The Land is not one but five intense, haunted attractions. It’s our region’s “scream park,” the haunted house version of Disneyworld. New for this year is the Field of Screams, which is a mildly scary maze for young kids. The park’s vibe and clientele are overwhelmingly youthful — most of the patrons were teens — but the frights will creep out the most jaded adult. It’s a good time, devil’s-carnival atmosphere.  

The Springboro Haunted Hayride & Black Bog are some of the truly hidden gems of the Cincinnati haunt community. The attractions, which include a terrifically frightful dark ride and a lengthy trail excursion, are some of the best old school haunts in the region. And when we say hidden, we of course mean only to those inside the I-275 beltway. Bull Run Farms’ skill at scaring the life out of its guests is well known from West Chester to Dayton.  

It's not just a free show for kids, it's a really awesome free show for kids. If you've been to other Blue Ash events, like the Taste of Blue Ash, you know they do a good job at providing top-notch entertainment for all of us freeloaders. This one's no different.  

It’s really, really big. As in the biggest haunt you’ll visit this season or, likely, any other. There are eight indoor mazes, four outdoor mazes, two live shows and a ton of twisted October ambiance to soak up. There’s something particularly creepy about an amusement park at night. Generous volumes of fog and a horde of costumed ghouls and freaks make a simple stroll among the coasters scary for many folks.  

Blue Ash jams to Pat Benatar (9 p.m. Friday), REO Speedwagon (9 p.m. Saturday) and the tribute band Creedence Clearwater Revisited (7:30 p.m. Sunday) at its end of summer bash, the Taste of Blue Ash. The musical performances, which include many local acts throughout the day, are the heart of the event, drawing thousands annually.  

Competitive beanbag games — who would've thought it would have come so far from its humble beginnings in Price Hill? Well, this is the big time, baby. It's also your chance to see who has the sacks to take top honors and cash prizes. The last round of the championships (4-6 p.m.) are part of the 2011 Tailgate Bash, which benefits Easter Seals.  

What became clear to me while speaking about marijuana legalization with volunteers of the organization Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is that the argument is really about responsibility. Are we as a society responsible for controlling what adults put into their own bodies? Or are individuals responsible for themselves? And is the Nixonian “war on drugs” — now in its 40th year — responsible for creating more problems than it solved?  

The group of local school teachers who founded the popular Newport Gangster Tour have their hands full this year. Their brainchild has exploded into a set of three urban walking tours and has been reb  

For expert cyclists or those just getting into road riding, Queen City Bike hosts a fun, casual ride from Hyde Park to Findlay Market Saturday. The ride starts at 7:30 a.m. sharp at Coffee Emporium and heads to Over-the-Rhine's historic market place. Once there, riders can learn more about biking in Cincinnati at the Bike Depot or take a short class in bicycle maintenance.  

If the looming $5 price tag on a gallon of regular hasn’t already convinced you to ditch your rusty, rolling cage and hop on a people-powered-vehicle, Bike to Work Day is another terrific reason to commute by bicycle. It’s like an all-day party on wheels kicking off at 7 a.m. with swag, coffee and mechanical advice at cyclist commuter stations at Sitwell's and Corner BLOC Coffee Shop.