October 26 & 27, 2007
Kenton County Parks & Recreation is excited to announce the return of the Haunted Halloween Trail on Friday, October 26 and the Great Pumpkin Races on Saturday, October 27. Both events will be held at Middleton-Mills Park, on Mills Road between Taylor Mill and Independence. Click here for a printable flyer.
This will be the ninth year that Kenton County Parks & Recreation has presented outdoor Halloween activities. Our haunters are more than ready to entertain our guests (we call them "Victims")! From what we understand, they're getting' ready to SCREAM!
On Friday, from 6:00 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! Ghosts, goblins, witches, and a frightful variety of other Halloween characters, creatures, and displays will inhabit the Trail. Prepare to be scared! We must issue this "grave" warning: Whatever you do, stay on the Trail!
Family-appropriate movies will play while you wait in line for the Trail and 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 Bat's Blood or 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.
Once again, Captain Chris, Jason, and Amanda from the USS Nightmare will be helping us put on one of the best Haunted Trails ever! 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 scarier, the better! Got one night to volunteer? Even if you don't want to haunt the Trail, there's still plenty to do. We also need people to direct traffic, serve as Ghostesses, decorate the shelterhouse at the end of the trail, act as security, etc. Give Steve a call at (859) 525-PLAY (7529)!
If fright is not your thing, how about this? On Saturday, from 1:00 pm, it's the Great Pumpkin Races, presented by The Fun Center at Pleasure Isle. 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! Be sure to enter multiple weight classes for your best chance to win prizes!
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 2:00 pm but you must register between 1 and 2 to compete. Once you are registered, enjoy a visit with the Cincinnati Zoo at 1:00 pm when Zookeeper Kate Hammer will bring some of the Zoo's most-creepy creatures for a Halloween show-and-tell! 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 donation can really make a difference in day-to-day living for lots of people.
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!
Remember, 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) or check out our web site. Go to http://www.kentoncounty.org, scroll down and click on County Services, and then on Recreation.
