Halloween events at the Jersey Shore are spread over almost three weeks. So you have plenty of time to attend several of them. We have so many Halloween parades in 2012! Here are just a few scary happenings:

The following weekend there are the first three parades and two fun events in Middletown:

• October 19: Halloween Parade in Sea Isle City at 7pm, along Landis Ave between 46th – 40th Sts. Immediately following the parade, a free Halloween Family Dance Party will take place at the Excursion Park Band Shell, JFK Blvd and the Beach.
• October 19: Zany Zombie Bash at the Middletown Arts Center, 6-8:30pm. Kids of all ages will enjoy Halloween crafts, face painting and glow in the dark drawing fun, a costume parade, a Monster Mash dance freeze and a pre-event concert performance by Miss Sherri.
• October 20: Halloween Hullabaloo at the Poricy Park in Middletown, 5-8pm. FREE event including candy, costume contests, cartooning with the Doodle Dude, haunted hayrides and a magic show.
• October 20: 3rd Annual Halloween Dog Costume Contest in Ocean City, at 10am at the 6th St. practice field. Categories include: Scariest, Cutest, Most Creative, Most Original, Ugliest, etc. We will have 4 to 5 judges to decide the winners. Trophies and snack bags will be awarded. Entry Fee $10 per dog.
• October 21: Red Bank Halloween Parade. Line up at 2 p.m. at Bergen Street & Hudson Street. Will proceed up Broad Street and end at the White Street parking lot.

The weekend immediately preceding Halloween is headlined by the Haunted Tuckerton Seaport (October 25-27). Pirates and sea captains long lost at sea stroll the boardwalk for three nights of screams. Haunted Tucker’s Island Lighthouse, hayrides, phragmites maze, food, refreshments, entertainment and a non-scary pumpkin patch for the little ones.

A few other parades going on that weekend are:

• October 25: Ocean City Halloween Parade on Asbury Ave. from 6th-11th Street, 7:15pm. Participants: online registration only.
• October 26: Halloween Parade and Fun Fair in Wildwood. Begins 6:15pm at Wildwood and Pacific Ave. Fun Fair follows at the Wildwoods Convention Center 7pm-9:30pm
• October 27: Atlantic Highlands Halloween Parade on First Ave.

Then just around Halloween you have:

• October 30: Halloween Parade in Bradley Beach , at 6pm Riley Park. Rain date Oct 31.
• October 31: The big Toms River Halloween Parade. 7pm on Washington St

Also, on October 12-13 it’s Operation Halloween at the Joseph A Citta Scout Camp in Barnegat. Prepare to be scared! One weekend, 4 haunted attractions: Zombie Outbreak, Pumpkin Street Safe Trick or Treat, Ghost Manor Hayride and Midnight Ghost Tour.

If you’re looking to rent a house at the shore, check out ShoreVacations.com, Jersey Shore’s biggest vacation rentals resource. It lists hundreds of rental homes and condos from Sandy Hook all the way down to Cape May (including Belmar, Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, Ocean City, Long Beach Island, Atlantic City or the Wildwoods). It’s a one-stop website for planning your Jersey Shore vacation, featuring beach information, weather updates and more! And of course, it has a full list of all the Jersey Shore events this year.