Happy Halloween!

Add your favorite Halloween info, pictures, and events going on!

9th Annual Trunk or Treat
West Jeff Elementary Friday October 28th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm
Safe and exciting trick or treating from car to car in a lighted parking lot. I large bag of candy per child for admission. Awards for best costume & best decorated car. Call Kathleen @303-838-4675 for more information.

HALLOWEEN WALK
Downtown Evergreen Date: October 31, 2011 Time: 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM
Join us for Halloween in downtown Evergreen. Bring your costumed goblins downtown for safe and fun trick or treating. Visit the merchants on Main Street Monday, October 31 from 4:30-6:30pm. Sponsored by the Evergreen Downtown Business Association.
http://www.HeartofEvergreen.com
Facebook - Heart of Evergreen
Twitter - EvergreenDBA

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/ ... lideView=4
Star Wars Lights Up the Pumpkin Patch
By Jim Merithew Write to the Author
10.25.08

Noel Dickover's intricately carved Death Star pumpkin landed the top spot in Wired.com's 2007 geek-o'-lantern roundup.

See more: Gallery: Our Readers' Coolest Geek-o'-Lanterns.

http://thinkgeek.com/blog/2011/10/great ... tml?cpg=fb
Great Geeky Pumpkin Template Contest 2011

It's time once again for the Great Geeky Pumpkin Template Contest!
My, what cunning hat! I should like to eat it.

This is when you give us an excuse to go to the pumpkin patch to pet goats and fly down the potato sack slide screaming like 5 year olds--er, I mean, this is when we very generously give you the chance to win a $131 ThinkGeek gift certificate for the best geeky pumpkin template in the land!

http://www.livescience.com/16677-hallow ... tions.html
13 Halloween Superstitions & Traditions Explained
Remy Melina, LiveScience Staff Writer
Date: 21 October 2011

Credit: Monkey Business Images

Halloween may seem like it's all about costumes and candy, but the holiday — which is relatively new to America, having only become popular in the early 1900s — has its roots in pagan beliefs. Dating back about 2,000 years, Halloween marked the Celtic New Year and was originally called Samhain, which translates to "summer's end" in Gaelic.

Some Halloween traditions, such as carving Jack-o'-lanterns, are based on Irish folklore and have been carried on throughout the centuries, while others, such as candy corn, are more modern Halloween additions. Read on to find out the meaning behind 13 spooky Halloween staples, including spiders, witches and trick-or-treating.

12. Jack O' Lanterns: A fun fall activity, carving Jack-o'-lanterns actually has its roots in a sinister, tragic fable.

6. Trick-Or-Treating in Costumes: In the U.S., trick-or-treating became a customary Halloween tradition around the late 1950s, after it was brought over by Irish immigrants in the early 1900s.

http://www.livescience.com/12785-peculi ... terns.html
In Images: Peculiar Halloween Pumpkins
Remy Melina
Date: 26 October 2011

New MoonCredit: Siegers Seed Company

If you cut into the shell of the fittingly-named "New Moon" pumpkin, you'll see that it also has white flesh.

Better Homes and Gardens
Halloween Pumpkin Stencils

Find your favorite Halloween pumpkin stencil or fun pumpkin idea by taking this short quiz. Just answer a few easy questions and find out which cool pumpkin patterns and projects are best for you.

Zillow Names 20 Best Cities to Trick-or-Treat in 2011

The data heads at Zillow have taken a break from churning out serious research briefs and Real Estate Market Reports to rank the 20 best cities to trick or treat this Halloween. Now in its third year, the Zillow Trick-or-Treat Index is designed to help kids (and parents) use data to identify cities that will boost their Halloween haul.

San Francisco was named 2011′s best city to trick or treat, followed by Boston, Honolulu, Seattle, and Chicago. In total, nine of the top 20 cites were located in the West.

Behold, the list.

Denver's in the Top 20!

Every year we offer our kids the option of keeping their candy, or trading it in for a new toy that they get to go shopping for - every year, they've traded in their candy and gotten a new toy! We keep the candy and dole it out in moderate amounts so they don't get overloaded and it's a win-win: they get a new toy and eventually all their candy, we make sure they eat it in a healthy way! If you don't want to do that, look into a candy exchange or donating it! My hubby's company sent out this email with some good info:

Promote a Healthy Halloween at home. Halloween is a once a year chance to dress up in costume and stock up on sweets. But for parents who encourage healthy choices and minimal junk food, this day can be a struggle with your little monsters. Kids in America consume an average 60-100 grams of sugar a day, and our nation’s childhood diabetes and obesity rates are scarier than any ghoulish costume. Following are a few feel-good ideas to help reduce the amount of unhealthy candy in your home:

Participate in a candy exchange. Some dentists and orthodontists offer candy exchanges. You turn in some candy and get healthy treats in exchange! Or you turn in some candy, and they pay you $1 per pound. They donate the candy to soup kitchens or to troops overseas.

Find a candy exchange in your area: http://www.smileschangelives.org/Articl ... hange.aspx

Wouldn't it be cool if some of your candy went halfway around the world? Your Halloween candy could be included in care packages that are sent to soldiers serving their country far from home. Here are two organizations that ship packages to the troops:

Operation Gratitude: http://www.operationgratitude.com/indiv ... individual

Operation Shoebox: http://www.operationshoebox.com/index.p ... &Itemid=16

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Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup, 6 servings

Be sure to save the pumpkin seeds from your Halloween jack-o’-lantern so you can make this crunchy, healthy snack.
Ingredients

1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds (see Tip)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation

Place rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
Place pumpkin seeds in a small bowl, drizzle with oil and stir to coat. Add salt, stir to combine and coat. Spread on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
Bake the seeds, stirring once or twice, until toasted and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Store airtight for up to 3 days.
Tip: To harvest seeds from a pumpkin, scoop out the inside of the pumpkin. Separate the seeds from the flesh as well as you can, then place the seeds in a bowl of water. Use your hands to swish the seeds around to loosen any remaining flesh or strings. The seeds will float, so you can remove them with a spoon or your fingers. Drain the seeds on a dry dish towel or a plate lined with paper towels; pat dry with paper towels.
Nutrition

Per serving: 54 calories; 3 g fat ( 0 g sat , 1 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 50 mg sodium; 98 mg potassium.

Some more fun stencils you can download: http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/pumpkins/index.html

And some fun music light shows!
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