BY AMY DANFORTH
There are many celebrations around central Arkansas in the latter days of October, hosted by churches, schools, and even the zoo. These festivals are safe, family-friendly alternatives to the traditional Halloween ritual of going door-to-door in search of candy.
The Little Rock Zoo is hosting its sixteenth annual ''Boo at the Zoo'', which is the largest Halloween festival in Arkansas. The event features a haunted house, fortune-telling, a funhouse, the beauty shop of horrors, and talking pumpkins. It will run October 24-31 from 6 PM to 9 PM each night. Admission is $5 per person and $4 per person for members. Costumes are encouraged.
Lutheran High School hosted its eleventh annual Oktoberfest on October 18; it showcased the German heritage of food and pastries, and featured a climbing wall, moonwalks, retail booths, crafts, and of course, food.
Several churches offer family-friendly festivals. New Hope Baptist Church of central Arkansas is hosting its Fall Festival on October 26, from 5-7:30 PM. On Halloween night, October 31, Parkway Place Baptist Church will host "Trunk'r'Treat", a free outreach to the community. South Highland Baptist Church will hold a Children's Fall Festival for kids that live in the Fair Oaks Apartment complex, from 5-7 p.m.
The Bible Church of Little Rock offers a very unique alternative with its traditional Reformation Celebration, which starts at 6:30 on Halloween night. This celebration features a guest speaker, Joel Beeke, who will speak on "Reforming Our Families", a Reformation-themed art contest for K-6 grades, and finger foods, desserts, and a Puritan vignette.
All of the above festivals will have games, funhouses, candy, and other attractions. Many other churches and shopping areas have trick-or-treat alternatives to make sure kids have a fun and safe Halloween.
