Weekend in Oakland County: Rochester trick-or-treat, Royal Oak Spooktacular, free shredding and a sunny forecast

Halloween events fill downtown Rochester on Saturday and downtown Royal Oak on Sunday, and the weather should cooperate after a wet, chilly Friday. Here's what's happening around Oakland County on Oct. 17-18.

The forecast

Rain should end early Friday evening, with a slight chance of showers between 7 and 8 p.m. and a low around 35, according to the National Weather Service forecast for Pontiac. Gusts could reach 30 mph overnight, so dress warmly for Friday night football.

Saturday is expected to be sunny with a high near 52, and Sunday sunny with a high near 61, according to the weather service. As of Friday afternoon, it had no warnings or advisories in effect for the Pontiac area.

Saturday, Oct. 17

• Downtown Rochester Trick-or-Treat & Halloween Fest. Trick-or-treating at downtown businesses runs from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The Halloween Fest, with activities, photo spots and treats, follows from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the East Parking Platform, 415 East St. Costumes are encouraged, according to the Rochester Downtown Development Authority. A list of participating businesses is on the DDA's website, downtownrochestermi.com. Questions: 248-656-0060.
• Free shredding and electronics recycling, 10 a.m. to noon, Huron Valley State Bank, 2920 E. Highland Road, Highland. The limit is four banker's boxes of paper. Small electronics will be collected for recycling through a partnership with the Detroit Zoo and Eco-Cell, according to the Oakland County Times.
• Also on the Oakland County Times' list for Saturday: a Lakeside Lights night hike at Independence Oaks County Park, a Trunk or Treat at MSU Tollgate Farm in Novi, a Halloween bar crawl in Royal Oak and Murder at the Lodge in Clarkston. Check each host's website for times, costs and registration.

Sunday, Oct. 18

• Royal Oak DDA Spooktacular & Scare Away Hunger, 2 to 5 p.m. downtown, hosted by the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority, according to the DDA's downtown event calendar.
  • "Adventure Avenue" on the Fifth Street Plaza features a 9-foot-tall, 23-foot-long T-Rex, costumed characters, face painting and trick-or-treating at downtown businesses.
  • Centennial Commons has a DJ from 2 to 3:30 p.m., a magician at 3:30 p.m. and the Royal Oak High School dance team at 4 p.m.
  • A costume parade and contest starts at 4:30 p.m. for ages 13 and under. A group and family category is open to all ages.
  • A "Fill the Bin" drive collects non-perishable food.

Friday night and all weekend

• The Oakland County Times also lists several Friday, Oct. 16, events: a 21-and-over night at Glenlore Trails in Commerce Township, an adults-only showing of "IT" at the Waterford Oaks BMX track, a Ghost Chase in downtown Berkley, a hangout at the Oxford library and glow golf in Madison Heights.
• The Bowers School Farm Fall Festival in Bloomfield Hills runs through Oct. 31, according to the Oakland County Times.

Several No Kings events are also scheduled Saturday. Our story lists the Oakland County locations.

For next week's meetings and deadlines, see the week ahead. Have an event we should list? Send it to news@oaklandcountyjournal.com.

This story uses the National Weather Service forecast, the Rochester DDA, the Royal Oak DDA's event calendar and reporting from the Oakland County Times.