GD&T plans Halloween festivities for all
By Molly Moser
The fifth annual community-wide Ghouls' Night Out event has been modified this year to include goblins as well as ghouls, and a new event known as Trunk-or-Treat - the latest twist on Oct. 31 door-to-door candy gathering.
Ghouls' and Goblins' Night Out: "Ghouls' and Goblins' Night out is just around the corner," said GD&T director Emily Moser, who’s been helping organize the event. “We’re looking forward to having everybody come out – and hopefully in costume!”
All participating businesses will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, and some will stay open even later. Community members are invited to pick up entry forms at the Welcome Center and at participating businesses for a prize drawing.
To encourage shoppers to support local businesses, GD&T will award $25 Guttenberg bucks to two lucky winners who bring at least three receipts dated Oct. 22 to the Welcome Center. Shoppers who bring five receipts will be entered twice into the drawing, and those who collect receipts from all the participating businesses will be entered three times. The drawing will be held on Oct. 23, and two winners will be announced in The Guttenberg Press and on the Guttenberg Development & Tourism Facebook page.
Many downtown businesses will feature specials and treats during the fourth annual Ghouls’ Night Out. Esser's Clothing & Connie's Apparel will offer half price ladies clothing along with Halloween treats and a free pink shirt with each purchase to celebrate breast cancer awareness month. Garments & Goods will offer 40% off Halloween wood products and all retail.
Join in the fun at Guttenberg Gallery and Creativity Center's creepy courtyard for face painting, mask making, a pumpkin activity, and spooky refreshments during Ghouls' and Goblins' Night Out. In the gallery, customers will enjoy 25% off in-house glass and pottery for the evening. Massage therapist Sadie Hefel will also be in the gallery giving paraffin hand waxes. From 7-8 p.m., Guttenberg artist Molly Moser will guide mother-daughter duos through a haunted acrylic painting and each student will leave with a finished work of art.
Shoppers will have a howling good time at Blooming Branches, with spooktacular savings throughout the store and samples of terrifying treats and deadly drinks. All customers may register for devilish doorprizes and ghouls and goblins in costume will register for a ghastly gift.
Picket Fence Café will be serving a “Spooky Soup-er Supper.” Three varieties of soup will be available, and those who come in costume will get a free Halloween treat with purchase. PromiseLand Winery and Ideal Decorating are also participating in the Oct. 22 event.
Trunk-or-Treat: From 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, parents and Halloween-spirited community members are invited to the Clayton Ridge Elementary School playground to participate in the first ever Trunk-or-Treat event in Guttenberg.
What's a trunk-or-treat? Think tailgating combined with traditional trick-or-treating. "During a Trunk-or-Treat, people gather in a large lot to park their cars, open their decorated trunks (or pick-up truck beds), and pass out candy to young trick-or-treaters. Trunk-or-Treats are a growing trend, because they provide a safe, family-oriented environment, and are a fun way to get involved in trick-or-treating if you live in a neighborhood that doesn't get a lot of Halloween traffic," says Moser.
Teens and adults can also use the opportunity to get in on the Halloween fun, dressing up on a theme to match their trunks. Children's books, games, or movies make great themes, and even classic cars can get in on the fun. Participants will get to vote for their favorite trunk.