Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Plenty of Halloween Fun in Bellingham

by Neighborhood-Kids.com11/2/2008 4:33:34 PM

This year, Halloween started out on the windy and rainy side, but the sun managed to peek through the clouds for a while as costumed kids and parents trekked through the streets of Bellingham for a variety of great Halloween events around town.

Pirate Janae passed out candy and toys at the Mindfly design studio.
Photo by Neighborhood-Kids.com

Over 100 local businesses participated in the 13th Annual Downtown Trick or Treat, an event presented by the Downtown Renaissance Network. Cassia Parsons has helped organize this event for the past three years.
 
“The goal of the Network is to revitalize the downtown community, and events like the Trick or Treat encourage people to get downtown,” Cassia explained. Her favorite part of the Trick or Treat is always handing out candy and balloons outside the Network Visitor Center on Cornwall Avenue.

The Neighborhood-Kids.com and Mindfly Website Design and Development team also joined in the fun, decorating the studio with streamers and cobwebs, and passing out candy and toys to all the kids.

Another fun Halloween activity for the second grade and under crowd was BOO! at Bloedel, a candy-free Halloween carnival on Friday night offered through Bellingham Parks and Recreation. This program has taken place for more than 19 years with over 200 kids and families enjoying the fun.

BOO! at Bloedel activities included pumpkin bowling, a donut devour, and plenty of traditional carnival games. Everyone wins at these games, so kids always get a “treat” without rotting their teeth.

A girl gets her face painted during the 2006 Boo! at Bloedel Halloween Carnival.
Photo courtesy Bellingham Parks and Recreation

“BOO! gives families an alternative Halloween experience,” explained Erin McCain, Program Coordinator for Bellingham Parks and Recreation. “We find families use our carnival as a first time Halloween experience for their young ones, or as a start point for an evening of trick or treating for kids with a few years under their belt.”

Carnival volunteers wore non-scary costumes and the decorations were fun and spooky, but not too scary. Plus, it’s always warm and dry inside the Bloedel Donovan Gym, so the Carnival was a perfect option if you weren’t interested in battling the wind and rain.

The Bellingham Storytellers Guild also shared their talents by telling some spooky Halloween stories on the big night. All ages gathered in the Village Books Readings Gallery for some fun stories in the afternoon, while stories with a bit more fright were told later in the evening at the Fairhaven Library.

And so ends another Bellingham Halloween with plenty of sweets, fun costumes and laughter bringing the community, young and old, together.