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If you're looking to get your guts turned inside out with fear leading up to Halloween, there are a few options around town you can take advantage of. (Also, if you'd rather stay home and get scared, I have a few suggestions for films to rent both old and new.)
A Fargo, N.D. woman is at the center of controversy after vowing to hand not Halloween candy but instead letters to children she deems "overweight," warning them about their health.
Anoka is known as the Halloween Capitol of the World, but when one local business thought spirits were visiting from the "other side," they called in Twin Cities Paranormal Investigators. The group took a look at what their research revealed at Party Papers, a former chocolate shop and auto showroom.
This time of year, we are subject to all sorts of scary stuff. Some people love having the daylights scared out of them while others avoid it all costs. Hannah Borreson is one of those that could do without.
Halloween isn't the only big holiday occurring this week. Right on its heels is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a popular Hispanic celebration that honors loved ones who are no longer with us. Unlike a somber funeral, Dia de los Muertos tends to focus more on the joy of remembering loved ones and celebrating the lives they lived. Brightly colored skeletons and skulls, lots of food, and often music all play a part in the festivities, which also involve altars set up to honor the departed.
This year, many of the kids who ring your doorbell will be asking if you have any non-perishable foods that you'd like to donate to a food shelf. It's a community service effort that comes directly out of We Day Minnesota.
The city of Anoka lived up to its billing as the "Halloween Capital of the World" on Saturday. The Grand Day Parade began at 1 p.m. in downtown Anoka, with over 150 floats and dozens of marching bands. Organizers estimate that they get up to 40,000 people to turn out every year. The event, which began in 1920, is the largest and longest-running parade in Minnesota.
Ryan Ridgley makes no secret of his love of Halloween. "I'd say this year the favorite is the guillotine," Ridgley said. In his Richfield yard, the scary and supernatural come to life. His layout is planned months in advance, and he makes most of the eerie items by hand. His Halloween perfection takes time and money. "I can't say the exact amount because my girlfriend will get upset," he said. "There was a comma in it a long time ago." But for Ridgley, the bigger the display, the bigger the turnout. And the bigger turnouts provide more opportunity to help others.
There's a haunted house under construction in St. Paul that's expecting about 600 to 800 trick-or-treaters. The beautiful house on Summit Avenue -- located near the St. Paul Cathedral -- is also a home for men recovering from addiction.
The weekend before Halloween is a popular one for parties, but the Department of Public Safety is warning motorists that police won't put up with any tricks. DPS says authorities statewide are cracking down on impaired drivers this weekend. Officials are urging partygoers to plan a sober ride before donning their costumes.
It's just one week away from Halloween, so to get into the spirit of the season, WCCO viewers helped Matt Brickman find Minnesota's Best Haunted Attraction. And fright fans didn't disappoint as The Dead End Hayride in Wyoming, Minn. came out on top.
Going trick-or-treating with the kids this Halloween? Elizabeth Bailey RN and Dr. Rebecca Bailey's have some helpful tips for ensuring a safe and fun night out in the neighborhood.
Halloween is almost here. Last week I took a look at not-so-scary Hallween events around the Twin Cities. This week, let's take a look at a sampling of Halloween events around the state.
Much like comedy, horror is one of the most subjectively-received movie genres out there. Just as you can't really argue what people think is or isn't funny, it's difficult to convince anyone that they're not scared if they're squeezing the blood right out of your closest thigh.
Some businesses buy costumes, fake blood and dry ice, and declare themselves "haunted" for a few weeks each year. But a hotel in central Minnesota has mysterious happenings year-round, and there are no costumes.
Halloween is just around the corner and one of the biggest celebrations around is in Anoka. The city has been known to have one of the biggest Halloween parades there is in Minnesota.
This Halloween, some Minnesota doctors have a warning, and it has nothing to do with candy. The Minnesota Optometric Association is warning people to be leery of festive eye contact lenses. People use them to look like cats or zombies and other costume-inspired looks. The association says there's a black market for the non-prescription kind.
Halloween is almost here. Have you checked out the metro's haunted houses? There are tons of scary things to do for older Halloween fans. But where you can take the little, more easily scared ones?
The quest for the perfect pumpkin is on. Embrace this autumn ritual with one of these Minnesota pumpkin patches that turn plain pumpkin picking into a seasonal festivity.
Minneapolis is ranked No. 11, nationally, for Halloween trick or treating. Real Estate website Zillow.com charted the top 20 and also has detailed the top five neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
Parents might want to check what their kid gets for candy this Halloween once they are done trick-or-treating. It turns out some candy is much worse for you than others. A study by insurer Delta Dental says chocolate isn't as bad, but avoid hard or chewy candies if you can.
Did you know Halloween is the second most expensive holiday for consumers, behind only Christmas? Yep. Didn't think so. In fact, the National Retail Federation said the average person is expected to spend more than $75 on decor, costumes, and candy.
Get your Halloween costume for less when you shop at some of these budget spots around the Twin Cities.
This Halloween, families are expected to spend nearly $8 billion celebrating the holiday. That's a 50 percent jump since just 2005. And a lot of the money is going to costumes. Americans spend about a $1 billion on children's costumes each year, and another $1.2 billion on adult costumes. How it all got started dates back to the Middle Ages. For the folks at the Theatrical Costume Rental in Minneapolis, 20 percent of their yearly business is done during the month of October. Duck Dynasty, What Does the Fox Say and Jack Sparrow are just a few popular costumes this year.
Ghosts and goblins are expected to come out in late October for Halloween, but the beer-craving undead can't wait that long. The 9th annual Zombie Pub Crawl kicked off at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, with 30,000 people expected to participate in this year's event. New this year, some pretend zombies ate some real brains. Andrew Zimmern's "A-Z Canteen" prepared pork brain tacos - a dish that's served in Mexico - for a group of competitive eaters.
