H.O.O.T. welcomes costumed characters to Olde Towne streets on October 29

By Sherry Lucas

The Haunting of Olde Towne (H.O.O.T.) brings Halloween family fun to Lions Club Park, with a frightfully festooned landscape and treats galore on Thursday, October 29.

The event is scheduled for 6 to 8:30 p.m. Each year, an estimated 500-plus people — parents and guardians with their little ghosts, witches, vampires and more — flock to Lions Club Park for sweets and spooky fun. The event is designed for family fun and best enjoyed by children ages 12 or 13 and younger. All children should be accompanied and supervised by adults, with no dropoffs at the festival.

Costumes and costume contests, carnival games, bounce houses and treat walks (think a cake walk but with a Halloween twist) are traditional draws that H.O.O.T. attendees love.

“The costume contest and the treat walk are always a big hit,” Clinton Director of Parks and Recreation Courtney Nunn said. “We’ll have all the carnival games around the park, and then Turner the Train will be back, making loops around town.

“They’re going to be adding some decorations in front of City Hall, so that will be a fun element for them to see on a ride.”

While the department is retiring the haunted tunnel this year, it hopes to add more decorations in other places.

Food trucks will be on hand, as usual, and this year will be parked down by Pillars Park, beneath the bridge between Lions Club Park and the Olde Towne Depot.

Other moves should also help with crowd congestion, such as pulling some of the games down to the park and lining them up on the street a bit more, Nunn said.

Treat Street gives local businesses the opportunity, for a fee, to set up a little game or table, give out candy and boost their profile with families.

Costumed characters will be on hand at the Depot for meet-and-greets and photos with the kids.

The first treat walk starts at 6:15 p.m. and they continue at intervals from there, and the costume contests, with competition among different ages such as 2- to 3-year-olds, 4- to 5-year-olds and on up to age 12, start at 7 p.m.

Parks and Recreation was still working to line up event volunteers at press time. Additional sponsors for this family-centered community event are welcome.

“We are definitely down for any candy donations that people would like to make,” Nunn said.

Park visitors are encouraged to keep an eye out as park decorations start to creep into view in the week leading up to Halloween and H.O.O.T.