By Rita Raccoon, consumer and oddities correspondent

Anniston is turning Halloween around for Neewollah on Noble—the holiday spelled in reverse and set loose on two downtown blocks. The city’s annual street celebration is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, from noon to 4 p.m. on Noble Street.

The plan gives the afternoon a lively mix: costume contests for adults, children, and pets; a treat walk; a kids zone; vendors; food trucks; and live music. The University of Alabama’s Parenting Assistance Line lists the festival along Noble Street between 10th and 12th streets, while Alabama’s official travel site describes the event as free.

A holiday with its letters facing the other way

Neewollah makes a tidy invitation: bring a costume, follow the candy trail, and let the pets enter the fashion desk. With categories spanning people and pets, the contest lineup gives Anniston’s neighbors a reason to make the whole block part of the celebration.

Rita has entered the event name in her notebook twice—once forwards and once backwards—because a reporter respects a story that arrives with its own mirror trick. Her field advice is simple: reach Noble Street ready for costumes, community booths, and an afternoon that puts Halloween in reverse order.

Event details: Saturday, October 24, 2026, noon–4 p.m.; Noble Street between 10th and 12th streets, downtown Anniston, Alabama. The event listing describes admission as free.

Sources: City of Anniston: Neewollah on Noble; Alabama Tourism: Neewollah on Noble; University of Alabama Parenting Assistance Line: Neewollah on Noble.

Rita Raccoon has added a quest journal to her Saturday field kit. On Oct. 24, historic downtown Sanford, Florida, will become the setting for Enchanted Knights: Dungeons of Downtown, a Renaissance festival built around armored demonstrations, local makers, live performers and games that invite visitors into the story.

The city lists the free event for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and says parking is free, too. Its schedule includes live stage shows, community contests, local artists and artisans, a scavenger hunt, the Pub Quest and Sidequest Shopping, where shoppers can earn free art prints.

A tabletop story takes to the streets

Central Florida Public Media reports that Enchanted Knights began as a tabletop role-playing game. Adam Brown, co-owner of Wizards and Lizards Studios and the event’s creative mind, developed the festivals so people could play through stories and puzzles in person. Visitors can follow quests, gather clues and turn in their journals for prizes.

That community focus is part of the design. Brown told the public radio newsroom that he wants the festival to give people a welcoming place to spend time together. The day’s program pairs those interactive adventures with local artisans, roaming performers and the Orlando Rogue Knights’ armored demonstrations.

Rita’s event brief

Rita’s pencil is ready for the main quest, the side quests and the important civic question of how many tomatoes a festival can responsibly aim at a dunk tank. The City of Sanford and the event organizers list tomato throwing among the day’s activities, alongside games, food and live entertainment.

Enchanted Knights: Dungeons of Downtown is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in downtown Sanford. The City of Sanford lists free admission and parking, with costumes encouraged.

Rita Raccoon covers consumer curiosities and oddities for Hilarious News.

By Rita Raccoon, consumer and oddities correspondent

DAVIS, Calif. — Rita Raccoon has added one important item to her Halloween riding checklist: a helmet that stays put when the bicycle is headed for the undead.

Davis’ Zombie Bike Parade returns on Saturday, Oct. 31, with costumed riders setting off from Community Park for a route just under five miles to Mace Ranch Park and back. The parade runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the wider, free festival welcomes all ages at Community Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The official route has a wonderfully compact set of zombie qualifications: arrive looking the part, stay on the bike for the ride, and say “brains” at both ends. Rita has reviewed the plan and considers that a strong balance of safety, stamina and clear communications.

A parade with a community-sized purpose

The festival is produced by Davis Odd Fellows Lodge No. 169, The Bike Campaign and Davis Bike Club, with NorCal Trykers as its beneficiary. NorCal Trykers describes its mission as providing custom adaptive tricycles to children with disabilities, supporting mobility and independence. Organizers say the festival has raised more than $50,000 and helped provide 42 custom trikes since 2019.

That gives the Halloween spectacle a practical finish line: a community celebration helps more children experience the freedom of riding. Rita’s notebook has given the fundraiser a gold star and reserved the next page for any particularly expressive bike bells.

More than a ride

Community Park will host more than 35 entertainment stations, including music, arts and crafts, festival games, and local group demonstrations. The schedule also lists a BMX stunt show at the parade’s halfway point and a skydiving finale at 2:30 p.m., weather permitting. Admission is free, and people can enjoy the park festival on foot, wheels, or with a stroller.

Rita’s final pre-ride note is simple: test the costume on the bike, keep loose fabric clear of the pedals and chain, and bring a helmet. The route has a destination at either end, the volunteers have the crossing-guard assignment, and the parade has supplied its own closing phrase. Davis’ Halloween calendar is looking very well organized for a gathering of zombies.

Event details: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at Community Park, 1405 F Street, Davis, California. The official bike parade runs 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. along a route just under five miles round trip.

Sources: The Zombie Bike Parade route and event details; the festival press kit; the festival’s history and mission; NorCal Trykers’ mission.

