Riverside High School students are looking to provide the community with Halloween-themed fun at Boo Fest on Oct. 19. Visitors to this year’s Boo Fest will find games, concessions, raffle baskets and face painting as in previous years, according to Riverside National Honor Society staff coordinator Ben Chiappone. Organizers also plan to offer trick-or-treat candy for younger visitors. In a change from previous years, organizers plan to run two haunted house displays instead of one. “We split them up just so we could do a little bit more with the big kids’ haunted house, and then have a little kids’ haunted house so it’s not as scary for younger kids,” said NHS member Grace Schneider. Schneider said that NHS members will run the “big kids’ haunted house.” The actors will include members of the school’s theater department. Chiappone said that the house is intended “to appeal to those horror lovers out there, so some of our older students who may not be interested in getting their face painted or bobbing for an apple. “Good for people who want a fright,” he added. The 2024 Boo Fest marks the third straight year that Riverside’s NHS students have planned a Halloween-themed community event, which debuted as Spook Fest in 2022. This year’s event will be run by NHS members with support from National Junior Honor Society members and the theater department actors. “It’s really just about the community and getting families to Riverside and being able to just all be like one community and just celebrate the holiday,” said NHS member Agata Soltys. “It’s also good for some of the younger kids in our community just to see what it’s like once you get to the high school and get involved and you can put on these cool events, and high school’s not just all about studying and doing your homework, there’s opportunities for fun and involvement,” Chiappone said. Boo Fest runs from 4-7 p.m. at the Riverside Campus, 585 Riverside Drive, Painesville Township. The district said that admission is $3 per person and must be paid in cash. The admission will go toward NHS scholarships and the Lake County Council on Aging, added Riverside NHS staff coordinator Elizabeth Goodge. Chiappone said that the event is intended for “the Riverside community in general.” “Young kids, old kids, parents, anybody who wants to come. It’s just going to be a fun time, get out of the house, come see our school,” he said.