Chicago-area Halloween fun kicks off with trick-or-treating, Ravenswood Monster Mash

CHICAGO (WLS) — Trick-or-treating and other fun Halloween activities for the whole family are taking place in Chicago and the suburbs on Friday night.

And if you haven’t gotten your pumpkin yet, you can still find them at the Ravenswood Monster Mash on Montrose.

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This is the first year that the Chamber of Commerce is putting on the trick-or-treat event, with all of the businesses on Montrose participating, but they expect that it will become an annual tradition.

It is a good way to load up on candy and other treats, like pizza. Chicago’s Pizza is making ghost pizzas complete with olives for the eyes and pepperoni for the mouth.

Organizers say this event is designed to encourage kids and their parents to enjoy the neighborhood.

“It’s kind of a sure thing. If there’s an event, there will be candy; there will be trick-or-treaters,” said Christina Pecce with the Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.

ABC7 has seen a bunch of costumed kids and their parents up and down the street there.

Monsters are also guarding the candy in Northbrook.

More than 70 of them surround Howard Wise’s home, attracting visitors from all over.

“OMG it’s crazy. Love it. Absolutely love it. Glad I’m not living next door to it,” said visitor Ann Furby.

Wise stores the creatures in his basement all year. They come out on Halloween, and then go back into hibernation for a year. It’s a family affair.

“Look at it. Everybody loves it. It’s just a great thing to do,” Wise said.

He has been putting all of this together for more than a decade. However, he says this could be it. His son is going off to college next year, and it is too much on his own. Although, he has a lot of people trying to convince him to keep it going.

In Oak Park, the nice weather drew ghosts, goblins and every other character one could imagine to go door-to-door, asking for treats.

Chopper 7 also found busy trick or treaters going door-to-door in west suburban Hinsdale and in northwest suburban Schaumburg.