Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, October 27, 2022. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go BUMP! in the night, good Lord deliver us!
BUT…
For little ones, tall ones, drooly ones, squawky ones, shy ones and loud ones, it’s TIME. The WAIT is OVER. From door to door they travel, seeking a treat plopped neatly into their bag or bucket. The moon may be high and small in the sky like a pearl, or it may be low and big-bellied, but the mission tonight and the next night of festivities are clear: GET. CANDY.
That’s why Kingsland Community Education, the Spring Valley Kiwanis Club and the Wykoff Fire Department have all chosen to don costumes and welcome children to their respective Halloween parties, where they’ll gather a little fright here, a little sweet morsel there, and Friday and Monday nights are happier occasions than all the nights before because there are PARTIES.
First, Kingsland Community Education and Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) will host its annual Halloween party at the Wykoff Community Hall on Friday, Oct. 28, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., after which Monday’s the evening of even more events as the Wykoff Fire Department welcomes costumed kiddos to the fire hall to choose a candy or two and become acquainted with the town’s firefighters and their vehicles and gear.
“The Wykoff Fire Department will be handing out treats to the kiddos on Halloween at the fire station. Come to the fire station and meet and thank the firefighters who help protect us. They may even let you sit in the big fire truck,” shared an announcement on the Wykoff city newsletter that invites trick-or-treaters to stop in at the North Gold Street station on the 31st between 4 and 7 p.m.
Seven miles to the west, there’s another place for the little ones, big ones, tall ones, drooly ones, squawky ones and loud ones and their parents and guardians on Halloween night as the Spring Valley Kiwanis Club and the Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce co-host the organizations’ yearly Halloween party and haunted house. Kiwanian Jay Webster outlined what’s planned for the evening, stating, “The party is October 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Spring Valley Community Center, and the Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce helps sponsor. It is an enjoyable event for the kids and provides Halloween fun. It is part of the Kiwanis mission in ‘Serving the Children of the World,’ and we have help from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the VFW Auxiliary and the Kingsland Drama Club and Kingsland Key Club. The party is for ages 1 through 12 years old, and the kids will enjoy playing games, winning prizes, and receiving a treat bag. A treat bag will be given to each child for attending the Halloween party.”
Webster elaborated, “Plus, those daring enough have an opportunity to tour the Kingsland Drama Club and Kingsland Key Club haunted house. The haunted house is from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Spring Valley Community Center, too. At the party, we enjoy the amazingly creative costumes and kids having fun, and we enjoy planning it for them. The Halloween party is a place to enjoy the wonderful costumes and a place for kids to participate in the various games and tour the haunted house…a safe place for kids to have fun, receive a treat bag, stay warm and be entertained on Halloween night. We hope to see everyone there.”
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
