In addition to traditional Trick or Treating in your neighborhood, there are still plenty of fun, FREE, and not too scary events for the kids this Halloween.

Check out this family-friendly events where your young goblins and ghouls can show off their costumes, score some candy and have some fun.

In addition to traditional Trick or Treating in your neighborhood, there are still plenty of family-friendly FREE, and not too scary events for the kids this Halloween.

The Great Elizabeth Pumpkin Wall 

Located in the Elizabeth neighborhood at 2107 Greenway Avenue, the annual Pumpkin Wall is lit every night at sundown through Friday, Oct. 31. 

Sea Life's Spookfest

Weekends of Oct. 18, 25, and 31, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Concord Mills

Trick-or-treat under the sea and watch divers carved pumpkins inside the Ocean Tank at 12:30 p.m. each day. Free with aquarium admission.

Trick or Treat The Lake

Friday, Oct 31, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Pineville Lake Park

1000 Johnston Dr.

Pineville, NC 28134

A free and safe event for kids presented by Pineville Parks and Recreation and the merchants of downtown Pineville includes music and a costume contest. Free.

Candy Crawl in Downtown Concord

Friday, Oct. 31, 3 to 5 p.m.

Union Street

Concord, NC

Kids can trick-or-treat the businesses in Downtown Concord. Union Street is closed to traffic from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Free.

Halloween In Old Town Cornelius

Friday, Oct. 31, beginning at 2 p.m.Kids and their parents can pick up a map of participating businesses and trick-or-treat the historic downtown collecting stickers for a prize between 2 p.m. and sundown. Free.

Phantom of Opera MonsterMash Bash

Friday, Oct 31 6:30p

Jonathan's of Matthews

10630 Independence Pointe Pkwy.

Matthews, NC 28105

(704) 847-8911

Bring the whole family for an evening of dancing to Motown and oldies music with Elvis in the building, presented by King Shazaam Tributes. Tickets are $5 with kids under 10 admitted free.

Enchanted Fall Festival

Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Piedmont Progressive Preschool

9704 Mallard Creek Rd.

Charlotte, NC 28269

(704) 510-1022

Kids can come as their favorite enchanted character for this afternoon of fall family fun, including a Fairy House competition, family photos, Touch-a-Truck, Hole-in-One golf, carnival games, bake sale, and a 50/50 raffle. Free.

Krispy Kreme Halloween Giveaway

Oct. 31

All locations

Wear your costume (but leave off the mask) to any Krispy Kreme shop on Halloween to receive a free donut of your choice.

Popular Baxter neighborhood skeletons are making big news! 

A skeleton family living on a porch in the Baxter neighborhood of Fort Mill, just across the board in South Carolina, is making headlines for appearing in different poses, costumes and scenarios every day. 

The two skeletons and their dog Fang — all discount purchases made by home owners and Graphic Designers Steve Miller and Tracy Adams— can be seen rocking out with their band Fracture one day, and kayaking down the front steps the next.

Miller and Adams started posing their skeletons last fall. When the weather got too cold for them to sit out on their front porch as they often did, they put the skeletons in their place. 

When they shifted their positions one day, a neighbor commented that the skeletons moved. So Miller started shifting the skeletons’ positions, and giving them tasks. 

Now Miller and Adams, and their neighbors, consider their skeletons’ changes a daily tradition.

"A lot of our neighbours thought all this was quite spectacular," Miller told TODAY.com. “We are now known as ‘The Skeleton People’ and live in ‘The Skeleton House."

Miller’s favourite scene so far was one in which the skeletons, dressed as construction workers, appearing to be breaking up the sidewalk. 

Neighborhood children passing by were encouraged to write their names in sidewalk chalk beside the makeshift construction site. 

"The sidewalk was soon covered with names of all the visiting kids," said Miller, who works from home and enjoys watching his neighbors react to the scenes on his front porch. “It was the interaction that made it cool.”

Neighbors often suggest new scenarios and even volunteer to lend props to the bony characters. 

Miller and Adams plan to continue the October tradition for as long as they can. 

"We go out and talk to visitors and they tell us how much they love that we do this," Miller said. “Or that they send (photos) to their son in Afghanistan and to sick children at St. Jude’s Hospital. That’s what keeps us going. Doing this every day takes its toll, but we just remember how much joy these two little dime-store skeletons bring to people.”

"Good Morning America recently interviewed us, and said our segment should air tomorrow!", said Miller.

Follow the “Baxter Skeletons” on Facebook and Instagram. 

