Do you find yourself at the end of the workweek looking for something to do, but not wanting to go too far away?

Four activities offer entertainment and fun in the northwest suburbs. Take your choice of a Halloween themed haunted hike, an evening combining ghost storytelling with wine tasting, or an afternoon or evening at the theater.

– Palatine High School's Fall Play will be performed in the school's Altergott Theater October 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. This year's production by the teenage thespians is Arthur Miller's The Crucible. This American classic centers on the Salem witchcraft trials. Its theme certainly befits Halloween, and is an allegorical work to McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings of the 1950s. Palatine High School is located at 1111 N. Rohlwing Road in Palatine. Call 847-755-1600 for more information

– The Palatine Park District's Wine & Spirits event is on Friday, Oct.22. Wine & Spirits will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Park District's newest facility, the Falcon Park Recreation Center, 2195 North Hicks Road in Palatine. According to its web site, www.palatineparks.org, the event will feature wine tasting from the Glunz Family Winery;  following the wine tasting, attendees will hear the frightful, spooky stories of the season by storytellers Tamara Kist and Thom Lange. See the web site for more information and ticket prices.

– Are you an unabashed Harry Potter fan who is sitting on pins and needles until next month's movie release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1?  If so, another offering might keep you satisfied until Deathly Hallows hits the big screen. (Hidden) Harry Potter is presented Saturday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. in Palatine Park District's Cutting Hall, 150 East Wood Street. (Hidden) Harry Potter is a production of the Theaterworks company. See www.palatineparks.org/boxoffice for ticketing information.

– Boy Scouts from Palatine who are members of the Northwest Suburban Council's Order of the Arrow will work at the 15th Annual Haunted Hike, which is open to the public this weekend. As detailed on the Council's website, www.nwsc.org, the Haunted Hike is open Friday, Oct. 22 from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and continues on Saturday, Oct. 23.  For younger children, a flashlight hike is offered on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Haunted Hike is located at the Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground, 2000 East Algonquin Road, in Des Plaines. For more information and ticket prices, see the website

I'm having a hard time deciding which of these events to attend. Maybe I'll just have to go to them all.