Halloween happenings in Dakota County

The season of ghosts and goblins is upon us. Here are some Halloween happenings for the young, and the young at heart.

By Liz Rolfsmeier • Special to the Star Tribune

Spooky Music

Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., the Minnesota Symphonic Winds performs haunting numbers at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center.

The "Spooky Music" concert starts with Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 1 "Lord of the Rings" and the dramatic "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff. During the second half, they will play a medley of John Williams scary themes ("War of the Worlds," "Jaws," "Witches of Eastwick," "Harry Potter" and "Dracula"), Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King," Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera," and Eric Whitacre's "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas."

St. Olaf College music professor Dr. Timothy Mahr leads the second "Spooky Music" show, a fundraiser for the Friends of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are $25 or $15 for groups of 10 or more.

Murder at the mansion

Oct. 20 and Oct. 24-27

The LeDuc mansion features the classic dark comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," put on by the Black Dirt Theater.

"It's just kind of spooky," said Libby Wasylik, the theater's executive director. "There are dead bodies in the window seats."

He said that they had long wanted to perform at the historic LeDuc, but it lacked adequate stage space. The solution? A promenade — theatregoers move from room to room and watch a scene in each, put on by different cast members. Touring audiences will see a different Mortimer, a pair of aunties and Teddy Roosevelt in each room.

"It's just delightful," she said. Also, Wasylik said, the format "allowed so many more people to get involved."

Tickets are $10 for children and $16 for adults. Shows start every 15 minutes from 6:20-8 p.m.

The great outdoors

Caponi Art Park, Saturday, Oct. 26, 1-4 p.m.

Dodge Nature Center, Friday, Oct. 25

Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul hosts its Halloween Extravaganza, with a trick-or-treat trail, nature programs, face painting, scary hair, storytelling, music, wagon rides and a costume contest from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Brave visitors can walk the "Scary Trail" from 7-10 p.m. Admission is $9, and $6 for members $6; children 2 and under are admitted free.

Close to home

Friday, Oct. 25: Halloween party at Hastings High School commons (6-8 p.m.), Burnsville's Halloween Fest on Nicollet Commons (6-8 p.m.), Boo Bash at the Inver Grove Heights Veterans Memorial Community Center gym (6-8 p.m.), and Farmington's Halloween skate at Schmitz-Maki Arena (7-8:30 p.m.).

Saturday, Oct. 26: Lakeville's Haunted Forest (5:30-8:30 p.m.) in Steve Michaud Park and Rosemount's Haunted Woods Trail (6-8 p.m.), which begins at the S. Robert Trail park-and-ride lot.

Monday, Oct. 28: Apple Valley's bonfire at Valleywood Golf Course (6-7:30 p.m.).

Thursday, Oct. 31: Halloween Get Together along Marie Avenue in South St. Paul (5-7 p.m.) and Halloween bonfire at Mendota Plaza in Mendota Heights (7-9 p.m.).