Things to do around Monroe, WI

*Boo* It is that spooky time of year again. If you have time between Halloween parties and trick or treating this weekend, take a look at the area happenings:

~ Stop at at JoAnn's on Monroe's Square this evening for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Business After 5 event.

~ Join the Young Professionals of Green County for the Ghosts of Green County tour this Friday evening. Let a local expert guide you through 55 miles of spooky stops, dark cemeteries, ghost sightings, and creepy locations through out Green County. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight. Space is limited!! $15 per person, register at the YP website.

~ The Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center in Monroe is ready for a ribbon cutting. Come to the Center of Saturday morning at 10 am for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Milk will be delivered at 9 am, and local cheesemakers will work their magic in the farmstead factory for the next four hours. There will be a presentation at 2 pm, "More than Just Cheese - Gourmet Spreads", followed by a tasting.

~ The Aliens are here! UFO Days is in Belleville this weekend. Don't miss out on the fun this Saturday throughout the town. Pancake breakfast, kids games, craft and food fair, fun run, parade, monster ball and more are going on throughout the day in Belleveille.

~ One of our favorite Halloween traditions is the Costume Parade in Monroe. Children of all ages are invited to show off their costume and walk in the parade from the middle school, around the Square and back to the school. Parents are always welcome to walk with the kids or line to streets and enjoy the fun. Line up by 3:45; parade starts at 4.

~ This is the last weekend for the Orangeville Haunted Mill and the Lena Haunted Barn. Have you visited these spook-tacular community fun-draising events yet this year?

~ Argyle has Fair Acres Haunted Hike this Friday and Saturday evenings. Meet at N7180 Dougherty Creek Road at 7:30. You'll hike up the hill and through created tunnels and halls at this haunted event.


~ Are you wondering about Trick or Treat hours for your Green County community?

• Monroe - 4 to 8 pm
• Monticello - 3 to 6 pm
  
• Albany - 5:30 to 7:30 pm
• New Glarus - 3 to 8 pm
  
• Brodhead - 4 to 8 pm
  
• Browntown - 5 to 7:30 pm
  
• Brooklyn - 4 to 7:30 pm
  

~ Monticello has costume judging at the school after trick or treat hours are finished. That is followed by hayrides to the firehouse for bonfires.

~ Finally, don't forget to VOTE next week on Tuesday. If your Tuesday looks busy, contact your community clerk about early voting via absentee ballot.

Boo!

Are you looking for some spooky action to get into the Halloween mood? Visit our area haunted houses.

Okay, so they aren't all houses. Around here, we have a haunted barn and a haunted mill too. Still, they are lots of fun and some help out good causes to boot.

In Orangeville, the Old Haunted Mill is a tradition that benefits the fire department. It is open every Friday and Saturday evening from 7 until 10 pm. Park at the fire department, and purchase your $6 ticket there. The adventure starts there and continues at the mill where ghosts, goblins, ghouls and, of course, Beetlejuice, a classic feature here at the mill, will do their best to frighten you.

Try the Lena Haunted Barn as well. This one is two barn, actually, and a trail that comes around through outside. It is also great fun and a community fundraising event. Park at the Lions Park in central Lena to purchase your $7 ticket. You can wait for the buses that take you to the barns or splurge for the ride in the hearse. Personally, we have always found it worth the extra $5 per ticket for the hearse because of how much time it saves, leaving us more time for dinner before our adventure. Lena is unique for the slide from one barn to the other. Most haunted houses have one slide, but this one is huge and great fun. After you make it out, warm yourself by the campfire outside and enjoy the evening.

Finally, check out Mount Carroll's Raven's Grin. This one is a houses, and is delightfully spooky too. Reservations are recommended for this one, but you can just stop in if you are not worried about wait times. Raven's Grin is a private business, and it is open much later, from 7 until midnight seven days a week, and from 2 until 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, supposedly the perfect time to bring the kids if they like a fright. Tickets are $12 for a tour that lasts about 1.5 hours, and groups are welcome.