Halloween haunts are here!

Of all the things associated with autumn--apple pies, colorful foliage, sweaters--my favorite by far is Halloween.  Now that it's October, Halloween celebrations are already in full swing, including the opening of several haunted locales:

• Glacier Rock Farms in Ixonia invites you to try out their corn maze and haunted house, plus hayrides and other fall activities, weekends through October.
• The Wisconsin Feargrounds at the Waukesha County Expo features three separate haunted houses: Morgan Manor, Morgana's Torment and Unstable, open Fridays and Saturdays this month.
• I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but next weekend marks the opening of an all-new haunted arena in Lake Country: Haunted High in Oconomowoc, set up in an ideal location--the old abandoned Oconomowoc Middle School.

Other ways to enjoy the season include:

• The aptly named Lapham Peak Colorama Run/Walk takes place at 8 a.m. Saturday, and also includes the Smokey Bear Fun Run for the kids.
• The Homestead Animal Farm in Hartland opens its "Nellie Our Farm Dog" corn maze this weekend, in addition to the animal farm and pumpkin and gourd sale.
• Most Saturday farmers markets close after October, so if you haven't had the chance to catch one this season, check out the Delafield market in the city parking lot or the Oconomowoc market at St. Paul's Lutheran Church.
• Downtown Waukesha is hosting the Free-For-Fall Art Crawl on Saturday, featuring live music, art, extended store hours and more, 4 to 10 p.m.

Check out other weekend events at the Weekend Happenings Blog on the homepage.