Halloween fun on tap in Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte

Beyond the opportunities to collect treats, there's a wealth of community activities that celebrate the season, from haunted dwellings to costume contests. Sponsors include the La Porte Volunteer Fire Department, the La Porte Paramedic Association, the La Porte Police Officer's Association, La Porte dispatchers and the La Porte Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. The evening will feature free face painting, photo opportunities, trick-or-treating and a costume contest in the student center, 301 E. Fairmont Parkway. Guests also will find booths, game, a children's hay maze with prizes and the "Strut Your Stuff Costume Contests," where prizes will be awarded for first, second and third-place winners. The games are carnival style and range from bean bag tosses to bowling to spinning wheels, all custom made for the city of Pasadena. Seniors are invited to come dressed in costume, if they'd like, share some Halloween stories, socialize and enjoy ice cream. The plot of the musical follows five college students who go to an abandoned cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them into demons. Red Door Theatre, 4513 Red Bluff Road, Pasadena, offers Witch's Tale weekends through Sunday, Oct. 16. The show will feature reptiles and exotic animals - including snakes, lizards and spiders - from all over the world. Armand Bayou Nature Center, 8500 Bay Area Blvd., Pasadena, will present its annual Creepy Crawlers event, which includes guided night hikes, storytelling, face painting, hayrides and more 4:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Visitors can have their faces painted, decorate a mask with natural materials, take a hayride through the night, listen to storytelling, dive for candy in a haystack, decorate sugar cookies and sip apple juice brew at a turn-of-the-century farm site. First United Methodist Church, 9601 W. Fairmont Parkway, La Porte, will host a Trunk or Treat event, which takes place in the church's parking lot, begins at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.