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Hickory Furniture Mart: After Market Sale

For all of your home furnishing needs, check out the Fall After Market Sale at Hickory Furniture Mart, where you can custom order furniture to your preference while enjoying additional After Market savings. You’ll find one of-a-kind Market samples that have just been released from the High Point wholesale Market and are not available anywhere else in the world. Deep discounts on clearance items, floor models and high-end outlet products will be yours for the taking at the special event.

Friday, Nov. 7 – Sunday, Nov. 9

Hickory, NC

hickoryfurniture.com

Extended Hours: 

Friday, Nov. 7      9 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8    9 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 9    1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Lenders Step Up to Help Vets Buy Homes

With zero down payments, flexible underwriting, and competitive interest rates, VA loans are a great way for returning Vets to buy homes.

Big banks and mortgage companies are stepping up efforts to help returning vets get affordable (even free!) housing. 

There are an estimated 22 million vets nationwide, and many of them are eligible for VA loan benefits.  “In an era of extremely tight credit and underwriting in most segments of the marketplace, the VA program looks like an extended hand for creditworthy vets who don’t have large amounts of money to put down on a home purchase or are transitioning into regular employment in the mainstream economy", say lenders.

Several lenders are also partnering with nonprofit groups to help vets break into home ownership. For example, Operation Homefront, the Military Warriors Support Foundation, HomeStrong USA, and Purple Heart Homes have been donating hundreds of homes acquired through donations from lending giants like Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, and SunTrust Mortgage, among others. Bank of America alone has donated more than 1,500 homes to nonprofits that serve veterans.

Builders are also joining in the mortgage-free donations, such as Pulte Group, which has committed to build at least 20 homes that will be donated to wounded vets this year, mortgage-free.

Source: “VA, Lenders, and Nonprofits Mobilize to Help Veterans on the Home Front,” Oct. 26, 2014

Lowest Mortgage Rates in 2014!

Great reason to buy a home now….the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage took another dip this week, keeping rates well below the 4% mark.  

Below is a peak at national mortgage rates averages for the week ending Oct. 23:

•       30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.92 percent, with an average 0.5 point, reaching a new low for the year and dropping from last week’s 3.97 percent. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.13 percent.

•       15- year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.08 percent, with an average 0.5 point, dropping from last week’s 3.18 percent average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 3.24 percent.

•       5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.91 percent, with an average 0.5 point, dropping from last week’s 2.92 percent average. Last year at this time, 5-year ARMs averaged 3 percent.

•       1-year ARMs: averaged 2.41 percent, with an average 0.4 point, rising from last week’s 2.38 percent average. A year ago, 1-year ARMs averaged 2.60 percent.

Source: Freddie Mac

Do Halloween Dangers Lurk at 

Your Entryway?

Everyone loves a good scare on Halloween — as long 

as it’s just a trick. To help avoid any real-life scares 

such as falls, fires, and traffic accidents — around your

property this Hallows Eve, play it safe.

1. Light the Scene

Providing plenty of illumination ensures that your 

visitors can see where they’re walking, helping to avoid missteps and falls. 

2. Secure the Footing

Clear your walk, steps, and stoop of any obstructions that could trip youngsters focused more on tricks and treats

than watching where they’re going. That means moving potted mums and jack o’lanterns out of the way, and 

hammering down any nail heads protruding out of your steps.

If you have a concrete stoop, which can get slippery when wet, apply friction tape ($16 for a 60-foot roll of 1-inch-

wide tape) to ensure stable footing.

3. Tighten the Railings

If your porch railings are wobbly or broken, family members and friends may know not to lean too heavily on 

them, but Halloween visitors won’t. So fix the problem. It’ll make your home safer for guests all year round.

4. Eliminate Fire Hazards

Don’t put real candles into your carved pumpkins or paper lanterns. Instead, pick up a bulk pack of LED-bulb faux

candles, which emit a yellowish, flickering, battery-powered light that looks amazingly similar to the real thing — 

without the danger.

5. Secure your Property

To prevent burglaries and Halloween pranks make sure to keep all windows and doors (other than your main 

door) locked shut. Motion detector lights are great deterrents any time of the year.


6. Set the Scene

In addition to spooky items like cotton cobwebs and half-buried skeletons, consider a few safety-related scene-

setters. You may want to pop open the screen or storm door so it doesn’t get in the way when there’s a big group 

of kids congregated on your stoop.

You’ll also want a working doorbell, so if yours is broken, get a handyman to fix it — or install a wireless doorbell 

in its place. 

7. Enhance Street Safety

Four times as many child pedestrians get killed on Halloween night than a normal night. Limit the danger as 

much as you can by clearing parked cars off the curb to allow better visibility. For for high-traffic roads in

Halloween-intensive neighborhoods, consider posting an adult in the street with a hand-held traffic control light to

 help maintain safety.

