Halloween returns next week with a variety of activities — some beginning as early as Saturday — for boys and ghouls alike.

The Old Forge Halloween parade will begin at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, at the post office. The parade ends at the fire hall, where there will be refreshments and fun for all ghosts and ghoulies.

Trick-or-treating throughout the community begins at dusk on Halloween.

The Central Adirondack Association has scheduled its annual pumpkin festival on Saturday, Oct. 27.  

The event will take place at the Old Forge fire hall from 5 to 7 p.m. Activities will include pumpkin carving, face painting, treats and a haunted walk.  

For more information, call the Old Forge info center at (315) 369-6983.

The Kiwanis Club of the Central Adirondacks, Town of Webb School Key and Builders Clubs and Kommunity Youth and Activity Center will join on Halloween to collect donations instead of candy.

They will take part in an intergenerational trick-or-treat for UNICEF. All proceeds raised by Kiwanis family members will go to the Eliminate Project. Trick-or-treating will take place between 5:30 and 7 p.m. on Halloween.

KYAC will be open until 9 pm. All participants in the UNICEF trick-or-treat as well as all trick-or-treaters are welcome to visit and enjoy soda and treats.

With the Eliminate Project, Kiwanis International and UNICEF have joined forces to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT). This deadly disease steals the lives of nearly 60,000 innocent babies and a significant number of women each year. The effects of the disease are excruciating: tiny newborns suffer repeated, painful convulsions and extreme sensitivity to light and touch.

To eliminate MNT, more than 100 million mothers and their future babies must be immunized. This requires vaccines, syringes, safe storage, transportation, thousands of skilled staff, and more.

Those who would like to join the effort can join Kiwanis at KYAC located in the North Woods Community Center on Crosby Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31.