Nevada casinos never miss a chance to celebrate Halloween.

Almost all of them offer at least a costume contest. Many of them offer parties. There is plenty of special entertainment. Many celebrants go from hotel to hotel, sampling what each has to offer, usually at a very reasonable price.

A good way to begin the evening this year is to go to the Celebrity Theater at John Ascuaga's Nugget and see "Ghosts!" This show has been put together by Mark Kalin and Jinger Leigh, the longtime stars and producers of "Carnival of Wonders" at the Flamingo and Reno Hiltons, and is a bargain at $15. The team has devised some new experiments in magic along with the expected ghostly appearances, including a turn-of-the- century séance, and a bit called "Shooting a Witch From a Cannon."

" 'Ghosts!' is pretty creepy," says Leigh, "but it's not a gory show. It will give you a few good chills, but no one is going to chase you around the theater with a chain saw."

Also on the agenda: Halloween is mostly for kids, but the whole family is invited to dress in their most creative costumes and attend the second Trick or Treat Street at Circus Circus on Oct. 30 for free candy on the midway, along with games, drawings, and broadcasts and giveaways from local radio stations.

The event, from 6 to 10 p.m., also includes a free child-ID program, along with performances by JR Johns and his trained dogs (from "America's Got Talent"), the Imperial Acrobats of China, and "Bounce" with a husband-and-wife team of Russian acrobats.

The Grand Sierra has spent around $300,000 over the past several months to expand and improve its FunQuest attraction, now with 40,000 square feet of games and attractions occupying three levels. It has chosen to re-open in grand style on Halloween night with the added attractions of trick-or-treating and contests in costumes, Guitar Hero, Dance Revolution, laser tag, hula hoops, and more from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Downtown Reno becomes Halloween Hollow from 4 to 9 p.m. Oct. 30 with kids' games, an appearance by McAvoy Lane as the ghost of Mark Twain at 5:30 p.m., the Controlled Burn Dancers at 7 p.m., and candy distribution from 4:15 to 9 p.m., all in the Riverwalk District and West Street Plaza.

On Thursday, the National Automobile Museum will give attendees a chance to dress in their groovy '60s finery, and see "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" along with the actual Shagmobile from the movie. The film starts at 7 p.m., doors open for the event at 5:30 p.m. A special $10 ticket, includes the price of the movie and can be purchased at the museum or (775) 333-9300, ext. 301.

The Eldorado's celebration lasts two days with "Mayhem on the Mezzanine" at 4 p.m. Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, featuring trick-or-treating in "Salem's Village" with card and palm readers, psychics and other attractions; and the adult "Coffin Crawl" at 8 p.m. Oct. 30 with each restaurant offering special décor and drink specials (like Brew Brothers' "Blood Brothers").

Adult parties include the Silver Legacy's 9th annual Wild Erotic Ball at 9 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Grande Exposition Hall ($25 in advance, $35 at the door; silverlegacy.com); the Devil's Night Costume Party with AC/DShe at 9 p.m. Oct. 30 at Crystal Bay ($18 advance, $23 at the door; crystalbaycasino.com); and the big Vex Halloween Party at Harrah's Tahoe at 10 p.m. Oct. 31 ($10, $20; SouthShoreRoom.com).