Expect to hear a few ghost tales on the Eastside this weekend when a tradition dating to the 1920s continues with the 63rd Historic Irvington Halloween Festival.

Tonight’s activity is an evening of spooky stories starting at 6:30 p.m. at Irving Circle Park, 250 S. Audubon Road.

The weeklong celebration culminates this Saturday with 120 vendor and craft booths along the 5700 block of East Washington Street, a steady stream of events at the Irvington Library, live music at three venues and a costumed parade of 800 to 1,200 children that starts on South Audubon Avenue at 4 p.m.

“The way the whole community comes together just makes it a wonderful event,” said Dale Harkins, who has lived in the neighborhood 30 years and presides over the Irvington Community Council.

Though partly dependent on good weather, Harkins said the Irvington Halloween Festival sometimes attracts as many as 10,000 people.

The festival was first held for a few years in the late 1920s before the Great Depression, said Steve Barnett, executive director of the Irvington Historical Society. Merchants revived the tradition in 1946 at the end of World War II, Barnett said.

The festival faded out again for a few years in the late 1960s, he said, but the Irvington Community Council revived it again in the early 1970s.

The weekend also includes the 28th annual Historic Irvington Pleasant Run Run at 10 a.m. Saturday. The event, also presented by the Community Council, is Indianapolis’ oldest organized 5-mile run, having begun in 1982.

In addition to the 5-mile run, the event includes a 3-mile family walk, which starts at 10:15 a.m., and a 1-mile kids’ fun run, which starts at 9:30 a.m.

The 5-mile run starts at the Irvington branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library at 5625 E. Washington St. The kids run and the family walk start at Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Road.

Those interested in participating in the running or walking events may register online at www.irvingtonhalloween .org. Cost is $20 for the main run and $15 for the family walk. The kids’ fun run is free.

Participants in the Pleasant Run Run and family walk will receive an event T-shirt, refreshments, and tickets to a post-race luncheon at the awards presentation.