Event hopping next weekend

Published 9:51 pm Thursday, October 15, 2015

Fall appears to be the season of fun, because next weekend is jam-packed with events. There are enough events to last for all of Saturday and even part of Sunday.

Providence United Methodist Church’s annual fall bazaar, has been around for 40 years, said Bobbie Cowan, a chairperson of the event. This year it will be taking place on Oct. 24.

“We’ve gotten bigger throughout the years,” Cowan said. At the event, guests can stop by for face painting, crafts, furniture and a large variety of food. They will have 800 pounds of homemade country sausage, barbecue sandwiches, vegetable soup, fresh produce, snacks and more, she said.

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Church members create and donate various products to the church each year. The money raised goes to help fund the church’s missions programs, their building fund and the ministries within the church, Cowan said.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the church’s parking lot, located at 3109 Providence Road.

In addition, v­olunteers at Community Harvest Outreach are holding a free event on Oct. 24. It will take place in Windsor, where North Court Street and Courthouse Highway intersect.

Proceeds of the event will go towards the nonprofit, which provides food, clothing and household goods to members of the community with financial difficulties, said Laequinla Hunter, chairperson of the event. They feed between 100 and 150 people per week, she said.

Participants can expect to find homemade baked goods, bounce houses, face painting, cornhole, roasted marshmallows and live music, she said. Guests will also be given the chance to win a $50 prize and enter into a 50/50 raffle. “Great gift-giving items” will be sold at the crafts table throughout the event, and there will be a total of 30 vendors, Hunter said.

New this year, the event will feature tables hosted by other non-profit organizations. It will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., she said.

Also Saturday, Suffolk Parks and Recreation will be holding a free drive-in movie event on Oct. 24 at Bennett’s Creek Park, 3000 Bennetts Creek Park Road.

“I’ve been wanting to do a drive-in since I started,” said Emily Upton, special events coordinator for Suffolk Parks and Recreation. “(It’s) binging back a tradition that was lost.”

The Halloween film, “Hocus Pocus,” will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Prior to the start of the film, a “Park and Play” will begin at 5 p.m. This will give the kids the chance to enjoy bounce houses, face painting and crafts while they wait for the movie to start, she said.

There are about 200 parking spots available, Upton said. Guests should come early in order to get a good spot. Those who come later will need to park in the designated overflow parking area and sit outside, she said.

Sound can be heard through the FM radio or the speakers set up near the outside seating area, Upton said. Guests may not bring their own snacks, but there will be a concession stand at which people can purchase food, she said.

That Sunday, a free trick-or-treating event will take place at Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, located at 4510 Twin Pines Road. It will be on Oct. 25 from 1 to 4 p.m.

“(It’s a) great opportunity to spread environmental education in a way that will engage the youngsters,” said James Bussey, a spokesman for the preserve.

Along with collecting candy, kids will get to check out the various stations, set up by different organizations, and learn about things like the “creepy critters” living within the park and the breakdown of recyclable items, said Bussey.

This annual event will also feature members of the Suffolk Master Gardeners Association, face painting and a spooky trail walk taking place along the kid’s path, he said. Costumes are welcome, but there is a “no mask” policy. Snacks and hayrides will be available for donations, he added.