Autumn Advantage: 4 Tips for Staging Your Home in Fall

A crisp chill in the air, the turning of leaves and the scent of pumpkin spice are all hallmarks of fall.

There’s no doubt it’s a beautiful season, and if you’re planning on selling your home by the end of the year, you can capitalize on all the good work nature already provides for us when staging your home.

Accentuate the Positives When Staging Your Home

You want your home to stand out when you put it on the market, so start at the curb.

To play up the fall feel outside of your home, clean up flower beds and rake any leaves off your lawn—the first thing buyers should notice is the changing colors on your trees, not the muddled dead leaves on the grass.

In the backyard, store away any summer items like pool floats, inflatable water slides and tiki torches. Add fall-related decor like a self-contained fire pit and warm-colored cushions on your patio furniture to create an outdoor space perfect for chilly evenings.

You can also add a pumpkin or mum (or both!) to the front stoop, but don’t carve it up because it will spoil much faster.

Bring the Colors Indoors

Autumn’s natural color scheme is warm and earthy, reminiscent of cozy, fireside nights.

To bring some of that warmth inside for your open house, fill vases with red, orange and deep yellow flowers like marigolds, Mexican sunflowers or strawflowers. Place vases in the entryway, in the master bedroom and on top of mantles to add fall colors throughout the house.

To make your home feel cozy and inviting, invest in throw blankets or pillows in the same shades as your floral arrangements. Place the pieces around your living room and bedroom to draw out the autumn hues.

Use Favorite Fall Foods

The pleasant scent of fresh-baked cookies or a warm apple pie wafting through the house can trigger memories of comfort and home.

To tie in with the season—and the much-beloved holiday foods—light some candles scented with apple pie, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, cranberries or ginger.

Add warmth and a touch of the holidays to your kitchen or dining room by creating a cornucopia centerpiece on your table or countertop. Fill the centerpiece with gourds, miniature pumpkins and maize to help potential buyers picture themselves cooking their first Thanksgiving dinner in their new home.

Don’t Overwhelm

While adding a bit of fall colors, keep your decorations clean and minimal.

Avoid overpowering a room with too many flowers and candles, and always remember keep personal items tucked away.

Your Home's Fall Checklist

It's time to prepare your home to withstand winter's frosty bite. Whether you are selling, buying or staying put, October is the best time to complete this checklist.

• Get your mind in the gutters. Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts.
• Button up your overcoat. Seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors with weather-stripping and caulk.
• Get on top of roof problems. Inspect your roof for damaged or curled shingles, corroded flashing, or leaky vents.
• Walks the walks and driveways.  Take steps to repair damaged sidewalks, driveways, and steps.
• Chill out. Drain and winterize outdoor faucets and irrigation systems.
• Freshen your filter. Clean or replace dirty furnace filters.
• Give your furnace a physical. Have a professional inspect your heating system.
• Gather round the hearth.  Schedule a visit from a reputable chimney sweep.
• Keep the humidifier humming. Clean the plates or pads to ensure efficient operation.
• Keep your family safe at home. A home safety check should be an annual ritual in every household. Test smoke and CO monitors, inspect (or install) fire extinguishers, review fire escape plans, and rid your home of old newspapers and other fire hazards.

Get your mind in the gutters. Your roof's drainage system diverts thousands of gallons of water from your house's exterior and foundation walls each year. Clogged gutters can lead to damaged exterior surfaces and to water in your basement. They are also more prone to rust and corrosion. By Thanksgiving most all of the Charlotte-area leaves will have fallen, so this is the perfect time to get a quote to have your gutters cleaned and possibly install gutter guards to keep debris from returning.

Button up your overcoat. A home with air leaks around windows and doors is like a coat left unbuttoned. Gaps in caulk and weather-stripping can account for a 10% of your heating bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Here's how: Weather-stripping is easily the most cost-effective way to rein in heating and cooling costs. This humble material also reduces drafts and keeps your home more comfortable year-round. But weather stripping does deteriate over time, so check it by closing a door or window on a strip of paper; if the paper slides easily, your weatherstripping isn't doing its job. Or, close the door or window and hold a lighted candle near the frame. If the flame flickers at any spot along the frame, you have an air lea

While you're at it, also check for missing or damaged caulk around windows, doors, and entry points for electrical, cable, phone, gas, and so. Seal any gaps with a suitable caulk.

Get on top of roof problems. Few homeowner problems are more vexing than a leaky roof. Once the dripping starts, finding the source of the problem can be time-consuming. Stop problems now before ice and winter winds turn these minor annoyances into disasters.

