Halloween season presents an opportunity for family fun, with group costumes and yard displays providing opportunities for families to have a good time together.

Costume themes offer a chance for families to step out in style.

“Families like to do Native American costumes a lot, stuff like Wizard of Oz is always popular,” said Seth LeBlanc, assistant manger at Spirit Halloween.

“Adults like to do funny stuff like bacon and eggs or rock, paper, scissors. Zombies are big this year, superheroes are real popular. Skin suits for kids and adults are popular, everyone loves them. You can get all kind of designs, from the American flag to a crash test dummy and skeletons. We have different ones for kids, a camouflage one, a tie dye one and some blowup skin suits. They like those.”

Steve Abshire, store manager at Party City, said parents often choose to serve as compliments to their children’s costumes.

“They will often not want to dress up completely, but will buy accessories to match the kid’s costumes,” he said.”

Families can work together to create costumes by mixing individual items and using make-up.

“A lot of people know what they are going for, and we can help them put it together, even if we don’t have a specific character,” LeBlanc said.

“We have a variety of hats, masks, accessories and a wall of make-up, a big selection of things you can use to make your own. For infants, we have onesies ,some little animal costumes and stuff like a biker costume with tattoos. Kids have been into the superheroes, Superman, Batman, the Avengers and everyone has wanted to be the minions from Despicable Me. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been coming back.”

Abshire said time period costumes are popular.

“We have a range from he 20s through 80s, accessories where you can create your own,” he said. “There is also stuff like pirate’s gear if your want to create a character.”

Families that enjoy setting up displays can go high-tech with animatronics and create their own haunted houses.

“There are a lot of animatronics you can set up, there are guys where you can press the button and he will hold the bowl out for you, there are ones where things will jump out to scare you,” LeBlanc said.

“A lot of families like do their own haunted houses, make it so that you have to go through them just to get the candy. They come in and get stuff to add to it every year, make it bigger and better.”

Abshire said home decorations are easy find and put together.

“You name it, it is out there, anything you want for your house — lights, decorations, stuff to hang or put on trees, different signs.”

Abshire said even family pets can get in on the fun.

“We have shirts with Halloween designs, some that look like pumpkins,” he said. “There are ghost costumes, all of the typical Halloween stuff. People spend more on their pets every year.”

Trick-or-treating times

Wednesday

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. — Welsh.

Wednesday

• 5-8 p.m. — Eunice, Lake Charles, Leesville, Oakdale, Oberlin, Sulphur.

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. — Elton, Jennings.

• 6-8 p.m. — DeRidder, Kinder, Lake Arthur.

Family Events

• A.B. Franklin Halloween Party, 343 Goos St., Lake Charles. Date: 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free.

• A.B. Franklin Senior Citizens Bingo, 125 Albert St., Lake Charles. Date:10 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Highlights: Meal, door prizes and horse and buggy rides. Cost: Free.

• Boo By The Bayou Trunk-or-Treat, at Sportsman Park, 201 S. Elms St., Welsh. Date: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30. Contact: Welsh Youth Action Council, 337-493-4104 or welshyac@gmail.

• Boo-regard Trick-or-Treat, at the Beauregard Parish Library, 205 S. Washington St., DeRidder. Date: 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Contact: 337-463-6217.

• Community Trunk-or-Treat, at Word of Hope Family Worship Center, 3975 E. Prien Lake Road, Lake Charles. Date: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.

• Downtown Trick-or-Treat, Oakdale. Date: 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Candy and other goodies.

• Fall Festival 2013, at Victory Baptist Church, 7515 Gulf Highway, Lake Charles. Date: 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Candy, concessions, games and bounce houses.

• Family Fun Night, at Our Lady of Immaculate Catholic Church, 600 Roberts Ave., Jennings. Date: 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29. Highlights: Costume contest, games, photo booth, hayride, spook house, snacks and sweet shop. Note: Some events require tickets. Contact: 337-824-1743.

• Halloween at Heritage Square, at the Henning Cultural Center, 923 Ruth St., Sulphur. Date: 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Community trunk-or-treat, viewing of “Ghostbusters.”

• Hallelujah Festival and Trunk-or-Treat, at DeQuincy Railroad Museum, 400 Lake Charles Ave., DeQuincy. Date: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Contact: Mary Jo Bayles, 337-515-3269.

• Halloween in Hargroves, at Hargrove Community Center, DeQuincy. Date: 5-9 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free.

