Ghoulish galas galore at venues around state

In every town, there is a family that goes a little overboard on Halloween. Sometimes, it’s also the family that short-circuits the entire neighborhood with Christmas lights a la “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

You know the ones I’m talking about. In the first week of October, they drag out the giant rubber skeletons, dry ice and gallons of fake blood, arrange it tastefully on the front porch, and put the “Sounds of Horror” CD on repeat for the rest of the month. Some people may shudder and call it tacky, but every kid – and some adults – that walk or drive by the house gaze jealously.

There are some grown-up ways to act like a big kid this Halloween weekend, and numerous venues around the state have special events planned. Needless to say, costumes are strongly encouraged for any and all activities.

The Kave in Bucksport, where it’s Halloween most nights of the year, has an absurd amount of bands lined up to play at their Halloween Fest, which spans both Friday and Saturday, with tickets for tonight’s show going for $8. Tickets for Saturday’s show cost $12. There is a costume contest, and the best costume for each night gets a free homemade pizza from Kave owner Kathy Findlay. To see a full lineup of bands, visit www.thekaveclub.com.

Soma 36 in Orono couldn’t resist the allure of Halloween, so it has invited the New York-based funk collective the Evolved to play for hordes of revelers at 10 p.m. Saturday. The band members met after attending music school in New England, and their eclectic blend of funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae and jazz draws from numerous sources.

Farther south, jam pioneers the Slip will stop in at the Big Easy in Portland on Saturday night. The band mixes a muscular jazz sensibility with a distinctive emotional core, making its live show a more engaging experience than the typical jam band. Opening for the Slip is Tarantula AD, an up-and-coming instrumental outfit with a flair for precise, dramatic crescendos and sweeping string arrangements. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at Bull Moose Music stores. The show is for ages 21 and over.

If all you really want to do is get down and funky, perhaps tonight’s rave event in Portland, Scream, is more up your alley. Scream is slated to kick off at 7 p.m. at the State Theater and run until everyone is too tired to dance anymore. The lineup features regional DJ superstars DJ Venom, DJ Dan, Pleasurehead, Tommie Gunn and more, spinning everything from happy hardcore to funky house. Billed as a “Halloween massive,” this is probably the only rave event of this size you’re going to see in Maine for quite a while, so head on down if you’re fiending for a night of heavy electronic music. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Anyone with an ounce of creativity or humor in their souls would agree with my belief that Halloween should be a national holiday. With the way it’s being celebrated around the state this weekend, people already treat it as such. What isn’t there to love about a night devoted entirely to dressing up in a ridiculous costume, eating your weight in candy corn and having a whole lot of fun?

Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.