AMES, Iowa — Ames is getting spooky this weekend as the annual Spirits in the Garden kicks off Friday evening.

Visitors can expect to see all 17 acres of the gardens lit up by almost 1,200 jack-o-lanterns.

Spirits in the Garden started in 2006 as a trick-or-treat event, but in 2015, they added Jack-o-lanterns to the fun. In its first year, Reiman Gardens displayed 500 carved pumpkins, but since then, it has more than doubled.

While it is an annual event, visitors can expect to see some new things this year.

Friday night is usually an adult night. However, this year, kids are welcome to come on Friday as well. There will be live performances and candy all three days of the event.

Another new attraction this year is that visitors can adopt their own hissing cockroach. The gardens have around 200 that the visitors can get as they exit the event.

“And I will speak from experience. Our entomologist put one on my desk when I started. I was deathly afraid of cockroaches, and now that’s Henry, that’s my buddy. So, they’re easy pets and it’s a great way to connect with nature at home,” said Kim Hope, the volunteer director.

Andrew Gogerty is the marketing and communications director at the gardens. He said this event is not possible without the hundreds of volunteers who help.

This year, 2,030 volunteers gutted, stenciled, and carved the hundreds of pumpkins over the last two weeks. Many are students at Iowa State University.

Visitors can purchase tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between the following hours:

• Friday, October 10th: 6 pm-10 pm
• Saturday, October 11th: 5 pm-10 pm
• Sunday, October 12th: 5 pm-9 pm

Click here to purchase tickets.