Halloween may officially be on Oct. 31, but several local organizations are getting the jump on the holiday and bringing spooky fun to Oxford this weekend and into next week.

For the last 10 years, the Oxford Police Department has held a haunted house that raises money for its Oxford Peace Officers Association.

This year’s haunted house will be held Sunday through Halloween from 6 to 9 p.m. nightly.

The organizations have worked for several days to turn the OPD Training Building into a scary Halloween delight.

“Half the department plus volunteers from Oxford Fire Department, the Criminal Justice Department at Ole Miss and Impacc Coalition with Communicare helped build it,” said Bridgette Frierson, one of the event organizers. “It takes over a week to set up.”

The haunted house will have several guides to take attendees through various “haunted” scenes. Tickets for entry are $3 a person.

New this year will be an “IT” room, an escape room and a “no way out” room.

Frierson said the recommended age for the haunted house is 9 years old; however, there will be a designated area with face painting and games for younger children.

In efforts to continue building relationships with Oxford residents, the Oxford Police Department fosters community engagement by hosting and participating in events geared towards the inclusion of all community members.

“We enjoy giving back to the community,” Frierson said.

As of today, according to the National Weather Service, trick-or-treaters should have a rain-free day to gather their sweet treats; however, bring a sweater. The high for Tuesday is expected to be about 67 degrees with the low Tuesday night to be about 47 degrees.

Other Halloween-themed events planned for Oxford over the coming days include:

Oct. 26-30 

Hermitage Gardens Haunted House 

Hermitage Gardens Community Haunted House will be held at 7 to 9 p.m. nightly. Admission is $4 a person and all proceeds will be donated to the Resident Activity Fund. This year, daredevils will be put through a haunted maze. Located at 1488 Belk Blvd. Call 662-234-8244 for more information.

Oct. 27 

UM Physics Department Offers Ghoulish Fun 

Frights, food and fun are the order of the evening when the University of Mississippi Department of Physics and Astronomy presents Spooky Physics Night in Lewis Hall from 7 to 9 p.m. The program includes a stage show at 7:45 p.m. Other activities include freezing objects in liquid nitrogen (at minus 320 degrees), generating sound waves with Bunsen burners and tubes, and levitating magnets with superconductors. Other fun presentations include optical illusions with mirrors, a Van de Graaff generator, a bed of nails and other contraptions. Physics department personnel also will prepare ice cream with liquid nitrogen and award prizes for the most original, scariest and cutest costumes to children 12 and under. For more information, call the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 662-915-5325.

Oxford’s Healthy Halloween  

Operation Fit Nation’s Healthy Halloween event will be held at the Lafayette High School Commons from 6-8 p.m. Operation Fit Nation is an organization focused on health and wellness education, nutrition education, and events designed to facilitate learning about healthy behaviors through active participation. This particular event is designed to promote healthy behaviors for children while having Halloween fun, along with encouraging a safe celebration of the holiday. There will be games, test their fitness knowledge and nutrition knowledge, get grab bags of great and nutritious treats and more. There will also blood pressure screenings for parents during the event.

Historic Halloween carnival 

Magnolia Montessori School is hosting its third annual Historic Halloween Carnival at the Community Pavilion on the corner of Bramlett Boulevard and University Avenue. Sponsored by Treehouse Toys and many other local businesses, the fun will begin at 4:30 p.m. and go on until dark. The carnival offers a fun, creative and “non-scary” time for children and their families. This year’s carnival will include a new costume contest for parents, along with categories for children ages 2-5, and 6 and up. There will be bouncy slides, pumpkin painting, face painting, an archeological dig, carnival games that celebrate artists and leading personalities from history, and more. Kevin Guyer and friends will play music. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, as well as baked goods, pizza, and other refreshments, including Yalobusha Beer.  Admission is free for parents and children under 1 year old. Children older than 1 are $10 per child with $40 maximum per family. Tickets may be purchased at the door, but tickets purchased in advance come with two free raffle tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Magnolia Montessori School at office@magnoliamontessorischool.com or call 662-234-0344.

Oct. 27 & 30 

OPC’s Spooky Halloween 

The Oxford Park Commission will be hosting a Halloween-themed Movies in the Park on Friday night. “Goosebumps” will be shown Friday at Avent Park starting at 6:45 p.m. On Monday, the Little Goblins Egg Hunt will be held at Stone Park for ages 4 to 8 starting at 6 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Oct. 30 

Family Fall Festival 

Chick-fil-A located on West Jackson Avenue is hosting a community-wide Family Fall Festival from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Belk parking lot in front of Buffalo Wild Wings. Businesses from Galleria and Galleria II, including Chick-fil-A, will host tents and/or vehicles, pass out candy, and provide activities such as face painting, balloon animals, and games. Trick-or-Treaters will spend the evening collecting candy and other giveaways, in addition to playing family-friendly games at the fall themed booths hosted by volunteers from local businesses. Families will get to meet heroes of the Oxford Fire and Police Departments and explore a patrol car and several fire trucks as well as make friends with members of the K-9 and Mounted Police Unit. For more information about the event call 662-816-7778.

Oct. 31 

OXCM’s Haunted Harvest Market and Halloweenie Boo-fet 

Oxford Community Market wants to celebrate with your family this Halloween from 3 to 6:30 p.m. There will be tons of fun family events, all free and open to the public, including: trick or treating, games, crafts, storytelling, petting zoo, face painting, Halloween photo booth, healthy harvest cooking demos, and more. Dinner will be available that includes hot-dogs, chili and cornbread. The event will take place at the Community Pavilion located on the corner of the University Avenue and Bramlett Boulevard. 

Halloween Spooktacular SafeStop 

Hosted by Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi. Free event for children and families from 5 to 7 p.m. Games, candy, information, and more.

Hermitage Trick-or-Treating 

Hermitage Gardens will be hosting safe trick-or-treating from 5 to 7 p.m. Join them for a candy parade as the resident pass out candy to the children. Located at 1488 Belk Blvd. Call 662-234-8244 for more information.

Nov. 1 & 2

Halloween Candy Buy Back 

Hosted by Lee Family & Cosmetic Dentistry. Bring your unopened Halloween candy to our office on Wednesday or Thursday, and they’ll pay $1 per pound up to 5 pounds. Goody bags with a dental kit and fun prizes will be given away. All the candy will be shipped to U.S. soldiers through Operation Gratitude. Get all that extra candy out of your house and give it to someone working hard for our freedom. It’s a win-win!