If you want to celebrate fall and all that comes with it, there are scores of events beginning today and extending through Halloween night that will provide fun for the whole family, from trick-or-treating, great food and great music.

The centerpiece will be the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Fall Fest on Saturday.

There will be a kids costume contest, trick-or-treating and photos taken by the Spam Museum. The Pallet Players will perform; and free pumpkin decorating will be provided at the Austin ArtWorks Center.

And, if kids need yet more fun, Hy-Vee will host trick-or-treaters between 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Here is a full run-down of events:
TODAY:

Halloween Dinner, noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Mower County Senior Center. Come in for a Halloween costume dinner. A costume is optional, but there will be a prize for the best one. The menu includes spider salad, beef and rice stuffed pepper jack-o-lanterns, autumn-roasted veggies, mashed boo-tatoes, and exploding pumpkins for dessert. The cost is $7.50 for members, $8.50 for non-members. For more info  or to reserve a seat, call 507-433-2370 or stop by the Senior Center front desk.

Austin Community Playgroup Costume Parade, 12:50-1:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Care Center. Registration required. Put on a costume and meet at the entrance of Sacred Heart Care Center. For more information, call Sheila at 507-399-1924.

SATURDAY:

• Fall Fest, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. downtown Austin. Starts with a kids’ costume contest at 10 a.m., across from Rydjor Bike (line up at 9:45 a.m.), followed by trick or treating downtown starting at 10:30 a.m, free pumpkin decorating at the ArtWorks Center, and special performances by the Pallet Players. Head out to HyVee for more trick or treating from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Vision 2020 Destination Downtown Committee.  For more information, email kelsey@austinareaarts.org.

• Spooktacular Craft and Vendor Event, noon to 4 p.m. at Fraternal Order of the Eagles. Crafts, home and yard decor, health and fitness, fashion accessories, beauty and makeup, quilts and blankets. Food and beverages available, too. For more information, email lumbreras74@yahoo.com.

• Caravan du Nord – Dead Man Winter, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Historic Paramount Theatre. Caravan du Nord is back with this new project from Dead Man Winter featuring David Simonett of Trampled by Turtles, Good Night Gold Dust, and Lydia Liza. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 7 pm; concert starts at 7:30 pm. For tickets or more information, call 507-434-0934 or go to www.austinareaarts.org.
SUNDAY

• Haunted Hallways Celebration, 1-3 p.m., Pacelli Elementary School, 511 Fourth  Ave. NW, hosted by the Pacelli Parents, Teachers and Community Association (PTCA). Community parents and kids are invited to this free event. Kids (and parents) are invited to don their Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat at each classroom, vote for their favorite Halloween decor, and decorate some spooky treats to eat.

• Austin Symphony Orchestra: Swingin’ at the Symphony, 2-4:30 p.m. at Knowlton Auditorium, Austin High School. Kick off the ASO’s 61st season by welcoming to the stage Austin’s own Big Band for a set of challenging, multifaceted, and stylistically diverse works written by America’s finest jazz artists. Tickets are also available at the Coffee House on Main Street and Hy-Vee. For more information, go to www.austinsymphonyorchestra.org.
HALLOWEEN, Tuesday, Oct. 31:

• Movie Matinee at the Library – Psycho, 2-3:30 p.m. at the Austin Public Library. For more information, call 507-433-2391.

• 14th Annual Hallelujah Harvest Festival, 5:30-8 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Family fun with games, prizes and treats. A light supper will be served from 5:45-7:30 p.m. Bring a non-perishable food item and get 10 game tickets free. Each additional ticket costs 10 cents each.  For more information, call 507-433-2642.

• Trunk or Treat, 5-7 p.m., at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. The family-friendly event is open to all. The church is located at 2103 Eighth St. SW, also known as the corner of Fourth Street Southwest and 21st Avenue Southwest.

• Trick or Treating for Cans, Halloween night. The Austin High School National Honor Society will be trick or treating for nonperishable food donations for the local Salvation Army Food Shelf on Halloween night. Please consider donating to this cause as it greatly helps those in our community.