Great pumpkins, eerie stories and trunk-or-treating. Here's what's happening this week

Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·4 min read

Don’t look now, but it’s Halloween time and the events of the scary season are already beginning, including the upcoming Ontario Pathways Great Pumpkin Walk.

How great is it? Well, you’ll have to see all these artistic pumpkins to believe it.

Learning opportunities abound. The weekend ends with another thought-provoking and call-to-action talk as part of the George M. Ewing Canandaigua Forum’s speaker series.

Here is more of what’s happening this week.

1. Trunk or Treat in Victor

Reservations for Trunk or Treat at Victor United Methodist Church are due Wednesday, Oct. 11, by calling 585-924-2621 or emailing umcvictor@gmail.com. The event itself will be held 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the church, 106 E. Main St., Victor. Enjoy cider, doughnuts, crafts, games and trunk or treating.

2. Capture the moments at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center

The Joann Long photography exhibit, “Captured Moments,” opens at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center Gallery, 20 Fort Hill Ave., Canandaigua. Long, whose exhibit runs through Nov. 12, is a member of the Ontario County Arts Council. Admission is free. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays or during performances. See fhpac.org for performance schedule.

3. He’s been working on a railroad talk, all the live long day

Joel Richter, from the Friends of the Railroad, will give a talk on local railroad and trolley lines at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at Farmington Town Hall, 1000 County Road 8. This talk is part of the Farmington Historic Preservation Commission’s fall lecture series. Note: Check the town of Farmington website before you go. Any weather- or illness-related cancellations will be updated on its website calendar at www.townoffarmingtonny.com. 

4. Eerie stories in Yates County

You can hear some eerie stories on the Keuka Lake Outlet at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13 (rain date Oct. 20). You will take a guided walk there and hear eerie stories of yesteryear told by visitors from the past. Start at the Lake Street playground behind the Verizon Store, across from the Beverage Baron at the corner of Lake and Ogden streets in Penn Yan. Additional parking is available at the lot on East Main and Lake streets and also at NAPA Auto Parts on East Main Street. Tickets are $10 per person and are available at the Yates County History Center.

5. Music Hall-of-Famer Don Potter returns to Canandaigua

Rochester Music Hall of Famer Don Potter will be performing Oct. 13 at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center to benefit UR Medicine Thompson Health's Healthcare Education Fund.
Rochester Music Hall of Famer Don Potter will be performing Oct. 13 at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center to benefit UR Medicine Thompson Health's Healthcare Education Fund.

Singer and guitarist Don Potter will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center, 20 Fort Hill Ave., Canandaigua. A 2013 inductee into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, Potter first gained a following in the Rochester area as a member of the Show Stoppers, later forming a duo with Bat McGrath and collaborating with Chuck Mangione. After moving to Nashville, he helped launch the mother-daughter country duo The Judds. Potter has also worked with the likes of Elton John, Kenny Chesney, Lyle Lovett, and others. Proceeds benefit Thompson’s Healthcare Education Fund. Tickets are $65 (orchestra) and $85 (mezzanine). To purchase tickets, visit www.ThompsonHealth.com/DonPotter or www.fhpac.org. For more information, call the F.F. Thompson Foundation at 585-396-6155. 

6. See the great pumpkins in Canandaigua

Get ready to embark on the Ontario County Pathways Great Pumpkin Walk and see hundreds of candle-lit jack-o'-lanterns like this.
Get ready to embark on the Ontario County Pathways Great Pumpkin Walk and see hundreds of candle-lit jack-o'-lanterns like this.

The Ontario Pathways Great Pumpkin Walk is 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Ontario County Fairgrounds, County Road 10, Canandaigua. Walk a half-mile trail lined with hundreds of candlelit jack-o'-lanterns for $5 per person; children ages 2 and under can see this for free. Refreshments are included. Strollers are allowed but no pets. Parking is free at the Fairgrounds, 2820 County Road 10. For more information call 585-234-7722, check the Ontario Pathways Facebook page or visit www.ontariopathways.org. 

7. ‘Unmasking Medical Bias’ talk in Canandaigua

Bervell
Bervell

Joel Bervell, host of the Commonwealth Fund’s podcast “The Dose,” will discuss the impact both racism and structural inequity have in the care and treatment of the nation’s most vulnerable people at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center, 20 Fort Hill Ave., Canandaigua. The program, “Unmasking Medical Bias: Advancing Equity Through Social Media,” is the second event in the George M. Ewing Canandaigua Forum’s 12th season. Tickets are $25. To purchase tickets, visit gmeforum.org or call the FHPAC box office at 585-412-6043. For more information visit gmeforum.org or call the Ewing Forum at 585-313-8443. 

Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.

If you have an event you'd like to see listed in the "Things to Do" column, email Mike Murphy at mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Canandaigua NY events: Great pumpkins, eerie stories and more