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COATESVILLE, PA — What began as a haunted house in an unfinished basement storage room has grown into one of Chester County’s more ambitious homemade Halloween attractions. Veneziale Manor, created by Coatesville high school senior Joe Veneziale, now spans his family’s basement, backyard and a 900-square-foot barn that houses the Whispering Grass Sanitarium. Visitors enter by elevator and pass through scenes that include a 1930s-style speakeasy.

The haunt is a family effort. Joe and his father source props internationally and visit professional haunts to learn the trade, while his mother does much of the building. Each year, the family adds temporary rooms to the house to accommodate new scenes.

Ticket proceeds go to Spirit of Children. Last year, the haunt raised $5,000, which the organization matched for a $10,000 donation to Nemours Children’s Hospital. The family is aiming higher this year.

Joe’s mother credits the project with giving her son direction and a community of friends in the haunt industry. Joe hopes to eventually move the attraction to a professional space. In the meantime, the family is also preparing a Christmas-themed haunted display. Tickets available at https://vmhaunts.com/

WEST WHITELAND TWP — Sgt. Greg Billbrough of the West Whiteland Township Police Department was recognized on Oct. 14 for reaching 25 years with the force. Lt. Madormo presented the honor before the township’s Board of Supervisors, with residents, friends and family in attendance.

Sergeant Billbrough started in law enforcement in Delaware County in 1997 before moving to West Whiteland in 2001. He has served as a shift officer-in-charge and a field training officer, mentoring newer officers, and was promoted to sergeant in 2014. Today he is a patrol supervisor and the department’s fleet manager. Over his career, he has received a unit citation for his actions after a home invasion robbery, as well as a Life Saving Award.

COATESVILLE, PA — State Representative Dan Williams announced $2,108,800 in state grants for recreation and conservation projects in Chester County and the surrounding region, funded through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships Program.

Three projects in Mr. Williams’s 74th District received a combined $1,708,900. Ash Park in Coatesville will get $908,900 for a renovated athletic field, walkways, new playground equipment and accessibility improvements. The Chester Valley Trail will receive $500,000 to build a one-mile stretch from Noble Road to Main Street, running through Atglen, West Sadsbury Township and Sadsbury Township in Lancaster County. Chambers Lake at Hibernia County Park in West Caln Township will receive $300,000 for a boat launch and dock, parking, walkways, landscaping and accessibility work.

CHESTER SPRINGS, PA — The fifth annual Historic Yellow Springs Fall Festival, presented with West Pikeland Township, will take place Sunday, Nov. 1, from noon to 4 p.m. after being pushed back from Oct. 11 due to the forecast. Admission is free.

The featured event is the third annual Yellow Springs Great Pumpkin Classic. Entrants of all ages bring their own decorated pumpkin, up to 10 pounds and 10 inches wide and not hollowed out, and a volunteer pit crew mounts it on wheels. Check-in starts at noon, with a 1:30 p.m. cutoff for judging in the scariest, funniest and most creative categories. Single-elimination races begin at 2:45 p.m., followed by a trophy ceremony that also honors the fastest racer.

Other activities include village tours, live music from the Street Beans, artist demonstrations, pumpkin painting, treat bag decorating, a scavenger hunt, the Haunted History House and the Glow for Good jack-o’-lantern exhibition. More than a dozen local organizations will take part, and volunteers are still being recruited.

Upcoming local events…

The Great Pumpkin Carve 2026 (Chadds Ford) - Oct 15-17

Fall Used Book Sale (Downingtown) - Oct 16-18

Friends of Hibernia Mansion Mystery (Hibernia Park) - Oct 16th, 5pm-7pm | Oct 17th, 3pm-6pm

Lionheart Music Fest (Coatesville) - Oct 17th, 12pm-8pm

West Chester Chili Cook-Off (WC Boro) - Oct 18, 12pm-4pm
Origins: The Lenape, William Penn, and the Colonialists (East Brandywine) - Oct 18, 3pm

Upper Uwchlan Trunk or Treat (Pickering Valley ES) - Oct 24, 3pm-5pm
Halloween Race (Shamona Park) - Oct 24, 3:30pm-5:30pm

Trick or Treat on Main Street (Downingtown) - Oct 25, 10am-1pm
Monsters, Masks and Milkweed (Exton) - Oct 25, 1pm-3pm
Farmhouse Museum Open House At Upland Farm - Oct 25, 1pm-4pm

Caln Halloween Party (Thorndale) - Oct 31, 1pm-3pm
Trick, Treats, and Eats (Wagenseller Park) - Oct 31, 3pm-5pm

Historic Yellow Springs Fall Fest (Chester Springs) - Nov 1st, 12pm-4pm

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