Here's how: Inspect your roof from top to bottom, using binoculars if necessary. Check ridge shingles for cracks and wind damage. Look for damage to metal flashing in valleys and around vents and chimneys. Scan the entire roof for missing, curled, or damaged shingles. Look in your gutters for large accumulations of granules, a sign that your roof is losing its coating; expect problems soon. 

Walk the walks. Damaged walkways, driveways, and steps are a hazard year round, but their dangers are compounded when the weather turns icy. 

Here's how: Look for cracks more than 1/8-inch wide, uneven sections, and loose railings on steps. Check for disintegration of asphalt, or washed-out materials on loose-fill paths.

Most small jobs are well within the ability of a do-it-yourselver, but save major repairs for experienced hands.

Chill out. With winter forecasted to be just like 2013, take steps now to ensure that outside faucets and in-ground irrigation systems don't freeze and burst.

Here's how: Close any shut-off valves serving outside faucets, then open the outside faucet to drain the line. You may benefit from styrofoam faucet covers sold at home centers.

To freeze-proof an inground irrigation system, follow the manufacturer's procedure for draining it and protecting it from winter damage.

Freshen your filter. Furnace filters trap dust that would otherwise be deposited on your furniture, woodwork, and so on. Clogged filters make it harder to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, and can seriously increase your utility bills. A simple monthly cleaning is all it takes to keep these filters breathing free and clear.

Here's how: Disposable filters can be vaccumed once before replacement. Foam filters can also be vaccumed, but they don't need to be replaced unless they are damaged. Use a soft brush on a vacuum cleaner. If the filter is metal or electrostatic, remove and wash it with a firm water spray.

Give your furnace a physical. Once a year, it's a good idea to have your heating system inspected by a professional. To avoid the last-minute rush, consider scheduling this task now before the heating season begins.

Here are signs that your furnace needs a tune up:

Noisy belts. Unusual screeches or whines may be a signal that belts connected to the blower motor are worn or damaged.

Poor performance. A heating system that doesn't seem to work as well as it once did could be a sign of various problems. Your heating ducts might be blocked, the burners might be misadjusted, or the blower motor could be on its last legs. One check you should be sure to conduct: Make sure your furnace filter is clean.

Erratic behavior. This could be caused by a faulty thermostat or a misadjusted furnace.

Gather round the hearth. Even if you use your fireplace only occasionally, you should check it annually for damage and hazards.

For most people, the best option is to have your entire chimney system inspected by a chimney sweep. Once you know what to look for, Here's how: 

Perform the inspection by shining a bright flashlight up the flue, looking for any deposits approaching 1/8 inch thick. 

Look for flue blockages. Birds love to nest at the top of an unprotected flue. A chimney cap can prevent this from happening. 

Exercise the damper. The damper is the metal plate that opens and closes the flu just above the firebox. Move it to the open and closed positions to ensure that it is working properly.

Check your chimney for damage. Make certain that the flue cap is in place. Inspect brick chimneys for loose or broken joints. If access is a problem, use binoculars.

Keep the humidifier humming. Bone dry winter air is bad for your health, and can make fine wood more prone to cracking? You and your home will feel more comfortable if you keep your room or central humidifiers in tip-top shape during the winter months.

Here's how: First, inspect the plates or pads, and if necessary, clean them in a strong laundry detergent solution. Rinse and scrape off mineral deposits with a wire brush or steel woo

Last but not least least ...do a top-to-bottom review of your home's safety features. This is also a good time to get the family together for a review of your fire evacuation plan. 

Here's how:

Smoke and CO detectors. Replace the batteries in each smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detector, then vacuum them with a soft brush attachment. 

Fire extinguishers. Every home should have at least one fire extinguisher rated for all fire types (look for an A-B-C rating on the label). At a minimum, keep one near the kitchen; having one per floor isn't a bad idea. Annually, check the indicator on the pressure gauge to make sure the extinguisher is charged. Clean the extinguisher and check it for dents, scratches, and corrosion. Replace if the damage seems severe. Note: Fire extinguishers that are more than six years old should be replaced. Mark the date of purchase on the new unit with a permanent marker.

Fire escape plans. Every bedroom should have two exit paths. Make sure windows aren't blocked by furniture or other items. Ideally, each upper-floor bedroom should have a rope ladder near the window for emergency exits. Review what to do in case of fire, and arrange a safe meeting place for everyone away from the house.

General cleanup. Rid your home of accumulations of old newspapers and leftover hazardous household chemicals. (Check with your state or local Environmental Protection Agency about the proper way to discard dangerous chemicals.) Store flammable materials and poisons in approved, clearly labeled containers. Keep a clear space around heaters, furnaces, and other heat-producing appliances.