This year, for the first time, the historic town of Shepherdstown will celebrate Halloween with a week-long “Boo!Fest.”

The Boo!Fest will begin with a “Vampire Ball” at the Community Club the evening of Friday, Oct. 25, and conclude with the town’s traditional trick-or-treating on German Street on Halloween night, Oct. 31. In between, there will be a wide variety of activities that everybody can enjoy, with a special emphasis on activities for children and families.

Most activities will be free and everyone will be welcome.

The Oct. 26-27 weekend, in particular, will be full of things to see and do, including the following:

Sessions devoted to pumpkin-painting and the making of monster masks. Free showings of favorite Halloween videos; a “Get your Zombie ON!” Street Dance; a special Vaudeville Show at the Opera House; a Halloween costume contest and fashion show; a Haunted House at the community center; town ghost tours; story-telling sessions; a Creepy Cocktail Crawl, featuring special adult beverages at local restaurants; and Halloween-themed menus at local restaurants.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights before Halloween, there will be performances and readings of classic horror stories at local restaurants followed by showings of classic horror movies at the Opera House.

On Halloween night, in addition to the traditional trick-or-treating, there will be a ShepTREAT at Shepherd University, with Halloween games and events, and a Haunted House at the Community Center.

The Boo!Fest is being sponsored by the Shepherdstown Visitors Center, the Shepherdstown Business Association, the Station at Shepherdstown, and the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As the event draws closer, the Visitors Center will post a detailed schedule of activities on its website at www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com.

For more information, contact the Center’s Director, Jan Hafer, at 304-876-2786 or info@shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com.