OTTUMWA — Can a scorpion do a rap song? Will the tarantula bite the scorpion?

These answers will only come from the Halloween Hike planned for 6-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Pioneer Ridge Nature Center. The theme for this year’s hike is “Creatures of the Desert.”

Marsha Parker of the Wapello County Conservation Board said there will be various “characters” stationed along the concrete path around the Nature Center.

Dick Stoffa and Kelli O’Brien-Stoffa of Ottumwa will be on that path and will portray the scorpion and the tarantula, respectively.

O’Brien-Stoffa said she participated in the early years of the Halloween Hike and portrayed a grizzly bear and a fox.

“The hike isn’t a scary thing; it’s educational. And the kids can dress up in costumes, too,” she said.

Stoffa offered the opening lines of his song, “Hey, I’m a scorpion and I’m your friend.”

O’Brien-Stoffa said tarantulas are found in the Amazon and are hunted and cooked by the natives.

“Would you like a taste?” she said.

Her smile made visitors wonder who was going to taste whom.

In addition to the scorpion and tarantula, the list of characters includes a cactus, an elf owl that lives in the cactus, a rattlesnake, gila monster, javelina pig and a roadrunner.

“And yes, the roadrunner will go ‘beep, beep’ and do a little song about ‘Shake Your Tail Feathers,’” Parker said.

Starting at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, coordinators will send out groups of no more than 20 people every 10 minutes.

“People can go around the paved path and stop to hear a little speech from the characters,” Parker said. “The character will tell how big the animal gets, what it eats, the eggs they lay, what colors they are and what their predators are.”

After the hike, cookies and hot chocolate will be available in the center’s basement. Other activities will include face painting and making balloon animals.