• Harvest Fest 2013, at the Lake Charles Civic Center Coliseum, 900 Lakeshore Drive. Date: 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Games, prizes, trinkets, train, face painting and balloon art. Contact: 337-491-1280.

• Jennings Methodist Church Trunk-or-Treat, 702 N. Cary Ave., Jennings. Date: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Contact: 337-842-4079.

• Lake Charles First Baptist Church Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat, on Hodges, Bilbo and Pujo streets in downtown Lake Charles. Date: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Candy, games and concessions. Contact: Laurie Parks, 337-433-1443, 337-526-1614 or laurie@fbclc.com

• Light The Night — Western Style, at First Baptist Church of Moss Bluff, 276 Old Highway 171, Moss Bluff. Date: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: One bag of wrapped candy per family. Highlights: Concessions, games, climbing wall, photo booth, door prizes, hay ride, bouncers, slide, free cotton candy and popcorn.

• Malloween, at the Prien Lake Mall, 496 W. Prien Lake Road, Lake Charles. Date: 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Candy and Halloween fun. Contact: Beth George, 317-684-7711 or bgeorge@bch.com.

• Main Street Trick-or-Treat, on Main Street, Jennings. Date: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Highlights: Candy, goodies, costume contests. Note: For children 12 years old and under. Contact: Michelle Hebert, 337-821-5532 or www.cityofjennings.com.

• Maplewood First Baptist Church Trunk-or-Treat, at the Center Circle Recreation Center, 80 Center Circle Drive, Sulphur. Date: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Candy, food and entertainment. Contact: 337-625-5899 or youth@maplewoodfbc.com

• Trick-or-Treat Safely at Stonebridge Place, at Stonebridge Place Assisted Living, 1511 S. Huntington St., Sulphur. Date: 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Contact: Chris Draper, 337-527-4433.

Attractions

• Allen Parish Fire District 3 Spook House, at the Fairview Fire Station, 4371 La. 377, Grant. Date: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free.

• CM Farms Corn Maze, at CM Farms, 200 John Broussard Road, Dry Creek. Dates: Oct. 25-26, Nov. 2. Cost: $10 for ages 4-64 and $8 for 65 and over. Contact: www.cmfarmsllc.com

• The Bludd Vessel, at the USS Orleck in Lake Charles. Dates: 7-11 p.m. Oct. 30-31. Cost: $12. Contact: www.orleck.org.

• The Haunted Hospital, 107 South 12th Street, Oakdale. Date: 6 p.m. Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Cost: $5. Note: Ages 10 and under must be accompanied by adult.

• The Lost Hollows, 3413 Derek Drive, Lake Charles. Dates: Oct. 30 and Nov. 2. Cost: $5 for Spooky Timbers Haunted Trail, $20 for Deadly Pines Haunted Trail. Contact: www.thelosthollows.com or mgmt@thelosthollows.com

• ‘Psycho’ movie presentation, at The Strand Theater, 432 N. Main St., Jennings. Date: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: $5 for ages 13-59 and $3 for 60 and over and 13 and under.

Pumpkin Patches

• Anderson Farms, 400 Slagle Road, Leesville. Dates: 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 2-6 p.m. Sunday. Cost: Call for pricing. Highlights: Working farm, stories, maze, farm animals, hayride, photo opportunities and face painting. Contact: 337-238-7107 or andersonfarms@me.com.

• First Baptist Church of Jennings, 1001 Cary Ave., Jennings. Dates: Noon-dusk Sunday-Friday through Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Family Fun Day set for 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Oct. 26. Activities include fun jumps, maze, rides, face painting, story time, pumpkin decorating contest, games, food and more. Contact: Nonie Sonnier, 337-789-0270, Derrick Laughlin, 337-356-6334 or visit www.fbcjennings.com.

• Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 1700 Maplewood Drive, Sulphur. Dates: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and Noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Cost: Free. Highlights: Games, photo opportunities and baked goods for sale. Contact: 337-625-4288.

• Papa K’s Patch, at the First United Pentecostal Church, 411 Sixth Ave., Oakdale. Dates: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday through Thursday, Oct. 31. Cost: Free. Highlights: Photo opportunities.

• St. Luke Simpson Church, 1500 Country Club Road, Lake Charles. Cost: Free. Highlights: Photo opportunities.

Halloween season presents an opportunity for family fun