Local area trick-or-treat hours

Champaign: 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 29. Urbana: 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Volunteer Illini Projects (VIP): Halloween for Hunger

This event, also called Trick-Or-Canning, is VIP’s Hunger and Homelessness Project held every year for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. Groups of volunteers dress in costumes and collect nonperishable food donations. Anyone interested in participating can meet at the Union Circle Drive at 4:30 p.m. on Oct 31. The event will end at 7:45 p.m. Costumes are encouraged.

Douglass Community Center party

On Saturday, Oct. 30, Douglass Community Center, 512 E. Grove St in Champaign, will be hosting a Halloween party from 1 to 3 p.m. The party is free and open to the public.

Targett Johnson, Champaign Park District intern for the event, said there will be a lot of activities for everyone to enjoy, including a ghost pi¤ata, Halloween hopscotch, arts and crafts and activity tales. There will also be costume contests for the scariest and most creative costumes.

Free candy

On Sunday Oct. 31, American Legion Post 559 will be distributing candy to children from 3 to 6 p.m. at 708 N. Hickory St. in Champaign.

Busey Woods Halloween hike

On Friday, Oct. 29, Busey Woods will be offering a Halloween Night Hike. Stacey Clementz, seasonal naturalist, said the event is a way to teach different ages how to hone their night vision without the use of flashlights, just like the animals.

“It will be a chance to talk about Halloween animals that we’ll see like bats and owls,” Clementz said.

There will also be prizes for best costumes. The event costs $5 and starts at 7 p.m.

Anyone interested should meet at the Anita Purves Nature Center located at 1505 N. Broadway Ave., in Urbana. For further information visit the Web site, www.urbanaparks.org.

Transgender Halloween party

Chi Upsilon Iota (CUI) will be hosting a Transgender Halloween party on Oct. 30 from 6 to 11 p.m. CUI is a chapter of Tri-Ess, a support group for heterosexual cross-dressers, their partners, spouses and families.

The event will take place at the Community United Church of Christ, 805 S. Sixth St. in Champaign. There is no cost to attend, but guests are asked to bring a snack or beverage to share. The event is alcohol-free.

The party is open to the public, but Rae Louise, the facilitator and founder of CUI, asks that people interested in attending notify him in advance.

“We invite cross-dressers, family members, girlfriends, spouses,” Louise said. “You don’t have to come cross-dressed.”

More information is available online at www.cui-triess.org.

Monticello Spook House

The Monticello Spook House will be open tonight through Halloween from 7 to 11 p.m. The haunted house is located at the Monticello Aquatic Center at 601 W. Railroad. Karl Jendry, president of the Monticello Spook House, said it is not appropriate for small children, but suitable for kids age “eight through 88.”

The spook house has been open for more than 20 years. All proceeds go to the Kirby Ambulance Emergency Response Team, an ambulance service. The money raised will be used to buy new equipment.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

On Sunday, Oct. 31, The Canopy Club, 708 S. Goodwin Avenue in Urbana, will be hosting a live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture show. Mike Armintrout, the club’s marketing manager, said the performance will be live with a few splices of the movie intermixed. Doors will open at 9 p.m. and there will be activities such as a drag show and costume contest. Rocky Horror will begin at midnight. Cover is $10.