Viola Town Square will be the location of treats, but no tricks, Saturday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m.
Halloween in the Park in downtown Viola will be held around the gazebo’s grassy area with residents offering visitors a free evening of fun for trick-or-treaters with candy, cookies, desserts, drinks, hayrides, and a best-dressed costume contest.
Carolyn Garretson is urging everyone to come out and partake in Viola’s community spirit.
“We had so many people last year you couldn’t stir them with a stick, and we’re hoping this year is just as big, or even bigger,” said Garretson. “We do this as a community effort. We have just as much fun offering it as people do participating in it. We want everyone to come out and enjoy themselves.”
The costume contest is for children and cash prizes will be given for first $15, second $10, and third $5. Special guest judges are yet to be announced.
This is the fourth annual Halloween in the Park. The last three years, the evening has offered children spook-tacular fun with free bobbing for apples, a scavenger hunt in the park, and hayrides through Viola, both non-scary and scary. Local residents – some dressed in their Halloween best – are on hand to offer children a chance to trick-or-treat for candy, as well as providing them and their parents free hot apple cider and hotdogs.
This event, as well as Christmas in Viola offered in December, is a community effort by the residents of Viola. The Saturday prior to Halloween is chosen because so many people already have trick-or-treat plans Halloween night.