Anna Williams, 4, left, with wings, and Lindee McIntyre, 6 play a fishing game during the Harvest Celebration held at the old gym Thursday in Wrangell.
Kayla Meissner, 7 tosses a rubber duck into a bucket during the Harvest Celebration held at the old gym Thursday in Wrangell.
Fairy princesses, ghost, goblins, ghouls, and more than a few Wolverines milled around in the old gym last Thursday night.
The little monsters played games and bounced around in bouncy castles. They ate hot dogs and popcorn. They had about as much free fun as a Halloween-costumed kid can stand.
Organizers of the Harbor Light Assembly of God's annual Harvest Celebrationaren't exactly sure how long the event has been held, said the Rev. Kem Haggard. The event started before he arrived in Wrangell 13 years ago as an opportunity for trick-or-treaters to have safe fun indoors.
"I would say it's been 14 or 15 years ago," he said. "The thing is, generally, it's terrible weather. We're in Southeast Alaska."
Nor is the festival aimed solely at the elementary school set, Haggard said.
"You know, you go to all these expenses of trying to dress your kid up and stuff like that," he said. "And it's raining and it's cold outside and nobody sees 'em."
Planning for the event typically starts in June and July, because of shipping delays, though organizers will start evaluating options the day after the festival closed, Haggard said. Proceeds from the church's Fourth of July activities support the Halloween event.
The festival is eight-year-old Randy Churchill's favorite part of Halloween, even more so (though it may be hard to imagine) than free candy. Churchill came dressed as Wolverine.
"It's really, really fun," he said.
Reader Comments(0)