TOLEDO, Ohio — From sugar skull creations at the Toledo Museum of Art, to BOO on a boat, to throwing axes to help eradicate polio, there is a wide variety of events in the 419 this weekend! Check out these highlights and plan accordingly, keeping in mind that Saturday is a First Alert Day for rainy, windy weather that could wash out some outdoor plans. Keep your WTOL 11 Weather App handy!
THURSDAY
Axe Out Polio | Axe 419 | 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Toledo Rotary is hosting Axe Out Polio benefiting Polio Plus with an evening of ax throwing, appetizers and prizes.
Oct. 24 is World Polio Day Toledo Rotary will be celebrating at Axe 419, 9851 Meridian Court, Suite 2, in Perrysburg. Bring a friend - over 21 guests only,- and have some fun. A $20 donation will be collected at the door. Appetizers served, cash bar is available and ax throwing for prizes will take place.
Pitch and Pour 2019 | Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex | 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Toledo's Biggest Pitch Competition Northwest Ohio’s largest entrepreneurial business pitch competition, “Pitch & Pour,” holds its annual competition Thursday night.
Pitch & Pour is a competition where startup companies compete for cash and business services and will have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to the Toledo's entrepreneurial community. This event takes place at the Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex, 1510 N. Westwood Ave., Toledo.
Harvest Pumpkins Wine & Canvas | Hollywood Casino Toledo | 6-9 p.m.
"Wine" down your week and paint some "Harvest Pumpkins" at Hollywood Casino on Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. You must be 21 or older to attend. Register online at: Wine & Canvas' website.
Trunk or Treat! at Monroe County Community College | 6-7:30 p.m.
This year's Trunk or Treat event will be held on at MCCC. A sensory-friendly experience is set for 6-6:30 p.m., and the trunk or treat opens to the wider public at 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Trick or Treat for Tots | Franklin Park Mall | 10 a.m.
Monsters, superheroes, princesses, kings and queens, ghosts and ghouls - all 6 years old or under - are invited to have an imaginative, spooktacular good time dressing up in their Halloween finest (no full facial masks or toy weapons please) for property-wide trick-or-treating at participating retailers, a magic show, Halloween-themed photo ops and more! Plus, receive a free goodie bag when you check in at the Food Court.
The event is FREE to attend and trick-or-treating will take place throughout the mall. After trick-or-treating, take a seat in the Food Court and be entertained with a magic show featuring Count Wakula. Three shows will take place at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Gathered Voices | Gathered Glassblowing Studio | 6-8 p.m.
Gathered hosts a new literary event, Gathered Voices, featuring a different featured poet every event. This is curated by Lena Ziegler, PhD candidate at Bowling Green State University.
This month, Gathered Voices will be featuring a reading by Jackson Bliss, Professor in the MFA Program at Bowling Green State University.
In addition to the featured reading by Bliss, the public can participate in a spoken word open mic for all levels of experience. Whether you’re an established writer or new to public reading, Gathered Voices gives everyone the opportunity to be heard! Come and listen to powerful prose and engage in thought provoking conversation in the first of a new series of programming.
"Strange Negotiations" Film Screening + Special Guests | Culture Clash Records | 6-8 p.m.
Culture Clash hosts a special preview screening of the SXSW-premiered documentary “Strange Negotiations” from award-winning filmmaker Brandon Vedder.
The film takes an unconventionally poetic and personal approach to the music doc, exploring the spiritual, artistic and personal turmoil of David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) as he navigates his career and family-life after walking away from the foundational Christian faith of his youth.
This arc plays out as David tours an America that is in its own crisis of faith, highlighted by the 2016 presidential election.
This film screening is a ticketed event at 7:30 p.m., though we encourage you to come early for a very special live performance from Toledo's own The Miracle Vitamins at 6:30!
Garrison Ghost Walk | Fort Meigs, Perrysburg | 7-9 p.m.
Come to Fort Meigs for a "spirited" stroll this fall during Garrison Ghost Walk. Tour the fort with your 1812 guide after dark and encounter the spookier side of this historic place. The whole family will enjoy hearing tales from the past, and while the ghosts may not be real, the fun certainly is!
Advance tickets are required for this event. Ticket sales are online only, with a credit card. No sales at the door. Visit the Fort Meigs website here to purchase tickets. Prices are $10 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and younger.
