So how many Ken Bone costumes are we going to see this year? With Halloween falling on a Monday this year, Madison will have a couple more days to party, including:
Wednesday, Oct. 26
- Downtown Madison Family Halloween (free): Trick-or-treat from 80 downtown locations and enjoy activities at places including the Overture Center, from 3-6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 27
- Buccaneer’s Ball 2016 (free): Hoofers and 100state are joining forces to throw a party that begins at 7 p.m. in the basement of the Argus bar.
Friday, Oct. 28
- Downtown Trick or Treat (free): If the kiddos didn’t get enough trick-or-treating at State Street businesses on Wednesday, they can head to Middleton and do it all over again from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at dozens of locations.
- Halloween Spooktacular (free): Yes, this is an egg hunt in October, and it starts at 5:45 p.m. at Winnequah Dream Park in Monona. Afterward, enjoying an outdoor movie with free popcorn.
- A Freakin’ Halloweekend ($10): The High Noon Saloon hosts this two-day event in which local bands dress up as their favorite “mega-bands.” Examples include the Right Stripes as the White Stripes on Friday and the Scars as the Cars Maneater as Hall & Oates on Saturday. Shows start at 8 p.m.
- Halloween Party (free): This generically named party commences at 8:30 p.m. at Nau-ti-Gal. Includes a costume contest and performance by Riled Up.
Saturday, Oct. 29
- Hilldale-o-Ween (free): This is a three-day long celebration. Activities include cookie decorating on Saturday and trick-or-treating on Monday.
- Spook-tacular Halloween Bash (free): Design your own candy bag from 9:30 a.m. – noon at the DreamBank.
- Halloween Costume Parade ($10): Starting at 2 p.m. at Library Mall, follow the parade to the Capitol for an event that supports Primates Incorporated.
- Halloween Karaoke (free): Sing and purchase specific drinks to earn tickets for raffle prizes at Come Back In. Starts at 9:30 p.m.
- Halloween Bash ($8): Badger Bowl’s final night before it closes for good will feature a performance by Cherry Pie and a costume contest.
- Freakfest ($10 advance/$15 at the gates): Madison’s official Halloween party takes place from 7 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. on State Street. This year’s headliners include Diane Coffee and Sweet Spirit. If you want to save a few bucks, head to the bars early, before the gates on State Street are erected.
- Night of the Dead ($15): This annual event at the Barrymore pays homage to the Grateful Dead through Terrapin Flyer and Evergreen Grass Band, starting at 8 p.m.
- 80s vs. 90s Halloween Costume Ball ($10): The almost-monthly 80s vs. 90s party is always popular, but the Halloween version is always really popular. Dress up as a TV/movie character or music icon to participate in the costume contest. Doors open at 8, and I recommend arriving soon after.
Sunday, Oct. 30
- Halloween at the Zoo (free): Activities include face painting and a pumpkin decorating contest from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the zoo.
Monday, Oct. 31
- Baby’s First Halloween (free with admission): Take the little ones to this costume contest and dance from 9:30-11 a.m. at the Madison Children’s Museum.
- Reel Big Halloween ($22.50/$25): How about some ska on Halloween? Reel Big Fish is performing at 8 p.m. at the Majestic.
Is good pizza worth an annoying restaurant setup? That’s your dilemma when you go to 
Besides pizza, Pizza Ranch promotes its fried chicken as the Country’s Best Chicken. And actually, I thought it was the star of the buffet. The meat was very moist, and it was coated in a perfectly crispy, semi-salty skin.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop added special fall menu items on Sept. 13 that will be available until about the end of the year. I accepted a recent invitation to try the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese, the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and the Pumpkin Pie Cookie.
