Halloween

Halloween doesn't scare Melanie Brzozowski into a fit of random decorating. She treats the holiday with the approach she takes to other seasonal events. Two weeks ago, Brzozowski switched out the blue seascape decor from the warmer summer months in favor of a little black magic perfect for October's spooky vibe. "It's not so much about the gore. It's embracing a great holiday," said Brzozowski, the event design consultant for Chef's Expressions. "I am like a mad scientist with my Halloween entertaining: I add a cup of funky, a spoonful of elegance and a pinch of sparkle — always have to have sparkle — to get the proper balance with my decor, events and menus.

No tricks involved! You're in for a Halloween treat if you hop aboard a Huber's Haunted Hayride! This long time fall tradition at the Huber's Farm (at the corner of Raphael and Philadelphia roads) is a very popular Halloween activity. The 30-minute farm hayride may cause you to go bump in the night and jump from your seat as you pass ghosts, goblins and more. Remaining dates for October are Oct. 19, 20, 26, 27, 28 from 7:30-10:30 p.m. The line begins forming at 6:30 p.m. You might have to wait to board the hay wagon.

See that above? On the right, you have the present-day girls' Big Bird costume. On the left? That's me in the 1982 version of the girls' Big Bird costume. Wait, my bad. Back then, it was just a Big Bird costume, no gender roles necessary. I mean, I know this has been going for ages, and that Halloween has turned into a way for people (grownups, one hopes) to let out their sexpot side for a day. (Check out this illustration of how costumes evolve from unicorn to sexy unicorn, nurse to sexy nurse, bee to sexy bee.)

Salisbury Autumn Wine Festival Bring your blankets and lawn chairs to the Maryland Autumn Wine Festival at historic Pemberton Park. Sample numerous Maryland wines while enjoying live entertainment and food from local vendors. You'll also get a 6-ounce souvenir wine glass, and a tour of the Pemberton Plantation. The festival runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, and 12:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21 . Tickets can be purchased online and are $20 for one day and $35 for both days.

Showing her knack for timing, director Christy Stanlake has announced the U.S. Naval Academy Masqueraders will bookend Halloween with weekend performances of "Titus Andronicus" — "Shakespeare's first and bloodiest play" is the way she describes it — Oct. 26-27 and Nov. 2-4 at Mahan Theatre on campus. In her 11th year as Masqueraders director, Stanlake, who is also an associate professor, is known for her insightful and courageous choices of plays. When she came aboard in fall 2002, Stanlake immediately displayed vision by focusing on the role of female military leadership in George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan.

The fall season is rolling along with activities in Aberdeen! At the Aberdeen Senior Activity Center, today Friday) there will be a Quilting Workshop from 9 a.m. until noon. The men will have their usual Men's Discussion Group from 10 to 11 a.m. On Monday, Oct. 8 there will be the Basic Computer Workshop. It is requested that you inquire at the front desk for more information. This is held every Monday. On Tuesday, Oct. 9 the morning will get off to an early start with the Basket Weaving Studio at 8:30 a.m. Basket Weaving is every Tuesday.

Halloween has become a holiday for the masses, retailers are happy to say, with more Americans than ever planning this year to decorate homes, dress up, attend or throw a party or take kids trick or treating. A consumer spending survey done for the National Retail Federation shows a record 170 million people, seven in 10 Americans, plan to celebrate in some way. The average consumer will spend nearly $80 on decorations, costumes and candy, bumping up total Halloween spending this year to $8 billion, the trade group's survey shows.

A recent intelligence leak confirms something that regular readers of this column already know: that the Obama administration has officially authorized covert support of local "rebel" groups, through government agencies like the CIA, with the goal of destabilizing and subverting the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. The interesting consequence is that al-Qaida is likely among the groups President Obama's directive now supports. Just think about this for a minute. The president of the United States, according to an intelligence leak initially reported by Reuters, has secretly authorized support of an undisclosed nature for armed fighters in a region, including members of the group now synonymous with terrorism against American and Western interests in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

The choice was not between Batman and Superman. It wasn't even between the Caped Crusader and an X-person. No, it wasn't a superhero-superhero fight. Bruce Wayne's alterego just barely beat out a daytime TV talkshow host. It was either Batman undies or Ellen Degeneres-themed briefs, said Mark Harvey, the truck driver who ran out onto the field during the Orioles' opening home game. The 26-year-old Severn man originally planned to wear "ellen" undershorts for the diamond dash, Harvey said Thursday afternoon.

Michael Ian Black facetiously named his stand-up special "Very Famous" — but it's true, depending on whom you ask. Black, the snarky comedian best known for his pop-culture takedowns on VH1, is a cult-hero for his work on MTV's '90s sketch-comedy show "The State," playing McKinley in "Wet Hot American Summer" and as a strange bowling alley manager on the NBC show "Ed. " He's currently headlining his "Black is White" comedy tour (which stops...