville, and take trolley rides and have family fun on the weekends.
Enchanted Beedle, located at 18997 Highway 20 in Coupeville, will host the Enchanted Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Costumes are encouraged at the event, which will have vendors, music and more.
The Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association will put on two showings of “Practical Magic” for those ages 21 and older at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28 at the Coupeville Rec Hall. In addition to the movie screening, enjoy trivia, a costume contest and margaritas.
A family friendly “Clues and Capes” scavenger hunt will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 and 29. Participants can pick up a witch hat or cape at the Coupeville Rec Hall, then follow clues throughout town to complete the ensemble.
An all-ages “Spells and Brews” bike ride will also happen that weekend. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at Coupeville Middle School, and the cost to ride is $10. Riders will receive treats along the way, and participants ages 21 and older will get a ticket for a drink at the Spells and Brews Garden.
The annual Torchlight Parade and Street Dance is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 28. Put on your costume and meet at Cook’s Corner Park to parade down Front Street, collecting treats along the route.
The annual pumpkin races will take place the next day from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 on Alexander Street. Home-decorated pumpkin race cars will compete to be the fastest down the road.
SOUTH WHIDBEY
Double Bluff Brewing Co. will celebrate Oktoberfest from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 7 in conjunction with its grand re-opening and eight year anniversary. Enjoy live music, local food and specialty beers.
Attend a Halloween movie night at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Bayview Taproom. Costumes are encouraged.
The Freeland Library is celebrating Halloween with a “spooky storytime” for adults. Attendees will enjoy a lights-out dramatic reading of ghost stories, followed by a flashlight scavenger hunt through the library. The storytime takes place at 7 p.m. Oct. 27.
The Bayview Taproom will host a costume contest at 7 p.m. Oct. 28. The first place winner will receive a free growler filled with his or her choice of beer.
The Saratoga Orchestra will put on a South End performance of “Music, Magic and Mystery” at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at South Whidbey High School.
Attend the annual “Fantastically Mad Ball” at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Bayview Community Hall. This year’s theme is dark fairytales and folklore.
Bayview Hall will also host a Halloween Skate Night at 7 p.m. Oct. 31. Bring your own skates, treats and friends, and wear your costume.