PARKERSBURG - The Smoot Theatre will present a number of special programs in the next few weeks, including a Halloween-themed concert featuring local performers.

The Smoot, located at 213 Fifth St., Parkersburg, will kick off its 15th annual Kids Club Series at 7 p.m. Saturday with "Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Class Clown.''

Kids' Club is intended as an introduction to live theater and the performing arts. Community interest in the Kids Club Series has grown each year since its inception, said Smoot director Felice Jorgeson.

Adult tickets for individual shows are $11; children's tickets are $8.

"Spooky Spectacular, a Halloween Concert," will be presented by the Mid-Ohio Valley Ringers and the Smoot Vocal Quartet at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. There is no charge for admission, but donations will be accepted at the door.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Ringers, a community handbell ensemble, includes members from the Parkersburg, Marietta and Charleston areas. The Smoot Vocal Quartet members are Barbara Full, Tim Wilson, Dave Roberts and Jennifer Crow.

The Ringers' seasonal tunes will include selections from the "Phantom of the Opera," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," theme music from the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" television program and "The Wizard of Oz." The quartet's selections will include "Moonglow," "Magic to Do," "Autumn Leaves/When October Goes" and "Zombie Jamboree."

This is the first Halloween concert for the Mid-Ohio Valley Ringers and the first opportunity to perform jointly with the Smoot Vocal Quartet.

"Halloween is such a colorful holiday with very distinctive possibilities for music. We'll be doing a mix of show tunes and classical transcriptions, some of which were arranged for the handbell ensemble specially for this program" said Douglas Anderson, the group's director. "This is a great opportunity to collaborate with such an interesting variety of performing groups."

Also performing at the concert will the "Gruesome Ghoul Dancers," under the direction of Brian Turrill. The Ghouls are young men who have participated in the Smoot's Camp Vaudeville and Camp Broadway programs and will perform a special tribute to Michael Jackson to the music of "Thriller."

A pair of programs are also scheduled for early November at the Smoot.

The next program of the Kids Club series will be "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. It is a magical tale about four children who enter a strange land through a wardrobe. Admission is $11 for adults and $8 for children.

The next show in the Smoot's Live Entertainment Series is 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, and will feature acclaimed movie and television actor Ed Asner in the show "FDR," about former President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Tickets will be $35 for adults and $20 for students.

Asner is the recipient of seven Emmy Awards ("Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Lou Grant") and five Golden Globes and is a member of the TV Academy Hall of Fame. The solo performance drama "FDR," based upon Dore Schary's Broadway hit "Sunrise at Campobello," explores the life of one of America's best-loved presidents and the events and decisions that shaped a nation.

This powerful play follows the iconic president as he reflects on his years in office, from inauguration to the trials of World War II.