Think ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night. Add jack-o-lanterns, hay rides, costume contests, bounce houses, games and, of course, lots and lots of candy and you have the makings of a weekend of Halloween fun.

Here’s a sampling of activities and events to help you celebrate the festival of fright – if you dare.

•••

Wednesday, Oct. 26

Diamond Ridge Health and Rehabilitation Center annual Trunk-or-Treat, 2730 W. Marc Knighton Court, Beverly Hills, beginning at 5 p.m., come out and trick-or-treat at the various decorated trunks and have your face painted.

Friday, Oct. 28

YMCA Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat from 5 to 8 p.m. the Citrus YMCA will host the seventh annual Fall Festival and Truck-or-Treat at the YMCA, 4127 West Norvell Bryant Highway, Lecanto. Enjoy games, bounce houses, food trucks and a costume contest to go with the trunks. Tickets are $5 per family and can be purchased at the Citrus YMC. Those interested in providing a trunk, contact Wayne Williams at gwilliams@suncoastymca.org for more information.

Boo Boo Bash Halloween event at the hospital. HCA Florida Citrus Hospital is presenting its second annual Boo Boo Bash event, a free and safe fun for families in Citrus County. The trunk-or-treat style event is from 5 to 8 p.m. in the hospital’s main parking lot located at 502 W. Highland Blvd., Inverness.

In addition to decorated trunks for trick-or-treating, attendees will enjoy fun treats and giveaways, DJ, coloring station and other activities, including a children’s costume contest.

Citrus County Fire Rescue and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office will also be on-hand with emergency vehicles for children to explore.

Nature Coast Church Trunk or Treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. enjoy a night filled with hayrides, music, food and fun – and Trunk-or-Treating. The church is at 5113 S. Suncoast Blvd. Homosassa.

Calvary Church Harvest Night is back! Don’t miss this great night of fun for the entire family, including inflatables, carnival games, food, candy, prizes, an interactive hayride, and so much more. Best of all, admission is free. Food and snacks will be sold at a low cost. The event is from 6 to 10 p.m. at 2728 E. Harley St., Inverness.

Halloween Drive-Through in Homosassa by Family and Friends Reaching for Abilities (FFRA) presents its annual Halloween Drive-Through on Oct. 28 and 29. Gates open at 7 p.m. and the event is open until 10 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate, all cars $20 per vehicle. Log this address in the GPS: 6065 Sydney Terrace, Homosassa (off Cardinal Lane by Walmart), or find it located east of Howard’s Flea Market: Drive east on West Cardinal Street, turn left on South Lewdingar Drive, and follow the signs.

There are three prizes, $500, $300, and $200 to be awarded at their clubhouse, 1065 N. Paul Drive, Inverness, during a party afterwards

For more information and to volunteer for setup and security, call Maryellen Richmond at 352-422-1079, Robert DeSimone at 352-628-5606 or email iam4mentoring@aol.com.

Saturday, Oct. 29

American Legion Post 155 Halloween Trunk-or-Treat from 9 a.m. to noon, American Legion Post 155 invites the public to a Trunk-or-Treat event at the post, located at 6585 W. Gulf-to-Lake Hwy., Crystal River.

Open to the public. Bring the family.

First Presbyterian Church of Inverness Trunk-or-Treat will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at 206 Washington Ave., Inverness, across from Lake Henderson.

Old Homosassa Learning Center Halloween party at the Old Homosassa Learning Center from 5-7 p.m. at the Homosassa Civic Club, 5530 S. Mason Creek Road, Homosassa.

The free event features Trunk-or-Treating, a haunted house, craft stations, DJ, costume contest, and hot dogs.

LightUpCitrus has a free Halloween light show all month long nightly and a free Trunk-or-Treat night from 7 to 9 p.m. featuring special guests The Batman Of Spring Hill, Pirates with Shiver Me Pictures, Spring Hill’s “Michael Myers” and The Witch on Rose Ave available to pose for free photos with families, plus more than 20 volunteer Trunk-or-Treat vehicles to visit.

LightUpCitrus is at 745 N. Heathrow Drive, Lecanto.

The Nightmare on Pine Bluff Street is back.

The 21st annual super scream of “The Nightmare on Pine Bluff Street” will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 7-10:30 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 31, from 7-9:30 p.m. at 8154 W. Pine Bluff St., Crystal River.

The haunted maze and graveyard are back after skipping last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Come out for a fun scare and good time. Bagged candy for the kids.

