2 weeks of Halloween festivities begin tonight on North Shore

Ghosts and goblins invade North Lake Tahoe as towns and villages pull out all the stops for scary and merry events.

Tahoe City is getting spooky Oct. 16 with the Rocky Horror Dance Party & Costume Contest on the Marina Green at the Boatworks Mall starting at 9pm with movie showing, dancing and costume contest.

Tahoe City’s Harvest Festival is in full swing and features the Rideout Community Center Pumpkin Patch Oct. 17 from 10am-2pm, with bounce house, dessert walk, hay and pony rides, silly games and pumpkin patch.

Incline Village kicks off all things scary with the 2nd Annual Monster Dash Oct. 17 at 11am with a 5K fun run that starts in the Upper Village Center. Halloween costumes are encouraged for all runners, walkers and spectators.

The 30th Annual Pumpkin Patch returns to the Incline Village Elementary School that same day with clowns, bake sale, bounce house and pony rides.

The first Historic Haunted Tour of Truckee is Oct. 21. Guests go on a guided walking tour to learn about the Old West, shootouts and the city’s haunted history. The tour is for adults only and starts with a glass of wine, live music and a silent auction of treats. Childcare is provided by the KidZone Museum in Truckee with “Professor Higginbody’s Halloween Night Out.” Cost is $10 per child for parents attending the tour and includes gooey pizza and oozy science activities for children 2 years and older. Guided tour tickets are $25/per person.

The Hyatt Regency in Incline Village hosts its first Pumpkin Carving Contest Oct. 24 from 4-6pm for ages 6 to 12, with prizes awarded to the best jack o’ lantern creators.

Spending the witching hours at the Village at Squaw Valley, where travelers can guess the weight of The Giant Pumpkin anytime from Oct. 24-31 from 10am-10pm, with prizes for the closest guess. There’s also a Great Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt during that week, and trick-or-treating with merchants on Halloween.

The Tahoe Maritime Museum on the West Shore gets into the Halloween spirit Oct. 29 with Family Night Out starting at 5pm, with children’s activities and family-friendly movie. Guests of all sizes are encouraged to wear costumes.

Tahoe City merchants are staying open late so children can trick-or-treat down “main street” Oct. 31 from 4-6pm.