Time to scare up some money for the animals

A lot of organizations go all out for Christmas, but at Cocheco Valley Humane Society, we're nuts about Halloween. Ever since 2011 when we started partnering with Haunted Overload, a one-of-a-kind Halloween attraction in the woods at DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee, N.H., Halloween has been our favorite time of year. That's why we created a special Halloween event called Howl for the Animals.

Designed to be both family and Fido-friendly, Howl for the Animal will be taking place on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. at DeMeritt Hill Farm. In addition to activities happening around the farm, CVHS will be on hand offering games, a bouncy house, and a craft area. How for the Animals marks the opening weekend of Haunted Overload, which has been consistently ranked one of the top Halloween attractions in the country. Big scares are not for everyone, which is why Haunted Overload offers the fright-free day haunt on select days in October.

During the day haunt, guests can walk the windy path through the haunt in the safety of daylight. There are no special effects, no live actors, and no scares. The day haunt is appropriate for all ages and guests are encouraged to explore at their own pace. The haunt takes all year to build, and the day haunt allows guests the opportunity to see the movie-quality sets up close.

Tickets for the day haunt are available at the DeMeritt Hill Farm farm stand for $5 each and can be purchased the day of the event. As part of Howl for the Animals, children are encouraged to come in costume for this one-time-only opportunity to trick-or-treat through the haunt and collect candy from a variety of nonscary characters. Dogs are welcome in the day haunt as long as they are on leash at all times.

All money raised from this event goes towards helping provide food, shelter, and medical care to the animals at Cocheco Valley Humane Society. For more information, go to www.cvhsonline.org.

Alaina Goodnough is the Promotions Coordinator at Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH. She lives in Sanford, ME with two parrots, two cats, a bearded dragon, and two dachshunds. She can be reached at CVHS at devassist@cvhsonline.org. To learn more about Cocheco Valley Humane Society, go to www.cvhsonline.org or call 603-749-5322.