Trick or Treat

Halloween started a day early for about 100 children, who marched down the Sebring Circle, parading their costumes and pocketing candy from downtown merchants on the Circle and Ridgewood Drive.

Some kids were from area day cares while the others were with their parents.

Lee Rose gave out candy at the St. Vincent DePaul thrift store.

"I think it's very nice; we don't have any small children anymore, so we miss it," said Rose.

Kelsey Mehling, dressed as an alien, gave out candy at the Children's Museum of the Highlands.

Julie Cordes, who took her two children, said her daughter knows exactly what she wants to be.

"Every year she wants to be Tinker Bell," Cordes said. "It's always Tinker Bell."

Marcia Wilson, owner of Wilson Family Day Care,pulled her group of kids in a wagon up and down the streets around the Circle.

It's wasn't just cute, it was practical.

"It's a lot easier to keep track of the children, and they love riding," she said.

Sebring and Avon Park have set trick or treat hours from 6 to 9 p.m. today. There is no time set for trick or treating in Lake Placid.

In addition to neighborhood candy givers, here are some other Halloween events.

•Elementary-school children are invited to Lake Placid for the fifth annual Fall Festival from 4-7:30 p.m. today at DeVane Park. Admission is free. Children are encouraged to come in costume for games, crafts, face painting, entertainment and plenty of treats. Food vendors will be available

•Noah's Fall Festival, a free Halloween alternative, will be held from 5 - 9 p.m. today.

There will be live entertainment by Forever on High, Tribe of Judah and Nathan Garcia. The event is sponsored by eight different churches and multiple businesses in Highlands County.

There will be giant slides, bounce houses, inflatables, lots of games and prizes, a health fair and community resource fair.

The event will be held at 1000 Maxwell St.

For information, call 863-273-9152.

•The haunted house "Deadtime Stories: A Nightmare on Swallow Avenue" is open to the public free of charge today from 7 to 11 p.m. at 225 Swallow Ave. in Sebring.

For more information, contact Diana Owens at 443-1619.

•The Highlands County Humane Society's Terror Trail will have its last show today from 7:30 - 10 p.m. at its location on Haywood Taylor Boulevard near Sebring Regional Airport.

The cost is $7 per person.