Bun-Fight Masquerade | Bronze Boar | 8 p.m.-1 a.m.
The Bronze Boar is throwing a masquerade party. $5 at the front door gets you a mask OR a $35 ticket gets you upstairs! Enjoy a special themed cocktail menu.
Haunted Collingwood Ghosts and Spirits | Collingwood Arts Center| 9:15 p.m., 10 p.m. tours
Join the Collingwood Arts Center for an evening to remember. Tour the beautiful historic building through haunted hallways and behind closed doors. Keep hydrated with delicious drinks along the way!
Tickets are $15 and include non-alcoholic hand-crafted beverages for all ages during the tour. Guests who are 21+ can enjoy alcoholic beverages included in their $20 ticket along the way. Discounts available for bundles of four!
Tours will depart at 9:15 pm and 10 p.m., so be sure you are on time for your selected tour! This tour includes a lot of walking and stairs, and is not otherwise accessible.
SATURDAY
Monsters & Martinis | Bar Louie Levis Commons |
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash! You won’t want to miss the Monsters & Martini’s party at Bar Louie. In addition to special themed martinis and apps, the gastro bar is also holding a costume contest with prizes for first, second and third place.
Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Decorating | Toledo Museum of Art | Saturday and Sunday
Toledo Museum of Art will offer guests a chance to decorate sugar skulls, a traditional activity before the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead. The skulls and a wide variety of decorating materials will be available in the Museum Café Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 27 from noon to 4 p.m.
The cost, which includes all the decorating materials, is $10 for one sugar skull or $15 for two sugar skulls. Participants will receive a 10 percent discount on the cost with a purchase of an item from the Museum Café’s children’s menu. Pre-registration is not required to participate.
Pumpkin Stomp and Chomp | Toledo Zoo | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Each year at the completion of trick-or-treating festivities Zoo staff gets asked: “What do you do with all these pumpkins?” The answer is quite simple…they share them with the animals!
From 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 everyone from Lucas, the African elephant to Hue, our white-cheeked gibbon, the meerkats and more will discover the orange fruits in their exhibits at an event called Pumpkin Stomp & Chomp!
Some of the animals will make a meal and others will make a mess but all of them will be using their natural instincts and displaying natural behaviors! This is a great way to see your favorite animals and our enrichment program in action at the same time!
Pumpkin Stomp & Chomp is free with Zoo admission. The full schedule of activities is available by visiting toledozoo.org/stompandchomp
Old South End Fall Festival | 1411 Broadway Street | 4-11 p.m.
The Old South End Fall Festival has several attractions for families’ enjoyment: trick-or-treat, games, food, music, face-painting, and a costume contest.
Entrance is just $2 and children under 12 free.
Boo on the Boat | National Museum of the Great Lakes | Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
You can bring your little ghouls and goblins aboard a historic freighter for a little Halloween fun this weekend.
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is hosting a trick-or-treating event with 'Boo on the Boat.' The whole family can pick up candy aboard the historic Col. James M. Schoonmaker ship.
Ticket prices are $8 for youth (6-17), $10 for seniors (65+), $11 for adults (18-64), Children 5 and under are free, as are National Museum of the Great Lakes members. Purchase your tickets ahead of time HERE and skip the line.
Admission onto the Schoonmaker is included FREE with museum admission on October 26th only.
The museum also is offering non-food treats for children with food allergies as part of the Teal Pumpkin Project.
OctoBOOfest | downtown Perrysburg | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
For the third year in a row, Louisiana Avenue will transform into "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!"️ Join Downtown Perrysburg Inc for another fun OctoBOOfest event, sponsored by Mercy Health and the Perrysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.
You can trick or treat, enjoy family activities from area businesses and schools, live performances, go on a Horcrux Scavenger Hunt, join the Costume Parade Contest and more.
Schedule of activities:
11-3 p.m. OctoBOO Fest activities on Second Street and Louisiana Avenue.