Money or non-perishable goods donations accepted for Citrus United Basket.

Sunday, Oct. 30

Pumpkin Patch, Trunk-or-Treat at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hernando is having a Pumpkin Patch this year benefitting the S.O.S. Food Pantry.

Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are available for sale each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Sunday, Oct. 30, the church will host a Trunk-or-Treat for the community from 3-6 p.m. All are invited to come by.

The church is at 439 E. Norvell Bryant Hwy., Hernando.

VFW Post 7122 offers Trunk-Or-Treat. Parents bring your children to VFW Post 7122 for Trunk-Or-Treat from 3 to 5 p.m.

In its second year, this is a time for the community to enjoy a safe Trunk-or-Treating event in the post’s secure parking lot with the veterans and their families.

The post is at 8191 S. Florida Ave. Floral City, FL 34436.

Gulf to Lake Church Trunk-or-Treat. Bring the kids from 3-5 p.m. for a fun time of Trunk-or-Treating. The church is at 1454 N. Gulf Ave., Crystal River.

Monday, Oct. 31

Downtown Inverness Cooterween event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Downtown Inverness Business Partnership, city of Inverness and Florida Government is hosting a family-friendly Halloween event featuring: business-to-business trick-or-treating, costume contests, Witches and Warlocks Walk with Pine Street Pub and Twysted Vyne, Fit Full Force annual Haunted House, face painting and balloon artist at Ice Ice Baby Cafe, plus music with DJ Trae.

For more information, go online at www.inverness.gov.

Inverness UMC hosting Trunk-or-Treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Inverness United Methodist Church is hosting Trunk-or-Treat on the church grounds at 1140 Turner Camp Road, Inverness. Come one come all, costumes welcome. Families are welcome.

The Witch on Rose Avenue Halloween village – and more. Come by for candy, chills, thrills and a spooktacular time!

Witching hours are between 6-10 p.m. at 3219 S Rose Ave, Inverness. Take U.S. 41 S to Eden Drive/Moccasin Slough Road to South Rose Avenue.

Haunting on Pine Haunted House. They said our town was safe. They said emergency responders would be here soon. They never came, they were wrong... No one is safe! Escape the zombies or you could become their next meal!

Visit the Fit Full Force Fitness Studio Haunted House from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at 118 N. Pine Ave. Inverness. Admission is free.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Parent’s discretion is advised.

For information, call: 352-639-4348 or email fitfull force@gmail.com

St. Margaret Episcopal Church Trunk-or-Treat. Located near downtown Inverness, stop by for Trunk-or-Treating beginning at 6 p.m. The church is at 114 N Osceola Ave, Inverness.

Nancy Kennedy can be reached at 352-564-2927 or by email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.

In other Tampa Bay-area business news: Largo pizzeria a front for drug house, new owners for Homosassa golf clubs, Big Olaf shops rebrand.

TAMPA BAY, FL — Here's the latest restaurant, retail and other business news from the Tampa Bay region.

2 Big Olaf Locations Leave Franchise, Rebrand With New Ice Cream

Following a deadly listeria outbreak linked to Sarasota's Big Olaf Creamery, two locations have cut ties with the company and rebranded with new ice cream.

Canadian Biopharmaceutical Company Moves To Downtown St. Pete: EDC

Cybin, a publicly traded company based in Toronto, focuses on psychedelic-based treatments for depression, alcohol use and anxiety.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

South Tampa Couple Purchase Homosassa Golf, Tennis Clubs

Links Golf in Tampa has acquired Sugarmill Woods Country Club, Southern Woods Golf Club and Oak Village Bath and Tennis Club, all in Homosassa, from the Cabot Group of Canada.

Largo Pizzeria A Front For Drug House, Says Pinellas Sheriff

Some customers at Brickhouse Pizza in Largo may have been getting a lot more than pepperoni with their pizza. The owner of the pizzeria has been accused of operating a drug house out of the restaurant, according to a news release from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Run-Down Ruskin Motel Transformed Into Affordable Apartments

Catholic Charities used Hillsborough County funding to rehab and transform a dilapidated roadside motel into nontraditional housing.

Kissin' Cuzzins: St. Pete Eatery That Opened In 1961 Hits The Market

An iconic St. Petersburg restaurant dating back to the 1960s has hit the market. The owners of Kissin' Cuzzins are asking $2.49 million for both the business and its property at 951 34th Street N.

Other Tampa Bay-area business news:

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All three sections of the U.S. 19 widening and resurfacing projects from Homosassa to Crystal River are still scheduled to finish in 2023.

