Friends Of Wissahickon Hosting Family-Friendly Halloween Events

PHILADELPHIA — Friends of the Wissahickon is gearing up for outdoor family-friendly Halloween fun later this month.

The group is hosting a few events on Oct. 30 and Oct. 21 throughout the Wissahickon Valley Park.

Below are details on the upcoming events

Trick-or-Trash
9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 31

FOW’s self-guided Trick-or-Trash cleanup is a fun and easy way to get out in the park, socially distance, and make a positive impact in the Wissahickon.

Choose from 10 different cleanup sites. Volunteers need to wear a mask and supply their own gloves, and FOW will provide the trash bags. Costumes are highly encouraged!

Submit photos with a field report to be entered in a contest on social media for top adult and child costumes after the event.

Register online here.

Volunteers who submit a field report will receive a free treat bag to redeem that day from The Cedars House. Visit their Scarecrow Contest with a selection of scarecrows from local organizations - the prize for best scarecrow will be given at 12 p.m., after FOW's Trick-or-Trash event.

Trash-or-Cache Beginner Geocaching
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31

Let’s Go Outdoors, which connects city communities to outdoor experiences, offers this event for people of all ages at three park locations: Houston Meadow, Saylor Grove, and Blue Bell Park.

Participants will learn to use a handheld GPS device to look for caches (hidden containers) that hold tickets to turn in for prizes. The event starts at Valley Green. Masks and social distancing required.

Register online here.

Pre-Halloween at Historic RittenhouseTown
Friday, October 30

Good Times at The Barn – 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Bring a picnic blanket and food and enjoy live music, libations, and kids’ activities for a pre-Halloween celebration. Costumes are encouraged for a pumpkin scavenger hunt and Trick-or-TREEing! Masks and social distancing are required. $15 per person (children under 2 are free). For tickets and event details visit Tickets and event details are available online here.

RittenHOWL at the Homestead – 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Gather under a full moon for a spooky, spirited evening. Enjoy whiskey cocktails from Pops McCann, ciders from Hale & True and Wyndridge, and a secret speakeasy sampling. Light fare will be prepared onsite in the traditional open-hearth kitchen. Spend the evening enjoying some tunes, listening to haunting ghost stories from a local storyteller, and embark on a special flashlight tour of the historic landmark.

Tickets $45.00. Email Amy@rittenhousetown.org for event details and to register.

For COVID-19 precautions, the event will be ticketed, have a socially distant layout, and limited to 50 people. Masks are required for entry and should be worn while walking around the grounds. A temperature check will be done at the entrance to the event. (Anyone experiencing any flu-like symptoms who can no longer attend will receive a ticket refund.)

In between events, take a two-mile stroll through some of the Wissahickon’s “spook-tacular” historic sites including the colonial paper mill of Rittenhouse Town, a Roman sarcophagus, and the cave of a 17th-century hermit and doomsday cult leader. Use this link to map your route.