11-1pm Downtown Shops Trick or Treat for children
1-1:30 p.m. Children’s Costume Parade & Contest
- Contestants meet at the DPI booth at 2nd St. near Huntington Bank
Costume Contest Winners chosen immediately after the parade
Trunk or Treat 2019 | downtown Toledo | 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
iHeartRadio's Trunk or Treat takes place in the Hensville area from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Bring the whole family for to celebrate Halloween! Safely trick-or-treat down St. Clair Street from over 30 vehicles and sponsors, enjoy inflatables, games and activities in Hensville Park plus Kids Costume Contests, Pet Costume Contests and more.
Halloween at the Bay | Put-in-Bay | 2-11:30 p.m.
Downtown taverns will be decorated for Halloween at the Bay. Come join as people in costumes flood the downtown streets for Put-in-Bay's final weekend of the season. Some establishments also will have costume contests and prizes.
Civil War Escape Room | Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont | 5-9 p.m.
Bring your friends and solve a Civil War riddle to escape from historic rooms in the Hayes Museum. You are a Civil War soldier in the 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry mustered from Sandusky County.
During the embarrassing defeat, your unit experienced at the Battle of Shiloh, the Rebels captured your regiment’s banner and have taken it back to their camp. This humiliation cannot stand! You and your team have orders to proceed into the Confederate camp under the cover of darkness, scout out whatever clues you can find regarding the flag’s location, and retrieve it.
You should have one hour to complete your mission before the Rebel garrison becomes aware of your presence. Complete the mission, and you will safely escape with your flag. Up to 10 participants at each time slot will have an hour to solve puzzles hidden throughout a museum gallery. Smaller groups may be combined into a team of 10. Tickets are $20 for Hayes Presidential members and $25 for non-members.
Tickets available here: https://www.rbhayes.org/events/2/.
22nd annual Halloween Hike | Olander Park | 6-7 p.m.
Superheroes, princesses, and dinos will bound all around Lake Olander at TOPS’ most popular family event! Kids collect treats at stations as storytellers recite friendly tales of the Enchanted Evening! Don't forget to snap a photo with Spiderman, Jasmine, and Aladdin from Laurel's Princess Parties.
The Hike is family-friendly and not intended to scare children. For kids 12 & under; children MUST be accompanied by an adult guardian. Admission: $2 donation for ages 3 to 12; 2 & under FREE. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Sylvania Area Family Services.
New This Year: Park at Tam-O-Shanter and follow the pumpkins to the Olander Park Main Entrance on Sylvania Ave. Your exit will be at the walk-in gate on Vicksburg Avenue. Remember to dress for the weather. The hike is rain or shine.
SUNDAY
16-mile Hike: Oak Openings Scout Trail | Oak Openings | 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Explore the incredible Oak Openings Preserve Metropark on a 16 mile hike on the Oak Openings Hiking Trail, commonly know as the scout trail. The hike goes through forests, savannas, and prairies in their autumn splendor on this full-day adventure.
Bring a light day pack with a trail lunch, extra snacks, extra layers, and water. Dress for the weather and wear good hiking shoes or boots.
This hike will take place on a primitive dirt trail that may involve occasional roots and uneven terrain. The pace of this hike is not appropriate for children. Adults only. This program runs rain or shine. Free, Reservations, Code 405515102
Family Fall Festival | Reset/Spike's Beach Bar, Rossford | 2-4 p.m.
It's the third annual Family Fall Festival at Reset. Tickets are $10 per child and includes a personal cheese pizza and soda, bouncy house entry, face painting, balloon artists, and hayrides brought to you by Perrysburg Auto Mall!
A character meet and greet for the kids starts at 2 p.m., and treats from 7 Little Cupcakes- Official and a kiddy costume contest starts at 3:30 p.m. for scariest, cutest, most creative, and most heroic kids' costumes! Grown-ups can enjoy sampling some of HardHops canned craft cocktails.
OWE Security Chili Cookoff Fundraiser | The Attic, Toledo | 5-9 p.m.
OWE Security has a spicy fundraiser planned for Sunday to help keep the Old West End neighborhood safe.
Entrants will bring chili to compete in one (or more) of the following categories:
- Traditional
- Vegetarian/Vegan
- Chicken
- Curry
- Spicy
There will also be a prize for Best in Show.
Entrance to the event for attendees is $15. Entrance includes samples of chili, tickets for voting, special offers on drinks, free snacks. Prizes will be donated by local businesses. For more information check www.OldWestEndSecurity.com