Owner Steve Presser at his store, Big Fun.

You know there are the parties and the pumpkin patches, but don’t be scared to try something a little different this year. Here are a few tricks I’ve been saving up for the season:

Big Fun

Okay, so my favorite vintage and collectible toy store finally got a website. Woohoo! The store, jam-packed with playful nostalgia, is celebrating 18 years in the biz. Not only can you go there for your Halloween masks and other kitsch, but right now you can download a coupon for 18% off purchases and make out like a kid at Christmas (through 11.15.08).

b.a. Sweetie Candy Company
You’d never notice it tucked away in a shopping center lot next on Brookpark Road, but this unassuming store is bursting with sugary surprises. Sweetie Candy Company has all kinds of candies from the most popular sweets of the moment to treats you didn’t even know existed anymore like wax lips, candy cigarettes and Black Jack chewing gum

Jinxed!
I have it on good authority (a friend of mine) that this is a great stop for Halloween costumes and the makings of a great party or production. I haven’t been yet, but I am definitely going.

Nosferatu
This highly hopped stock ale is what’s on tap for me at Great Lakes Brewing Company this month. Named in honor of a vampire, it’s far from frightful.

Pumpkinhead Ale
And, I could head over to Willoughby Brewing Co. on the east side of town and try a beer they say was made from 150lbs of pumpkin.

Cleveland Ghosts, by Charles Cassady
Read the real stories behind the spooky legends and Cleveland haunts like Gore Orphanage Road and Franklin Castle from Clevelander Charles Cassady. I know Charles from his movie reviews in Cleveland’s alt-weekly, Cleveland Scene. He’s a competent storyteller and the book is a quick read.

The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are playing the Palace Theatre at PlayhouseSquare on Saturday, Nov. 1. Because of the time change, you have an extra hour to celebrate that night.

Ghostly Manor
It never has to end. While some haunted houses are only seasonal scares. Ghostly Manor in Sandusky, Ohio is a frightfully fun escape year-round.

Lake Erie Monsters
Enjoy the Halloween season on ice by enjoying a Lake Erie Monsters hockey game Quicken Loans Arena. There’s one on Wed., Oct. 25.

Monster Mini Golf
I happent to think miniature golf is so fun, it’s scary.

Olympia Candy
If little snack size candy bars aren’t enough for you, the true chocoholic, check out Olympia Candy in Strongsville. Although gearing up for the Fabulous Food Show in November and the winter holidays, they’re still ready for your Halloween fix, er, I mean, needs.

–Samantha Fryberger, Dir. of Communications