Fort Fright

SAT 10/25

It may not have monsters, satanic incantations or a three-story slide for an exit, but the Frontier Fright Night at Fort Osage in Sibley, Missouri (14 miles northeast of Independence), should be just as much spooky fun as any haunted house in the West Bottoms.The reconstructed frontier garrison overlooking the Missouri River uses living history to transport visitors back to the pioneering days of the early nineteenth century. This Saturday night, though, the living history will be used to scare the pants off 21st-century city slickers. From 7 p.m. until about 8:30, visitors can tour the grounds by candlelight as the appropriately attired Fort Osage volunteers and workers create an eerie atmosphere with campfires, jack-o’-lanterns and historically inspired tales.

Gordon Julich of the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department says the Fright Night capitalizes on historical precedents to entertain guests and, he hopes, stimulate interest in the living-history stronghold. Interesting and scary? “It’s a family event,” Julich says. “So it will be spooky, but it’s not a gore bath.”

Good walking shoes and warm clothes are recommended. The event costs $7.50 a person, but the complimentary spiced apple cider should take the edge off the price. For directions and information, call 816-795-8200.— Michael Vennard

Dinner Run

The KC Track Club feasts at the finish.

ONGOING

For more than twenty years, the Kansas City Track Club has used food to lure runners to its Wednesday Night Run. “It might be chicken breasts or soup or a Mexican dish — it really varies,” says Maggie McCoy, a regular whom other club members have dubbed “Queen of the Wednesday Night Run.”Each Wednesday, runners (and even slow joggers and walkers) meet at someone’s home at 6 p.m., change into their running clothes, receive maps and set off on a 3- to 10-mile trek. Afterward, there’s a huge dinner. The host supplies the main dish, and guests bring a side dish, salad, dessert or drink. “They can bring whatever they want,” McCoy says. “It’s really a lot of fun.” To get the weekly location, see kctrack.org or call 816-333-7223.— Allie Johnson