Top local events around the Shreveport- Bossier area to get you in a spooky mood

Monsters' Ball

Dr. Victor Frankenstein had a monster and a big, old house, and he drew a raucous crowd. Shreveport’s historic Logan Mansion is gearing up for a monstrous party all its own.

The inaugural Monsters’ Ball will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at the mansion. Event organizer Bonne Summers said the new owners of Logan Mansion, built in 1897, want to celebrate the mansion’s history as much as Halloween.

“This is not meant to be scary,” she said. “There won’t be any monsters jumping out or anything.”

There will be a themed buffet catered by Brad Jones and Allison Gras, the executive chefs at The Revenir Restaurant. The spread will include jumbo lump crab meat deviled eggs; pear, arugula, blue cheese and prosciutto bundles; duck a l’orange pipets; and prime beef tenderloin. Local musicians the Jimmy Wooten Band and Dirtfoot will perform on a stage on the front lawn of the mansion.

The Monsters’ Ball won’t be without some Halloween festivities. The featured act on the front-lawn stage will be Voltaire, a goth-inspired New York City underground cabaret performer. Several local artists will showcase their work through the house in the Bizarre Bazaar.

“It’s going to be fun and different,” Summers said. “Most of the art will have something to do with the more macabre side of life. You won’t be seeing pictures of sunflowers.”

Candlelight tours will be available in the back yard, which will be converted into a haunted beer garden with access to an underground speakeasy.

“That’s underneath the house, and it’s truly kind of creepy,” Summers said.

Partygoers can choose to add a flashlight tour of Oakland Cemetery (circa the 1820s) for an extra $15 a person. The story-telling tour will feature actors and actresses portraying some of the cemetery’s more notorious inhabitants, a news release said. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Friends of the Oakland Cemetery for improvements to the property.

But the star of the evening is Logan Mansion. It is one of Shreveport’s few remaining Victorian houses. And while it has a few ghost stories, it is better known for its beautiful woodwork and exquisite craftsmanship. The new owners are calling the Monsters’ Ball the mansion’s coming out party and invite guests to explore the architectural treasure. “There will be some newly renovated areas within the mansion they will be able to see,” Summers said.

Tickets for the event are $125 and are all-inclusive. Only 225 tickets are available to preserve an intimate atmosphere. Proceeds from the event will be used for further preservation of the mansion.

“We not only want to keep the impact that the Logan Mansion has on our local tourism market, but we also want to develop it as a bed and breakfast and venue location,” the owners said in the news release.

More information and tickets are available through the Monsters’ Ball Facebook page.

The Halloween party continues throughout October with a variety of events.

Pumpkin Patch at Provenance 

Fall festivities continue through Oct. 30 at the Junior League of Shreveport- Bossier’s Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at Provenance. The pumpkin patch is open Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:30 p.m. Pumpkin prices range from $1 to $35.

Weekly special events include Markets and Music on Thursday, Food Truck and Movies on Friday, Pumpkins and Pastries on Saturday, and Tricks, Treats and Hayrides on Sunday. Photo sessions, crafts, pony rides and more also are available. For more information and a detailed schedule, visit the Facebook event page.

Provenance is located on Southern Loop in between Wallace Lake and Norris Ferry roads, just east of I-49 Exit 196.

Pumpkin Shine on Line 

A warm holiday glow will light up Betty Virginia Park on Oct. 22 for the 27th annual Pumpkin Shine on Line, hosted by Southfield School and sponsored by Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation. Pumpkin artists from local schools, families, businesses and more will line the park’s walking trails with their gourd creations. Prizes are being awarded for the best jack-o-lanterns, and all participants receive a Pumpkin Shine ribbon.

Food, soft drinks and other concessions will be available – proceeds from this event support local school arts programs. Security will be on hand. Free shuttles will run from Mall St. Vincent to the park from 4 to 9 p.m.

The rain-out date is Oct. 23. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Dance of the Dead

Digital Media Institute at Intertech invites you to “party your face off” at its Dance of the Dead at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Broadmoor YMCA, 215 Carroll St. Dance to live music by The Interns and enjoy a variety of food and drink. A costume contest will be held with $1,000 in cash prizes. Dance of the Dead is an all-ages event with a VIP area for ages 21 and older. Tickets are $10 each and available through the event’s Facebook page.

SBC Zombie Walk

Legions of the undead will descend on the East Bank District and Place Oct. 19 for the 2019 SBC Zombie Walk. The evening begins at 4 p.m. and will include unique vendors, guest speakers, a costume contest, live music and door prizes. Pets are welcome at this free event designed to promote and benefit local charities and non-profit organizations.

DixieMaze Farms 

The Fall Festival at DixieMaze Farms, 9596 Sentell Road, continues through Nov. 2. The festival includes the haunted trail, the cornfield maze and a pumpkin patch. For more information, visit dixiemaze.com.

Spooktacular 

El Karubah Shriners presents Spooktacular Oct. 25 and 26 at the Strand Theater in downtown Shreveport. Spooktacular is a “humorously haunted circus of a scare for all ages.” Behold as specters and scaredy-cats contort and cavort through a high-flying circus. Watch as vampires soar, skeletons stagger and acrobatic cats romp through a haunted bazaar of the bizarre.

Showtimes are 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 26. Tickets are $26, $40 and $60 each. For more information and to buy tickets, visit thestrandtheather. com.

A Turn at the Point

Looking for a book to put you in the Halloween spirit? Check out local author George Sewell’s “A Turn at the Point.” From the corner of his eye, psychologist Harry Wilson glimpsed something. The

fleeting image heralds an entrance into the paranormal, where Harry encounters people who have something in common despite separations in time and space. Pieces of a grand puzzle fall into place, revealing the next step in evolution for Homo Sapiens, at an inter-dimensional roundabout known as the Point.

Sewell is a playwright, author and teacher living in Bossier City. He is a licensed prevention professional and internationally certified prevention specialist with advanced degrees in counseling and drama and communications.