Very scary: The “Haunted Forest” is once again taking over Algonkian Park for what has become an annual scarefest, aided in part by the ghoulish acting talents of current and former area high school students. The 2012 scare team members include Park View High School graduates Merrell Watts and Zach Imler, Potomac Falls High School graduates Bob Galvin and Cat Watson and current PFHS student Luis Sanchez. The final nights of frights take place Friday through Sunday, Oct. 26 – 28, and on Wednesday, Oct. 31, beginning at 7 p.m. The last ticket will be sold at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; the last ticket will be sold at 10 on Sunday and on Wednesday, also known as Halloween night.

Bridal parties: On a tamer note, The Woodlands at Algonkian Regional Park presents an open house on Saturday, Oct. 27, to showcase its newly renovated event space, with local wedding vendors on hand to provide additional wedding-related information. Light appetizers and refreshments will be provided. The open house takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. For information, call 703-450-4655, ext. 102, or send email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Equus: Sterling’s award-winning Taking Flight Theatre Company closes its 2012 season with the Tony Award-winning thriller, Equus. Tickets are now on sale for the production, which will take the stage on weekends in November, beginning Nov. 2, at the Waddell Theatre on the Loudoun campus of Northern Virginia Community College. The show begins at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 7 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $10 for students and seniors and $15 for all others. The tickets are available online at tftheatre.org.

Start writing, teens: Sterling resident Terry Smith, author of “Murder in the News,” a play taking the StageCoach Theatre stage this month at various locations in Loudoun County, presents “How to Write a Murder Mystery – for Teens” at the StageCoach office on route 7 in Ashburn. The workshop, scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 2, from 1 to 3 p.m., will cover the mechanics of writing a murder mystery dinner theatre script. Advance registration is required; the registration fee is $20. Workshop participants will get a waiver of the $20 fee required to submit a full-length mystery script in the StageCoach Theatre Company’s first playwriting competition for teens. The competition’s submission period begins Dec. 1, 2012, and ends at midnight on April 1, 2013. For more information, send email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).