Events, decor set tone for weekend Halloween festivities

Cape Girardeau has been celebrating fall and preparing for Halloween with spooky lawn decor, trunk or treats and pumpkin picking.

The annual "Nightmare on Brookwood Drive" returned with spooky Halloween decorations across many yards on Brookwood Drive behind Dennis Scivally Park in Cape Girardeau. By the effort of Kevin Groves, each yard has a different theme - from skeleton pirates to aliens, it's a scary sight day and night.

Even before Halloween began, the SEMO Homecoming Community hosted a trunk or treat. Student organizations, fraternities and sororities dressed in video-game themed costumes to hand out candy during the event, which is part of Homecoming week, another significant part of the fall season in Southeast Missouri.

The pumpkin patch along Broadway at Grace United Methodist Church also returned this year. It is intended to fund local missions, charities, and Scouting groups. Over 2600 pumpkins were ordered this year, a volunteer of the church said.