Haunted Halloween happenings in New York City

By Samantha Chapnick

You probably already know about the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village. But if you want to check out some local Halloween haunts on your New York vacation, here are a few suggestions.

The Carrousel at Bryant Park. 4-6 p.m on October 31. Meet Clifford, do pumpkin painting, listen to stores and ride the carousel ($2/ride).

5th annual Chelsea Market Jam-BOO-ree! October 31, 2:30 to 5 p.m. Chelsea Market, an indoor gourmet food arcade and socialspace is holding a combo trick or treat/fair with free candy and treats, Pumpkin Master Hugh McMahon carving a 500 lb pumpkin, juggling, face painting and handmade halloween decor.

The Scholastic Store. October 26, 6-7 p.m. 557 Broadway (between Prince and Spring streets). Cost: $10 per child. Clifford fans can spend Halloween with the big red dog himself when The Scholastic Store has its after-hours party. Each child will make a spider cupcake, design a Halloween mask, listen to a scary story, play Halloween games and do the "Monster Mash" with Clifford.

The 2008 Halloween Fun Fair. Oct. 18, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Outdoors at the P.S. 87 School Yard, 160 West 78th Street between Columbus Ave/Amsterdam Avenue. Rain: Location moves to Holy Trinity Church, 213 West 82nd Street (Amsterdam Avenue).

Central Park Pumpkin Festival. October 25th, 3-8 p.m. The Pumpkin Festival Includes a scarecrow competition at the Bethesda Fountain, a haunted house, pumpkin picking at Cherry Hill, a 20-foot-high Jack ‘o Lantern Tower at Naumberg Bandshell, and performers from the Big Apple Circus.

Bronx Zoo Boo at the Zoo: Every weekend in October, the Bronx Zoo is filled with Halloween activities including magic shows, spooky stories and pumpkin carving. If you can’t make the trek to the big zoo, most of their affiliates (Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park, Aquarium) are doing similar events restricted tothe weekend of the 25th and 26th.

Trinity Church, 89 Broadway. It’s cocktails and crafts at the Little Church that Did. Trinity Church, the one that miraculously stood after the twin towers collapsed, makes a great spooky attraction any time of year with its skull-adorned gravestones, famous cemetery residents (Alexander Hamilton for one) and Gothic Revival architecture. On Halloween, it holds its free Spooktacular party with crafts, face painting, treat-giving and storytelling by ghosts who roam the graveyard (4-6 p.m.). For adults (6-8 p.m.) the North Churchyard comes alive with dancing, music and a Haunted Hamilton cocktail. This revelry is following by an airing of the silent film Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde accompanied by the Church’s pipe organ.

Foley’s NY Pub. 18 W. 33rd St. 8-11 p.m. Adults can revisit the pagan roots of Halloween at Foley’s NY Pub. Come in costume. Do some serious karaoke and the seriousdrinking. Not necessarily in that order. Did we mention that the reward for all this revelry is prizes?

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