Dear Terra,

Can you believe that Halloween is just one week away?

There's a long, long list of spooktacular events happening in our district over the next week (as you'll see below.)

But we're also looking forward to some traditional trick-or-treating on Halloween (Thursday, Oct. 31.) Here are the village trick-or-treating hours:

Glen Ellyn: 3 to 7 p.m.
Lombard: 3 to 7 p.m.
Lisle: 3 to 8 p.m.
Wheaton: 3:30 to 7:30 p.m
Downers Grove: No prescribed hours, but the Downers Grove Police Department recommends trick-or-treating during daylight hours.
Naperville: No prescribed hours, but recommend daylight hours for young kids and ending by 8 p.m. for older kids.

To help everyone stay safe, I wanted to share this great video from the Wheaton Police Department. Take a look (It's adorable!), and have a fun, safe night!

Enjoy scary fun at Glen Ellyn's Ackerman Haunted Trail TONIGHT and TOMORROW

You're invited to take an evening walk along a haunted trail filled with creepy creatures and scary sounds and scenes tonight and tomorrow (Friday) at Ackerman Park, 800 St. Charles Road in Glen Ellyn.

The walk will take about 10 minutes to complete, and you can come anytime between 4 and 9 p.m. The trail will be less scary from 4 to 6 p.m., to accommodate younger children, and will get a bit scarier after 6 p.m.

There will be a $5 fee for all adults and all children over the age of 3. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. To register and learn more, you can click here.

Renew your license at the DIY DMV kiosk at the Lombard Jewel-Osco

You can do your grocery shopping and renew your driver's license in one spot through the new Fast-Lane DMV pilot program, which has placed 15 self-service kiosks around the state.

These Fast-Lane kiosks offer basic DMV services (vehicle registration renewals, plate decals and driver’s license renewals) inside grocery stores. You can try one out at Jewel-Osco, 1177 S. Main St. in Lombard.

You can learn more about the kiosks, the services they offer and what you'll need to bring by visiting here.

Trick or treat – or truck? Visit Touch-a-Truck in Downers Grove SATURDAY

Downers Grove Park District invites you to a free, all-ages Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McCollum Park, 6801 Main St.

Children will have the chance to climb aboard and explore a variety of vehicles, from school buses and police cars to construction vehicles. To learn more, you can click here.

Glen Ellyn offers a Halloween parade, games, and a Boo Bash SATURDAY

Move over, Halloweentown. Glen Ellyn is going full pumpkin on Saturday, Oct. 26, with two spooktacular events.

The Halloween Festival will begin with a parade at 9:30 a.m. in Downtown Glen Ellyn, at the corner of Main Street and Crescent Boulevard. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Chamber of Commerce will offer games, crafts, costume contests and trick-or-treating throughout the downtown business area.

LIttler ghosts and goblins will enjoy the Boo Bash, a not-so-spooky Halloween event from 10 to 11: 30 a.m. Saturday at Ackerman Park, 800 St. Charles Road. Children aged 2 to 10 are invited to dress up in their costumes and trick-or-treat along a trail lined with friendly characters. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and registration is required.

The event fee, $15 for residents and $25 for nonresidents, includes treats and a pumpkin to take home. To register and learn more, you can click here.

There's also trick-or-treating in Lisle SATURDAY

Kids and adults are invited to the Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce Trick-or-Treating event on Saturday, Oct. 26, from noon to 3 p.m. in Downtown Lisle.

Everyone's invited to go door-to-door, visiting local businesses and picking up goodies along the way.

This is a great opportunity to show off your Halloween costume and support some of Lisle's specialty downtown businesses.

The event is free to all. For details, you can click here.

Even MORE trick-or-treating in Wheaton SATURDAY

At this point, I'm starting to get a sugar rush just writing about all these Halloween festivities coming up on Saturday...

There's one more addition to your Halloween treat calendar. The Downtown Wheaton Association will host a trick-or-treating event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Downtown businesses will give children a head start on trick-or-treating. You can find a map of participating businesses here.

Learn about our local history at the (sugar-free) Living Cemetery in Downers Grove SATURDAY

There will be no ghosts – but plenty of history – as local re-enactors portray early settlers buried in Downers Grove’s historic Main Street Cemetery, 5158 Main St., from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 26,

The costumed actors will portray early residents and share their stories about the early pioneer days in Downers Grove.

This walk through time will be fun and educational for all, and no registration is required. To learn more, you can click here.

Reduce, reuse, recycle – and repair! SCARCE will fix some of those broken items SATURDAY

Do you have some broken household items you've been thinking of throwing away?