The Chronicle asked the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for details about what’s been done recently and what’s coming up. Here’s what it said:

U.S. 19 resurfacing, trail, and sidewalk project from the Hernando County line to West Green Acres Street

This project will repave U.S. 19/U.S. 98 (Suncoast Blvd.) between the Hernando County line and West Green Acres Street in Citrus County – about 6.8 miles. A northbound right turn lane will be added at Cardinal Street and left turn lanes will be constructed at various median openings within the project limits.

A new 10-foot wide multi-use trail is being built on the east side of U.S. 19 and a 5-foot wide sidewalk is being constructed on the west side of the highway.

The $20.1-million project started in January 2021 and is expected to finish in spring 2023.

Watson Civil, the contractor, has completed about 95 percent of the storm drainage and roughly 85 percent of concrete sidewalk has been installed along the west side of the corridor.

Over the last few months, the contractor has been handling sinkhole/void repairs in several areas. Including grouting five holes.

Over the next few months, “we anticipate seeing an increase in production largely due to the asphalt milling and resurfacing scheduled to start in mid-November,” FDOT spokeswoman Kris Carson said.

Carson said FDOT is “anticipating having the shared-use path along the east side of the corridor completed in early 2023.”

Change orders since replacement contractors began work include three work orders: Uninterruptible Power Supply Controllers, $15,817.62; Additional Clearing and Grubbing, $18,150. additional maintenance of traffic signs, $810.

Eight work orders are in process for depression/sinkhole repairs. No confirmed amounts yet.

For more details, visit https://tinyurl.com/yfdn5zmm.

U.S. 19 Widening from West Green Acres Street to South Jump Court

U.S. 19 is being widened 2.1 miles along that stretch. It’s expanding from four lanes to a six and will have bike lanes, paved shoulders and a sidewalk.

The $32.7-million project started in November 2016 and is expected to finish in spring 2023.

Over the last three months, crews worked on the various ponds along that stretch.

Coming up, a clay liner will be installed at pond 4; continued day and night lane closures for asphalt and drainage pipe repairs.

No change orders since contractor began work.

For more details, visit https://tinyurl.com/3wuccs7f.

Jump Court to Fort Island Trail

That stretch is being widened 4.7 miles from four lanes to six lanes. A shared-use path, sidewalks, and stormwater ponds will be built with the road widening.

The $51.9-million project started in November 2018 and expected to finish in late 2023

U.S. 19 widening from South Jump Court to West Fort Island Trail.

Projected completion: Late 2023.

Work activities the past three months include earthwork, storm drainage construction, installation of concrete curb & gutter and concrete driveways, signalization, paving, and sodding.

The above work will continue for the next three months. Northbound traffic will shift from the new roadway from West Dixieland Street to West Fort Island Trail. Day and night lane closures will continue.

Four change orders since the replacement contractor began work, all totaling $206,802.61 for void repairs.

For more details, visit https://tinyurl.com/ 4mzxnh7p.

Michael D. Bates is a staff writer with the Citrus County Chronicle and can be reached at mbates@chronicleonline.com.

A few months ago, the news rocked the region that a Chinese-based firm had purchased 1,400 acres in Levy County for an intended primate quarantine and breeding center. There were immediate, and highly negative, reactions from citizens in both Citrus and Levy counties and statewide, extending to Tallahassee. The event even made national news. As it turns out, however, those uses are not allowed in the parcel’s zoning district.

This is just a nearby example of something that worries Gov. Ron DeSantis and incoming Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson (who has been Citrus County’s state senator and president of the Senate). Simpson has proposed legislation to be called “Florida’s Strategic Land Plan.” It would restrict the purchase, acquisition, lease, or holding of controlling interest in Florida agricultural land by “nonresident aliens, foreign businesses and corporations, or foreign governments.”

In a recent press conference, Simpson tied his concerns to food, water and national security. He worries that foreign governments could buy agricultural land and erase the need to buy from our farmers, or even use it to inflate our food costs. “They could buy prime farmland and just shut it down,” he said. “If you don’t have the ability to grow your own food, you don’t have the ability to control your own fate.”

Simpson said China’s buying spree in Florida leaves “our food supply chain, our water quality and our national security interests vulnerable to the Chinese Communist Party. Restricting foreign control of Florida’s agricultural land and key strategic military land will protect our state, provide long-term stability and preserve economic freedom.”

