— First United Methodist Church of Thibodaux’s 15th annual pumpkin patch continues through Monday at the church, 1255 Canal Blvd. The patch is open from noon till dark Sundays and from 10 a.m. till dark Mondays through Saturdays. You can pick through the more than 2,000 pumpkins. You can arrange for a storytime for your school class by calling the church at 447-4287. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to local charities.

— The fifth annual Halloween parade, sponsored by the South Louisiana Center for the Arts, is scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. today in downtown Houma. The parade will begin at Town Hall on Barrow Street and travel down Barrow, take a left on Main Street and end at Courthouse Square. The parade will feature a variety of performers and community agencies. For information, call 876-2222 or visit www.solacenter.org.

— The outdoor free concert series, Downtown Live After 5, is scheduled to conclude its 2011 season with a performance by the local band Errol the Blues Boys from 7 to 10 p.m. today in Courthouse Square in downtown Houma. The event, sponsored by the Houma Downtown Development Corp., is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. For information, call Anne Picou at 873-6408 or visit www.houmamainstreet.org.

— The annual French Food Festival is scheduled for today through Sunday at the Larose Civic Center, 307 E. 5th St. Admission is free. The annual festival features more than 20 specialty dishes from the local area, dancing and music, along with folklife demonstrations. The bands set to perform include Gary T., Brandon Foret, Waylon Thibodeaux, Junior Lacrose, Crush, Southern Cross, Don Rich and the Hurricane Levee Band. For information, call 693-7355 or visit www.bayoucivicclub.org.

— A haunted house is open from 8 p.m. till today at 1010 Church St., Lockport. It will feature about 15 different themed rooms through a maze of halls.

— A free Halloween dance for adults is scheduled from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Grand Caillou Recreation Center, 106 Badou Drive, Dulac. Members of the Knights of Columbus are selling plate lunches from 6 p.m. till. You can dress up in costume. The local band Treaters will perform with Charles Mann.

— The darkest and scariest haunted house attraction in the bayou region, The House of Screams,” is professionally designed and ran by Demented Designs and Fabrications. Located in St. James High School’s old gym, this spook show is more than 6,000 square feet. Every room is full of special effects, animatronics, and live ghastly creatures! This is the third year that Demented Designs has donated its props and techniques to help raise money for the softball team at St. James High School. The House of Screams is open at 9:30 p.m. today and 7 p.m. Saturday at the school, 5181 Wildcat St., St. James. Admission costs $7 and all proceeds goes toward the school’s softball team. Concessions will be sold.

— The Evergreen Junior High School’s Beta Club’s second annual haunted house is open from 7 to 10 p.m. today and Saturday, and from 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday at the school, 5000 W. Main St., Houma. Admission costs $3.

— The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Carlos Miguel Prieto is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. today in Nicholls State University’s Talbot Theater on the Thibodaux campus. The event is sponsored by the Nicholls Foundation and the Nicholls Department of Music. Tickets cost $20 and may be purchased at lpomusic.com/nicholls. Student tickets are redeemable at no cost, provided the purchaser enters a promotional code, available in Room 240 of Talbot Hall on the Nicholls campus. A public lecture and question-and-answer session with Prieto, Zwilich and Biegel will precede the concert at 6:15 p.m. in Room 215 of Talbot Hall. For information, visit www.nicholls.edu/perform.

— The 13th Annual Bayou Region Race for the Cure is scheduled for Saturday at John L. Guidry Stadium on the Nicholls State University campus in Thibodaux. The event offers a variety of activities aimed at raising money for local health and breast-cancer awareness initiatives. This event is not only attracting race teams, but also cooking teams as groups gather for a fun day of Cajun competition. Teams can arrive as early as 5:30 a.m. on race day to begin cooking and must be ready for judging by 9 a.m. There is no entry fee for the competition, but chili entries must feed 100 people and jambalaya entries must feed 200. All proceeds from sales of the dishes will be donated to the Bayou Region Komen for the Cure to help fund local projects and research aimed at fighting breast cancer. For information on the cook-off, contact Kim Webre at 493-2603 or email kim.webre@nicholls.edu. Race participants can register online at www.komenbayouregion.org/race.

— A women’s conference is scheduled from 8 a.m. till Saturday at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1117 President St., Thibodaux. The Women’s Auxiliary of the Fifth District is sponsoring the event. Registration costs $10 and a meal will be served following the session.

— Grace Lutheran Fall Fest is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday on the church grounds, 422 Valhi Blvd., Houma. The money raised from the event is given to local charities. The event features a variety of food, games, children’s activities, silent auction, country store, pony rides, bounce houses, raffle, bingo and live Christian music. The event is an alcohol-free event. For information, call Donna Boger at 879-1865 or Jerrie Fitzgerald at 879-1913.

— St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church’s pumpkin patch will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the church, 3897 Bayou Black Drive, Houma.

— Juniors For Christ sixth- through eighth-grade members will decorate pumpkins during the group’s meeting scheduled from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church’s parish hall, 529 La. 20, Chackbay. Bring your own pumpkin. Painting supplies and a light snack will be provided.