Think again. You can save money and spare our landfills by bringing those items to SCARCE’s 4th Repair Fair, on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to noon at 800 S. Rohlwing Road (Rt. 53) in Addison.

Repair experts will be on-site to help with:

Kitchen knife and scissor sharpening
Costume jewelry repair and modifications
Crystal, glassware, and porcelain repair
Lamp and light fixture repair
Household appliances and electronics repair (No sewing machines, televisions, computers, or printers please)

Stop by this free event to learn how a simple, affordable repair can bring new life to those broken treasures. For more information, you can click here.

Don your Halloween apparel and head to the Lombard library for storytime THURSDAY

Children are invited to special Halloween storytimes from 9:30 to 10 a.m. and again from 10:30 to 11 a.m. at Helen Plum Library, 411 S. Main St. in Lombard.

The Library will celebrate with seasonal stories and silly songs. Costumes are encouraged! Children can check in at the Youth Services Desk 30 minutes prior to the program’s start time. Spaces are limited. To learn more, you can click here.

GPS presents webinar on strategies for responsible, respectful kids TUESDAY

How do we nurture our children to be considerate, respectful and ethical people?

The Glenbard Parent Series will host a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at noon and again at 7 p.m. with Melinda Winner Moyer, an award-winning editor at Scientific American.

Moyer will provide research-based, actionable strategies to help parents instill honesty, generosity, and compassion in their children.

As you may know, GPS is a locally based educational consortium dedicated to presenting distinguished, relevant, high-profile authors, clinicians, and educators who share research-based knowledge and practical wisdom. The group's mission is to enhance the resilience and well-being of all students by helping them build relationships, develop coping strategies, and forge responsible decision-making skills.

You can find the Zoom links here. To be placed on a reminder list for GPS events or submit a question in advance, contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard District 87 student and community projects coordinator, at gilda_ross@glenbard.org or 630-942-7668.

Support survivors of domestic violence with our LovePurse Donation Drive

When a woman flees domestic violence and begins rebuilding her life, it's crucially important for her to know that she has the heartfelt support of her community.

As part of Domestic Violence Awareness month, my office is co-sponsoring a donation drive, along with elected officials throughout DuPage County, to support Metropolitan Family Services and their partnership with LovePurse.

The LovePurse program asks donors to buy new purses and fill them with daily essentials, toiletries, and (perhaps most importantly) handwritten notes of love, support, and encouragement. The purses are donated to organizations that serve women who are survivors of domestic violence.

We'll be accepting LovePurse donations through Oct. 31. Please call our office at 630-812-9292 or email Reptch42@gmail.com to schedule a porch pick-up at your home or a drop-off at our office.

You can also drop off donations at Ackerman Sports and Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Rd. in Glen Ellyn and at Helen Plum Library, 411 S. Main St. in Lombard. You can check the graphic for a full list of drop-off locations in DuPage.

Please note that only new purses and new toiletries are accepted. All gently used purses will be donated to Goodwill.

Upcoming Events

We have lots of events coming up, so please take a look and mark your calendars today!

Nov. 2: Glen Ellyn Park District’s Pumpkin Smash, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Village Green Park, 130 S. Lambert Road

Nov. 8: Bingo Night, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road in Glen Ellyn

Nov. 9: Lombard Pumpkin Smash, from 9 a.m. to noon at Lombard Common, 433 E. St. Charles Road.

Nov. 9: Wheaton Recycling Event, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Public Works Storage Yard, 820 W. Liberty Drive.

Nov. 11: Lombard Veterans Day Ceremony, at 11 a.m. at the Sunken Garden in Lombard Common Park, near the intersection of Grace and Maple streets

Nov. 19: Glen Ellyn Blood and Food Drive, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road

Nov. 22: Kids Night Out in Lisle, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Gentle Learning Preschool, 1925 Ohio St.

Nov. 27: Wing It Turkey Shootout Free Throw Challenge, from 10 a.m. to noon at Main Street Recreation Center, 501 Hill Ave.

Nov. 28: Glen Ellyn Park District's Turkey Burn, from 7 to 10 a.m. at Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road

Nov. 28: Turkey Trot 4-Mile Run, at 8 a.m. at Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Road in Glen Ellyn

If you have any questions about pending legislation or other issues related to your state government, please don't hesitate to contact my office at 630-812-9292 or RepTCH42@gmail.com.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay strong,

Terra Costa Howard

State Representative

42nd District

913 S. Main St.

Lombard, IL 60148

(630) 812-9292