China is not the only international owner. In 2020, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report noted that 6 percent of agricultural land in Florida was held by foreign interests. Now some 1.3 million acres of Florida ag land are under foreign ownership. Florida accounts for 24 percent of all international real estate purchases in the U.S.

Gov. DeSantis signed an executive order in September banning government entities from obtaining technology products and services from companies associated with “foreign countries of concern.” That list includes China. He also proposed legislation that would prevent companies from those countries from purchasing land near U.S. military bases, as happened in South Dakota. DeSantis has, according to his office, been “consistently opposed to the Chinese Communist Party’s growing influence in Florida.”

Simpson and DeSantis are taking steps now to ensure that Florida’s food and water resources are not “taken hostage” by foreign powers. We applaud their actions.

Have you filed for Homestead Exemption yet?? If not, act fast! The deadline to apply for the homestead exemption is March 1. You can file on our website at citruspa.org or come into either of our two offices in Inverness or Crystal River. Our customer service team is available to assist you with any questions you may have.

So, what is homestead exemption?

In the State of Florida, a $25,000 exemption is applied to the first $50,000 of your property’s assessed value if your property is your permanent residence and you owned the property on Jan. 1 of the tax year. This exemption applies to all taxes, including school district taxes. An additional exemption of up to $25,000 will be applied if your property’s assessed value is between at least $50,000 and $75,000. This exemption is not applied to school district taxes. The homestead exemption includes an additional benefit called the “Save our Homes Cap”. This benefit will limit the annual increase of the assessed value to 3 percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less. Over time this “Save Our Homes” cap may result in quite the difference in your Market Value vs. Assessed Value.

One thing to remember is, when a property is sold the homestead exemption is removed, the assessed value increases to the just/market value for the new year. This scenario is something we hear about frequently from homebuyers. That they weren’t aware that the tax amount would increase so dramatically, or they didn’t know they had to file for their own homestead exemption. Now, if you choose to not homestead your property, keep in mind that you will not benefit from that 3 percent limitation. Instead, all non-homesteaded properties annual assessment can increase up to 10 percent each year.

Over the last year we have made it a priority to showcase the homestead exemption as much as possible. We have even met with multiple realtors offices, holding a property appraiser informational training session for them. Our hope is that we could give the agents as much information as possible in order for them to better assist their buyers and sellers with explaining homestead or the tax amount change.

In addition to meeting with real estate agents, we post multiple social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. If you don’t follow our Citrus County Property Appraiser Office social media pages, we encourage you to do so. This month we are dedicating one week of social media posts regarding our Customer Service department and different information topics each day about that department.

We also have multiple online brochures on our website that all realtors or title companies can print off and provide to the public free of charge. We now offer an e-newsletter that each month talks about homestead exemption, as well as many other informative topics that relate to our office. In February and June each year, our office mails out “new homeowner cards” to every residential parcel that has new ownership to remind them to file for their homestead exemption. Those are just a handful of ways we try to reach the public and let all homeowners know to file for the homestead exemption.

What do I need to file for a homestead?

For starters you must have legal or beneficial title, and be residing in the home as of Jan. 1, 2023. When filing for the homestead exemption, you will need the following documents for all property owners applying. Florida Driver’s License/Florida ID Card, Florida Vehicle Registration (if you drive), & Florida Voter Registration (if you vote). Documents should reflect the address of your homesteaded property. In addition, your Social Security card/number, immigration documents if not a U.S. citizen, are the basics that will be required.

If you are married and your spouse is not an owner on the property, we will still require their information as well. Now, if your spouse has a homestead exemption on their home and you want to apply for a homestead at your residence, unfortunately that won’t work. A married couple is only entitled to receive one homestead exemption per the Constitution of The State of Florida, Article VII, Section 6 (b).

‘I already have a homestead exemption’

That’s great! Then you do not need to reapply for that exemption each year. We will renew your exemption(s) annually as long as you still qualify for them. Florida Statute 196.011 (9)(b) requires the owner to notify the Property Appraiser’s office whenever the use of the property or the status or condition of the owner changes so as to change the exempt status of the property. A “no longer qualified” status may be due to the property being rented, is no longer your permanent residence, or there is a change in ownership due to a sale, marriage, divorce, death.

Our office makes every effort to ensure the homeowners of Citrus County understand the exemption process. The staff at the Citrus County Property Appraiser’s office are always available to answer any questions you may have in both of our offices, or chat with us during business hours on our live chat feature online at www.citruspa.org.

Cregg E. Dalton is the Citrus County Property Appraiser