Halloween is about more than candy and costumes in Coupeville this year.

The town is plumbing the depths of the spooky season with the Haunting of Coupeville, a month-long municipal adventure that will feature everything from family-friendly pumpkin patches and parades to hair-raising houses of haunts.

The Haunting of Coupeville is largely the brainchild of Coupeville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Eccles and local businessman Matt Iverson.

“So many people are just getting involved and enjoying the whole thing,” Eccles said. “It’s really exciting to see.”

Coupeville has always hosted a scarecrow corridor and a pumpkin patch, but Eccles said she wanted to expand.

Iverson came up with the idea of having a corn maze at Engle Farm and the ideas just started pouring in.

“It was great how everything came together,” Eccles said. “Matt’s really been the driving force.”

Many town organizations are getting involved. The Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association is running multiple events, including pumpkin races and a carved pumpkin contest.

The only rule  for the pumpkin races is the axles have to go into the pumpkin, said Vickie Chambers, association executive director.

“The key is in those straight axles,” Chambers said.

Winners will receive special trophies and bragging rights, she added.

Crocket Farm is hosting a Halloween dance and Haunted Barn. The Pacific Northwest Art School will host pumpkin painting and the library is organizing a costumed pet parade. The Coupeville Boys and Girls Club is hosting a costume 5K run.

Directional scarecrow signs and tombstones were created by Coupeville High School wood shop students. And the high school drama troupe will be haunting the corn maze at night.

The troupe said they are  excited about the haunting and are coming up with ideas for characters and stage makeup.

Drama troupe advisor Peg Tennant said students are creating various scenarios to provide variety each night the haunted maze runs.

Visitors can attend every single night and it will be a different experience, Tennant said.

“This time we get to actually play around with it,” Tennant said. “They’ll be creating theme and scenario. We have a life-sized Victorian coffin, which may or may not show up.”

The haunted corn maze will be held on select weekends later in the month.

While there are new events in the month of October, there are also some of the traditional events residents have grown to anticipate, like the Harvest Fest Relay Races with its giant pumpkin contest and Halloween Torchlight Parade.

There’s something for just about everyone, Eccles said.

“A dream became a reality for me,” Eccles said. “I love fall, and I wanted to have things to attract the locals, but also people from off-island. I hope it brings a smile to people’s faces.”

To see a complete list of dates and times for the Haunted happenings, go to the Haunting website.