By Buster Barkley, lead reporter

Hot Springs National Park put a famously simple beverage under bright festival lights on Oct. 10: spring water. The park’s annual Water Festival invited visitors to taste spring water, then vote in a new tasting competition. This was a serious civic duty performed with small cups.

The free event ran from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Arlington Lawn near Bathhouse Row. Alongside the tasting table, the program featured music, science demonstrations, craft activities, interactive booths, and conversations with the rangers, scientists, volunteers, and partner organizations who help care for the area’s water and watersheds.

The festival’s star ingredient is unusually well credentialed. The National Park Service says Hot Springs National Park protects 143°F, non-volcanic thermal waters, as well as cold-water spring systems and waterways within park boundaries. Its festival information described the day as a celebration of the watersheds that support the Ouachita Mountain region.

For this reporter, the competition carried a useful reminder: water can be both a community story and the reason the community has a story to tell. Park visitors could learn from conservation partners while casting a vote for the spring water that won their palate. Buster’s notebook records the experience as “clear, composed, and unexpectedly competitive.”

The National Park Service listed the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Mystic Ozark, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Friends of Hot Springs National Park among the organizations highlighted at the festival. Their presence gave the day an easy formula: a glass of water, a local watershed, and plenty of people ready to talk about both.

Water tasting is rarely invited to share a stage with music and science demonstrations. Hot Springs gave it a microphone anyway, and the town’s springs showed up ready for their close-up.

Sources: National Park Service festival release; National Park Service event record.

Camp Washington, Cincinnati, has a new neighborhood race with a very specific uniform: cow-inspired attire. The Camp Washington Business Association’s inaugural Cattle Drive: Moo Mile is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, with a one-kilometer route through the neighborhood.

Participants are encouraged to run or walk in cow-themed outfits. The organizer says the route will start at Rhinegeist Brewery’s Spring Grove facility, pass the American Sign Museum and neighborhood landmarks, and finish at Valley Park, where the Camp Washington State Fair continues with food, music, games and awards.

A race with a local legend in its backstory

The event draws on the story of Cincinnati Freedom, a cow who escaped from a Camp Washington slaughterhouse in 2002 and was later taken to Farm Sanctuary in New York. WCPO’s account of the local legend and Farm Sanctuary’s history both place the escape in 2002; the Moo Mile organizer’s event page lists 2006.

For the race, that history becomes a community gathering: neighbors can share the story, add a pair of ears or cow-print spots to their outfit, and follow a route through the place that remembers it. The organizer describes the Moo Mile as the kickoff to the Camp Washington State Fair and hopes it will grow into an annual tradition.

Rita Raccoon’s desk note: a neighborhood history lesson with a costume prize and a finish line has excellent range. The race starts Saturday at 10:30 a.m.; the published registration page lists a one-kilometer course through Camp Washington.

Event details: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–noon; Camp Washington, Cincinnati. The organizer’s event page has route and participation information.

Sources: Camp Washington Cattle Drive: Moo Mile; Camp Washington Cattle Drive registration; WCPO, “Runaway cow escapes slaughterhouse and becomes worldwide symbol of freedom”; Farm Sanctuary, “Cincinnati Freedom: The Legendary Slaughterhouse Escape Artist”.

By Rita Raccoon, consumer and oddities correspondent

At Martin Army Community Hospital, a volunteer shift can begin with a 10- to 15-minute greeting at the front door. Wednesday, a certified therapy dog, has a way of turning the trip inside into a meet-and-greet whenever people spot her, according to a July report from DVIDS.

Rita has reviewed Wednesday’s calendar. She visits on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which gives the schedule a tidy bit of name recognition before the first tail wag.

A volunteer who knows the whole hallway

Wednesday visits the hospital with her handler, Brittney LaFreniere, through the American Red Cross Volunteer Services program. DVIDS reports that the pair stop in the emergency department, physical therapy clinic, administrative offices and ultrasound department, with staff in some hallways keeping treats for therapy dogs.

The rounds have a practical rhythm and a friendly interruption built in. Wednesday greets people she has met before, and the story describes patients and staff pausing to visit. The front-door delay is a useful reminder that a popular volunteer may need a little extra time to reach the volunteer desk.

Wednesday began as the family dog

LaFreniere told DVIDS that the family originally wanted a pet, then Wednesday’s friendly personality led to puppy training, Canine Good Citizen certification and therapy-dog training. Wednesday earned her therapy certification shortly before the family moved to Fort Benning, where they found a volunteer role at Martin Army Community Hospital.

Wednesday’s visits also give patients, trainees and staff a natural opening to talk about pets and home. Her handler recalled that a patient’s farm-scented boots caught Wednesday’s attention and sparked laughter over several hospital visits. Rita considers this excellent reporting: sometimes a hallway conversation begins with a dog’s nose doing the introductions.

The best part of Wednesday’s schedule may be the part that refuses to stay on schedule. A greeting turns into a conversation; a familiar face gets a wag; the volunteer desk can wait another few minutes. Rita’s official finding: Wednesday works three days a week, and every shift appears to include a generous allowance for hellos.

