The Worthington Times

The Spanish Club of White River Valley High School is going to set up a Haunted Walk on Tuesday, October 30 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the WRV School in Switz City, Indiana.

WRV high school students who are members of the Spanish Club will be dressed in costume and will be positioned along the trail or will serve as guides for children.

The trail of the Haunted Walk will start at the tennis courts located on the west side of the school on State Road 54.

Refreshments will be available.

The cost will be $1 to take the walk.

The Worthington Police Department will treat the community with another one of their free dinners next Monday, October 29.

The officers will be going above and beyond the call of their normal duties by donning chef's hats and dishwasher aprons to serve a home-cooked meal from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the dining room of V.F.W. Post 7117 in Worthington, Indiana.

As usual, Worthington Town Marshal Dennis Conaway will serve as the head chef of a menu that includes his homemade vegetable soup, fresh-baked bread, tossed salad and tea and coffee.

The ladies of the Worthington Senior Citizens Center have also volunteered to contribute to this benefit with their dessert expertise.  They'll be delivering homemade pies and cakes.

The VFW is supporting the project by opening their dining hall and providing use of the kitchen facilities.  The VFW will also be buying everything on the chef's grocery list.

The WPD invites everyone in and out of Worthington to come to lunch on Monday.

This benefit is free - the WPD does not set any specific cost for the meal.  But they will be accepting donations of any amount people want to give.

Each year, the officers work to raise funds which they use to make sure children within their community have a good Christmas.  All donations received at the dinner will be deposited into the WPD's Children's Christmas Fund.

When darkness falls on Switz City Saturday night, it will signal the start of one of the most popular Halloween happenings in the county -- the Haunted Hayrides put on by the Switz City Fire Department.

The annual Halloween Fest starts at 4 p.m. when the Switz City Volunteer Fire Department starts serving a free chili supper at the fire station.

Fire Chief Brian Woodall said the menu includes firefighter chili, hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.

"A lot of businesses and community members have made donations for this event and we'll be serving until we run out of food," said Woodall.

Besides free chili, from 4-6 p.m., the firefighters will have a jumphouse set up and will welcome little trick-or-treaters, in or out of costume, by handing out treat bags.

The Switz City Haunted Hayrides start at dark (around 7:30 p.m.) and will last until around 10 p.m. but people should be there by 9 p.m. to make sure they catch a ride.

Woodall says there will be three tractors pulling old-fashioned hay wagons out into spooky cornfield country. Firefighters, their friends and family members set up scenes and perform skits along the route and it's different every year.

One year, the headless horseman came out of the cornfield.  Another year a scene was set up that made hayriders think they were about to be hit by a train coming down the track.  And there's usually a graveyard somewhere along the way.

Though the chili supper is most popular with the older folks, the kids in White River Valley country look forward to the hayrides and it's their place to be in WRV this Saturday night.  

Woodall stressed that all of these activities are free for the community.

"We accept donations and we appreciate anything the community members want to give," said Woodall.  "All money donated will be used to help buy equipment for our firefighters."