Botanical Garens ushers in Halloween season with Nightfall Festival

9/29/2011

EDITOR'S NOTE: This version corrects the date of the Nightfall Festival.

A new event, Nightfall Festival, will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Sunday at Toledo "Bootanical" Garden (ever-so-slightly renamed for this weekend).

It's a fall festival with a Halloween bent (minus gore), and the garden is still beautiful with an array of perennials and dahlias abloom. It jump-starts Halloween, with trick-or-treating, a spooky pumpkin patch, an eerie lantern tour, and a new fairy garden.

A "midway" tent will host a fortune teller, a tarot-card reader, and a Native American storyteller. There will be horse-drawn wagon rides, art activities, and the tiny pioneer cabin will be open. Look for pixies and trolls near the bridge, and a giant gnome, reportedly unhappy, on the island in Crosby Lake. Live entertainment, games, food, soft drinks, and beer and wine for sale will complement the festivities.

Entrance will be on Bancroft Street between Reynolds and Holland-Sylvania roads. Only handicapped parking will be permitted at the Elmer Drive entrance. A tram, continually running, will transport guests from the Bancroft parking lot to the activities areas. Admission will be $7 for adults, $6 for students and people 60 and older, $5 for Toledo Botanical Garden members, and free for children 12 and younger. Discounted tickets will be sold at The Andersons. For more information: 419-536-5566 and toledogarden.org.

Some of the hottest musical acts from more than five decades ago are featured on the '60s Music Legends Tour tomorrow at the Maumee Indoor Theater, 601 Conant St., Maumee. The Crystals, with original member Dee Dee Kenibrew, will perform hits such as "Da Doo Ron Ron," "He's a Rebel," and "And Then He Kissed Me." Shades of Blue will perform its hit "Oh How Happy!" and many more. Phase 5 and Deke & the Blazers are also on the lineup. The show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the theatre. Information: 248-921-7000.

Almost a dozen Toledo area bands will battle for a chance to be crowned winner of the Black Swamp Blues Society 15th Annual Challenge. The contest will feature bands, duo and solo acts. The competition will take place Saturday at Maumee Elks, 137 West Wayne St. in Maumee. Doors open at 2 p.m.; Fat Daddy, the first act, takes the stage at 2:30. B-Charmers will perform at 3:10 p.m. followed by Gibson Trio and Mudfoot at 3:50 p.m. and the Good, The Bad & The Blues at 4:30 p.m. Johnny Reed and the Houserockers will perform at 5:40 p.m., New Blues Project at 6:20 p.m., Glass City Airmen at 7 p.m., and the Blue Flamingos at 7:40 p.m. John Sevilla and Severe Weather will take the stage at 8:20 p.m. and Tom and Alex Clawson will close out the show. The society's youth showcase, Benny & The Bricks, will perform during sound check and breaks. Admission is $12 and $10 for Black Swamp Blues Society members.

Oktoberfest is coming to Toledo. Complete with plenty of beer, live music, and festivities, the fourth annual Oktoberfest in the Warehouse Party On the Street kicks off tomorrow and runs through early Sunday morning. Musical guests include Chris Knopp at 6 p.m. tomorrow, followed by the Eightfifteens at 7 p.m. and Pocket Rockit at 9 p.m. On Saturday, Dave Carpenter will take the stage at 6 p.m., followed by Pilot Radio at 7 p.m. Pocket Rockit will again close out the show, starting at 9 p.m. Family-friendly activities will go on from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The festivities will take place at and outside of the Blarney Irish Pub & Grill at Monroe and Huron streets in downtown Toledo. Admission is $5. Proceeds will benefit the Toledo Firefighters 797 Foundation.

Chances are you've never see anything quite like double-neck guitarist Mark Kroos, who will play at the Toledo School for the Arts tomorrow at 7 p.m. Kroos attended Bowling Green State University from 2004 to 2006, majoring in jazz studies and guitar performance. He plays an inventive style of guitar on a double-necked acoustic. Tickets for his performance are $10 at the door.