Source: DVIDS, “More Than a Therapy Dog: How Wednesday Became a Friend to an Entire Hospital”, published July 22, 2026.

Filed by Rita Raccoon, consumer and oddities correspondent

Mount Airy, Maryland, has issued a Halloween casting call with unusually generous species requirements: its annual Mount Scary Pets on Parade contest welcomes dogs, cats, ducks, horses, hamsters, bearded dragons and more.

The town has scheduled the free costume contest for Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to noon at Wildwood Park. Its invitation welcomes funny, scary, unique or cute costumes, leaving each contestant plenty of room to define “red carpet” at its own preferred walking speed.

The casting call has range

Dogs and cats may be familiar Halloween headliners. A duck, horse, hamster or bearded dragon gives the lineup a wider talent pool—and a different set of costume fittings. The Town of Mount Airy says the contest will have different categories, with certificates for the winners.

A small parade with clear ground rules

The event is free and open to the public. The town asks that every animal stay on a leash or be contained during the contest, a practical rule for a gathering whose guest list spans hooves, paws, scales and feathers.

Wildwood Park is at 400 Park Avenue in Mount Airy. The one-hour schedule gives each entrant a compact runway and the town’s certificates a tidy delivery window.

Rita’s preview

Mount Scary has built a costume show around the full neighborhood of pets. Some contestants may arrive ready to strut; others may prefer the calm confidence of a well-secured carrier. Either way, the invitation is delightfully clear: bring a pet, choose a costume, and let the town’s Halloween parade welcome the whole cast.

Source: Town of Mount Airy: “Mount Scary presents Pets on Parade Halloween Costume Contest”. Event details: Town of Mount Airy calendar listing.

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi — Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has a Halloween assignment for families: follow a bingo card through the Kahuku landscape, line up five discoveries, and head back to the visitor station for a goodie bag.

The park’s Annual Halloween Bingo Scavenger Hunt is scheduled for Saturday, October 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kahuku Unit Visitor Contact Station. Families can pick up free bingo cards, search for the pictured items, and return for a goodie bag provided by the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Costumes are encouraged, so the field team may include capes, masks, and at least one person who takes their bingo rows very seriously.

Five in a row, one tidy field report

Rita Raccoon, Hilarious News’ consumer and oddities reporter, considers this an exceptionally clear assignment: collect five pictured discoveries in a row, report back to the visitor station, and let the goodie bag close the case. The park describes Kahuku as a place to explore, and the event gives families a playful reason to take in the landscape together.

The Kahuku Unit entrance is near the 70.5-mile marker on Highway 11 in Kaʻū. The National Park Service says its October programs are free to attend, with regular park entrance fees applying. Event plans can change, so families should check the park’s current updates before setting out.

Rita’s field note: a five-square streak is a fine reason to celebrate, and every costume deserves a little trail time. The hunt is scheduled for Halloween morning through mid-afternoon, giving families plenty of room to compare cards, enjoy the park, and see which row becomes the day’s headline.

Event details: Saturday, October 31, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Kahuku Unit Visitor Contact Station. Read the National Park Service’s October events announcement for the full schedule.

Orange, Texas, has put pumpkin pie on the schedule for 3 p.m. Saturday, and Rita Raccoon has circled the appointment in her notebook. The Orangetober Festival’s pie-eating contest has 20 entry spots, three prize places, and the sort of clock-aware opening round that makes punctuality a dessert strategy.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will host the contest at Riverside Pavilion during the festival, according to the official Orangetober Festival listing. The first 20 people who arrive can compete, and prizes go to the top three winners. The listed start time is 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Rita’s newsroom note: a 20-person field is a tidy assignment—arrive, take your place, and let the pie handle the closing argument.

A festival with a very large pumpkin desk

The contest is one stop in the sixth annual Orangetober Festival, scheduled for Oct. 2–4 at Riverside Pavilion, 708 Simmons Drive. The festival’s 2026 events page lists the weekend dates, while the festival page describes a Pumpkin Village with more than 10,000 pumpkins, a vendor market, a gumbo cook-off, family activities, live music and a mascot run.

Saturday’s gates open at 10 a.m., giving visitors a few hours to explore before the pie contest begins. Admission and parking are free, the festival page says. That makes the afternoon’s main tactical question remarkably clear: when to arrive, and how confidently to approach a pumpkin-themed pie.

Rita’s briefing: watch the clock, then the podium

The contest’s entry limit gives this story its brisk first act: the first 20 arrivals form the field. The published schedule supplies the second: a 3 p.m. start and prizes for three winners. Rita’s consumer-and-oddities desk will be watching the contest as a study in timing, table manners and the public life of pumpkin pie.

For Orange, the festival turns a familiar fall dessert into a community event with a clear bracket and a bright autumn setting. For Rita, it is a rare assignment where the notebook and the pie both deserve a place at the table.

Reporting note: This preview follows the festival’s published schedule for Oct. 3, 2026; contest attendance and results await confirmation.