An estimated 400 people turned out Saturday for Winthrop Harbor’s Fall Fest outside of the Schlader Recreation Center.
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The five-hour event offered live music, children’s crafting activities, face painting, axe-throwing challenges, food trucks, tractor hayrides, bounce houses, and petting zoos.
Adults could attend the event for free. Children ages 12 and under needed $7 wristbands. All proceeds supported the event and Winthrop Harbor’s parks and recreation activities.
The first two hours also included a complimentary Trunk or Treat opportunity.
“This is a good fall event that’s really affordable for a lot of families, with a lot of different activities … that we do for the community,” Jeremy Goedeke, the village’s parks and recreation director, said.
“We have about 20 or so (Trunk or Treat) cars that all donated their time and their effort, and all the supplies for the community,” he said. “We have great community partners.”
The Point Church of Winthrop Harbor provided free hot dogs instead of Halloween candy. On the premises, volunteers grilled 300 hot dogs.
“Everybody gives out candy, and we want to be memorable, so … something a little different,” Sara Martin, the church’s youth director, said. “We figure there’s so much sugar going out, we can do hot dogs.”
Next to the hot dog table was a skeleton petting zoo. The zoo tent held Halloween decor skeleton animals, including what looked like a flamingo. Fog came out of a Halloween lighted smoky ghoulish device.
Along with Martin, Gabby Regul, the church’s children’s and preschool director, decided to add the idea of the skeleton petting zoo.
“We saw it online last year after Halloween,” Martin said, “and we’re like, ‘That’s a really good idea,’ so we stuck it in our pocket and then this year, ‘What are we going to do? Skeleton petting zoo.’”
Regul added, “The skeleton petting zoo is just something fun and different.”
The Zion-Benton Public Library also participated in Trunk or Treat with a Jurassic Park theme.
Jordan Butler, the library’s community engagement coordinator, staffed the table where treats and information about the library were offered.
Butler said it was important for the library to have a presence at the festival, “because we have a lot of opportunities for people that people don’t often realize.”
“We have museum passes; all of our programming is free,” Butler said. “You can always come in and sit down and relax or read a book, hang out at a computer. Any of those things.”