By my estimate, Logan County kids shouldn’t have any trouble being well-stocked, candy-wise, this fall, long before we get to Halloween.

After all, several local businesses and village councils have already provided a number of trick-or-treating opportunities, from Downtown Bellefontaine’s Great Pumpkin Walk to the West Liberty Spooktacular this coming Thursday, Oct. 22. But just in case the youngsters need a little more sugar and spooky fun, the Logan County History Center’s (LCHC) KidFest is just around the corner.

The annual event will be on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. Geared toward children ages 2 to 11 or 12, KidFest gives them a chance to put on their favorite costume and explore the various rooms and stations—about 25 in total—trick-or-treating as they go. And, before they leave, they can visit the pumpkin patch and take their own orange gourd home.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Todd McCormick, curator/director, said. “And we go through a lot of candy.”

Though the event is, as always, free, attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods or other nonperishable food items. These will be donated to a local food pantry.

Here’s what you need to know about KidFest:

You’ll start your journey by entering through the Logan County Transportation Museum where you can trick or treat around the bays there before sneaking down spooky hallways and stopping — if you dare! — at decorated rooms.

Once that’s done, you can exit through the side door and walk around to the front of the Orr Mansion to visit the pumpkin patch.

Each child will be able to pick their favorite pumpkin and take it home. Just don’t wait too long as McCormick warns they have been known to run out by the end of the event. The LCHC typically purchases the pumpkins in boxes on pallets from Wenger’s Produce on County Road 29, West Liberty.

“We have had about 350 kids plus adults coming through during that two-hour time period,” McCormick admitted. And yes, children must be accompanied by a grown-up.

The museum staff and volunteers will take care of the decorating, which means they’ll close the buildings the Monday before, on Oct. 19. That gives them time to prepare scary rooms with themes like ghosts, spiders and bats. They also have Frankenstein’s monster, which gets moved around to a different place each year.

“KidFest is probably our best-attended single-day event,” McCormick admitted. “It’s definitely one of the better outreach things we do.”

Follow the LCHC’s Facebook page or website for more information.