Halloween always brings with it a veritable plethora of events and festivals and fairs and parties. Unfortunately, it’s still over a month away, so here are some things to do in the interim, with a few Halloween-themed events thrown in for good measure.

Thursday Sept. 14-24 8:00 A.M. State Fair 

The Oklahoma State Fair returns to State Fair Park in central OKC, running from Sept. 14-24. Per usual, the fair will feature the classic suite of fair rides, roller coasters and all manner of culinary delights. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. daily with $2 gate admission on opening day. The Fair will feature hundreds of different events over its ten-day span, offering everything from live music and karaoke to barrel racing and comedy shows. There’s certainly something for everyone at this year’s Oklahoma State Fair.

Thursday, Sept. 28 from 5:00-9:00 P.M.: Scrabble Competition 

The Castle Falls event center will host this year’s annual Scrabble Showdown fundraiser from the OKC Metro Literacy Coalition on September 28^th at 5:00-9:00 pm. There are three different levels of competition: the novice category, the Intermediate division, and the Advanced/Club Tournament for the most serious of Scrabblers. The first two groups feature both singles and doubles competitions with hints, extra letters, and cheat sheets available for purchase. Prizes will be awarded for the top teams as well as the best team names. Entry fee is $25 per person  and spectator tickets may be purchased the day of and games will start at 6:00 pm. 

Friday, Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at 8:00 P.M.: Greek Festival 

St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church will be putting on the 33^rd annual Greek Fest at N. Penn, south of 150^th St. from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Tickets cost $16 per person (meal included), and can be purchased at the door. The three-day long festival will feature traditional Greek foods like Spanakopita, Baklava and Kataifi.  

Friday, Oct. 6-22, 10:00 A.M. Pumpkinville at Myriad Gardens 

Beginning on Friday, Oct. 6, the Myriad Botanical Gardens hosts the 6th annual Pumpkinville fundraiser. The Children’s Garden and Playground will be filled to the brim with an estimated 16,000 pumpkins for almost two and a half weeks for children to peruse daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 P.M. Fall-themed games and other fun children’s activities will be available culminating in the Pumpkinville Halloween Party on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.

Oct. 26 Haunt the Zoo for Halloween 

 The family-friendly annual OKC attraction “Haunt the Zoo” will return, as planned, to the OKC Zoo from October 26 up until Halloween night. This Halloween-themed event will feature six nights of trick-or-treating at the zoo to support its ongoing operations. Admission for those under two years of age is free. For those not so lucky, it costs $7 for the full trick-or-treating experience, and $4 for those who simply wish to see the sights.  One dollar discounts are afforded for all Friends of the Zoo members until the first day of the event.

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So there it is: just a little taste of the myriad of events that take place over the next couple of months. If none of these are for you, a (most nearly) complete list of popular OKC events can be found here, composed by VisitOKC.