The Mint Museums, Charlotte, issue a weekly update of events. To join their e-mailing list for the weekly update, e-mail Natasha Rider.

Get ready for the Halloween season with Trick or Train: Haunted Roundhouse Tours at the N.C. Transportation Museum, Spencer. This special spooky nighttime train ride will be offered October 26-28 at $8 per person (children under 3, free). Call 704-636-2889 for more information.

The NC Preservation Consortium is offering four $50 scholarships towards their conference, Nov. 17 in Preserving the Artifact: Book, Manuscript and Paper Document ConservationGreensboro at the Public Library (see the NCMC website and check "workshops" for more details on the workshop). Two will be granted to graduate students currently enrolled in Library and Information Science, Public History or Museum programs; the other two will be granted to current personnel in libraries, archives, historic sites, etc. For more information and application, visit the NC Preservation Consortium website. Applications are due by NOVEMBER 10.

Trinkets and Treasures: What's It Worth? will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, November 5 at the Gaston County Museum, Dallas. For a $5 fee per item, persons can have an appraisal of the estimated value of household objects (please note: no fine art, coins, stamps or weapons at this particular event). All proceeds from fees benefit the museum.

A host of programs ranging from Behind the Scenes Tours, surf fishing workshops and several different Children's Discovery Time topics to salt marsh explorations and making a shell wreath are part of the November calendar at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Visit the website for more information -- pre-registration is required for some activities.

Natural History Halloween is on tap at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh -- a unique holiday celebration for kids ages 2 to 12. It will be held on Saturday, October 28th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a costume contest; food and drink will be available for a small fee, benefiting the Junior Curators program. For more information, call 919-733-7450 ext. 502, or visit their website.