5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Halloween weekend edition

1 Load up on more candy with a community trick-or-treat, or trunk-or-treating event Saturday or Sunday. There are several in the region, but La Salle and Peru’s Halloween festivals Saturday are two of the larger events planned. Hometown Halloween in La Salle kicks off with a performance by the Hocus Pocus Hags at 10:30 a.m. Participants will line up for the 11 a.m. Halloween parade at the Knights of Columbus parking lot, 209 Gooding St., then trick-or-treat downtown businesses until 1 p.m. Halloween in the Park in Peru is set 2 to 4 p.m. at Washington Park. The Hocus Pocus Hags will begin the activities at 2:30 p.m. Their performance will be followed by a Peru Police K-9 demonstration at 3:15 p.m. There will be games, treat bags, fire truck aerial rides, a straw maze and pumpkin painting. Additionally, Starved Rock Media will throw its Howl-O-Ween on the Hill trunk-or-treat event 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Illinois Valley Community College. Local businesses and groups will be handing out candy.

2 Gather for some Halloween tales at Starved Rock State Park. Local storyteller Bill Myers will perform a Halloween program 3 p.m. Sunday at Fox Ridge, just outside the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center. The tales are selected for “children” 3 to 83, and will not traumatize the wee ones, Myers said. He challenges everyone in the audience that he can make them jump at least once. Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costume. Pumpkins from the Gast farm in Earlville will be available for each family. Go to https://www.facebook.com/starvedrocklodge for more information.

3 Have some grown-up fun in Peru for Halloween. The Witches and Warlocks event is returning 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Westclox, 350 Fifth St. There will be costume contests, music, drinks, food, photo shoots and Tarot card readers, among other activities. An LED performance will be led by Zombie Girl at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available on Eventbrite or at the door.

4 Take in a live radio melodrama in Princeton. The Prairie Arts Council will present “The Mystery of Irma Vep” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Prairie Arts Center, 24 Park Ave. East in Princeton. The Prairie Arts Council turns back the clock and presents Charles Ludlam’s “The Mystery of Irma Vep” as a live 1950s British radio melodrama. Two actors take on nine gothic and hilarious characters who inhabit a mysterious mansion with sinister secrets. Go to https://www.facebook.com/prairiearts/ for more details.

5 Put on your porch light and join in the fun Sunday (or Saturday in Peru, La Salle, and Cornell). You don’t have to leave home for this one. The Times and NewsTribune previously posted trick-or-treating hours for local communities. Share some treats with the ghosts and ghouls that come to your door.

Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to The Times, NewsTribune or Bureau County Republican’s community calendar at starvedrockcountry.com/local-events/ where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature.