Haunted Halloween Trail and Great Pumpkin Races

October 23 & 24

Kenton County Parks & Recreation is excited to announce the return of the Haunted Halloween Trail on Friday, October 23 and the Great Pumpkin Races on Saturday, October 24. Both events will be held at Middleton-Mills Park, on Mills Road between Taylor Mill and Independence.

On Friday, from 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm, it's the Haunted Halloween Trail, presented by Jude's Custom Exhaust Auto Repair and Towing. It's a quarter-mile of t-t-t-t-torch-lit and c-c-c-c-creepy trail thru the woods! Our haunters are more than ready to entertain our "guests"! Ghosts, goblins, witches, and a frightful variety of other Halloween characters, creatures, and displays will inhabit the Trail. Prepare to be scared! But we must issue this "grave" warning ~ Whatever you do, stay on the Trail!

Snappy Tomato Pizza will be on hand selling pizza slices! There is a shelterhouse at the end of the Haunted Trail where survivors may wish to sample complimentary Orange Drool (donated by McDonald's) served by Ghostesses. Then take a hayride shuttle back to your vehicles. Everyone in line by 10:30 pm will be able to walk the trail but the gate at the entrance to the park will be closed at 10:30 pm so we can complete the night of fright before the stroke of midnight. Or else…well, you know! It's gonna be a SCREAM!

We want adult volunteers to help make this year's Haunted Trail scarier than ever! Kid haunters with an adult are OK but MUST stay on task ~ this is a theatre production ~ and the spookier, the better! Got one night to volunteer? Even if you don't want to haunt the Trail, there's still plenty to do. We need volunteers to direct traffic, serve as Ghostesses, decorate the shelterhouse at the end of the trail, act as security, etc. You know what we always say ~ "New blood is good blood!" Give Steve a call at (859) 525-PLAY (7529)!

On Saturday, it's the Great Pumpkin Races. Hey, if fright is not your thing, this is for you! Maniacal screaming by fans as their pumpkins race down the wooden ramp across the grass to the finish line? You bet! A panel of judges with stopwatches will oversee this event and fastest pumpkins will win prizes. Great family fun!

Bring the roundest, "fastest" pumpkin in the patch to race against other pumpkins in the same weight classes. Wannabe Great Pumpkins are those weighing up to five pounds. The Couldbe's weigh from five to ten pounds. And, heavyweights of over ten pounds are the Great Pumpkins. It's BYO pumpkin and please ~ no altered pumpkins, other than painting. Races begin at 1:00 pm. Register between 12:00 and 12:45 pm to compete. Once you are registered, enjoy a visit with the Cincinnati Zoo at 12:00 pm when Zookeeper Kate Hammer will bring some of the Zoo's most-creepy creatures for a Halloween show-and-tell! And, we'll need half a dozen volunteers to help run the Races, too, so call me if you're interested.

Both of these Halloween events are free but please remember to bring a donation of non-perishable food or personal care items for Senior Services of Northern Kentucky. Your donations really make a difference in day-to-day living for lots of people ~ right here in Northern Kentucky.

Directions to Middleton-Mills Park are easy. From I-275, take Exit 79 (Covington/Taylor Mill) and go south on Hwy. 16 seven miles to Mills Road. Turn Left on Mills Road, go one mile to the park entrance, and follow the Jack-O-Lanterns.

Call Kenton County Recreation at (859) 525-PLAY (7529) to ask how you can help ~ we are always in need of volunteers and funding sponsors for our programs!

For news of upcoming programs, activities, and events to be held in Kenton County's parks, call the Parks & Recreation office at (859) 525-PLAY (7529).