— A Cajun fais do-do sponsored by Adore Ministries is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Bayou Black Recreation Center, 3688 Southdown Mandalay Road, Houma. The event features face and pumpkin painting, live music, bounce houses, raffles and more. The Cajun band LA Rose is set to perform. Food will be sold. The event benefits Adore Ministries. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $5 for children. For information, call 876-4132 or www.adoreministries.com.

— The second annual Haunted House for Halloween 2011 is being constructed in Choctaw. All proceeds are donated toward the American Cancer Society. All props and ideas are fully hand constructed. While it isn’t a large commercalized haunted house, organizers said it definitely serves its purpose and sends people, both adults and children running out screaming! Admission costs $2 per child and $3 per adult. The Haunted House is open from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at 2632 Choctaw Road in Choctaw.

— The Lafourche Parish NAACP chapter’s third-annual Freedom Fund Banquet is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Moses Baptist Church Community Center, 1310 Cardinal Drive, Thibodaux. The chapter will award five $1,000 scholarships to college-bound students from the area. The banquet attracts up to 300 people. The event’s guest speaker is Jim Letten, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. A portion of the money raised at the banquet will go to the group’s scholarship fund. Individual tickets to the banquet cost $30. Companies may make a donation to the NAACP. Platinum-level donations are $1,000. gold-level donations are $500, and silver-level donations are $400 and bronze donations are $300, however, any amount will be accepted. For information on the NAACP, the event or to make a donation, call 713-4250 or 713-4973.

— The Schriever Lions Club’s annual fall festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Peltier Park in Thibodaux. The event will feature arts-and-craft booths. Vendors can rent booth space for $30. For a vendor application, call Dean Navarre at 447-6962.

— A dance is scheduled from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday at St. Gertrude Catholic Church, 17292 La. 631, Des Allemands. The music will be provided by Gary T. The cost is $15 per couple.

— Blessing of the Graves is scheduled for after the 10 a.m. Mass Sunday for Cemetery No. 1; 11:45 a.m. for Cemetery No. 2 in Dulac; and 12:15 p.m. for Prevost Cemetery.

— Mass for the Bereaved: Mass for the Bereaved is scheduled at the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday at Holy Family Catholic Church. A letter will be sent to families from Holy Family Catholic Church who lost a beloved one from November 2010 to October 2011, to invite them to this special Mass.

— Blessing of the Cemetery is scheduled after the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday at St. Louis Catholic Church.

— Blessing of the graves at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church is scheduled after the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday.

— A mission day program is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 263 Grand Caillou Road, Houma. Jerome Singleton is the event’s guest speaker.

— The second annual Community Spookfest sponsored by civic clubs Phenomenal Women and Elite Divaz Social Club is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Circle of Hope, 1226 President St., Thibodaux. The purpose of the event is to provide a safe, fun-filled environment for the children of the community. Each organization is asked to hold a game, bring a cake for the cakewalk and bring candy. Donations of hot dogs, buns, chilli, chips, juice, water and sodas are accepted,. For information, call Amber at 225-650-6568, Melissa at 991-3783 or Shonda at 413-2790.

— Kasasa Rocks Nicholls, a free, family-friendly campus festival and concert featuring the Gin Blossoms, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sunday on the Thibodaux campus. The Coastal Commerce Bank and Nicholls State University-sponsored event features a Halloween costume contest for students 15 and up, with $1,000 in cash prizes available. The event will also include a Halloween-themed festival with games and food from local vendors. All proceeds will benefit the Nicholls State University Foundation. For information, visit coastalcommerce.com/personal/checking.

— The Krewe of Cleopatra’s annual Halloween trick-or-treating is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday in the Courthouse Square in downtown Houma. Courthouse Square will be decorated with carved or painted pumpkins. The public is welcome to display their pumpkins, too. The event is free and open to the public. Members of the Carnival krewe will hand out candy and treats while dressed in costume. For information, call Mona Guillory at 851-5172 or e-mail bayoumojo@yahoo.com.

— A costume contest is set for all day Monday at the Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library, 314 St. Mary St., Thibodaux. Children can trick or treat in costume from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

— Children can create their own pumpkin patch picture at storytime set for 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Bayou Blue Branch Library.

— A Halloween Monster Bash featuring cake and other goodies in a spirited atmosphere is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Raceland Branch Library, 177 Recreation Drive.

— Monster Bash, a Halloween event for children of all ages, is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Raceland Branch Library. The event features fun and games.

— A Halloween party and trick-of-treating from 2 p.m. till Monday at the Broadway Elder Living and Rehabilitation, 7534 La. 1, Lockport.

— You can trick or treat event is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday at the Evergreen Cajun Center, 4694 W. Main St., Houma. The event is free and open to the public and features food, drinks and candy.

— David and Tiffany Parfait’s fifth-annual haunted house is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at their home, 1401 Levee Drive, Southdown West subdivision in Houma. Each room has a theme from clowns to demons to Freddie and Michael Myers.

— Breakthrough Believers Church’s annual Hallelujah Harvest Fest is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the church, 846 La. 182, Houma. The event features games, prizes, candy and food. For information, call 223-0770.