“Trick or Treat!” That was the phrase said countless times over the course of Halloween throughout the country. While millions of kids, teenagers and young-at-heart adults dressed up in their favorite costumes and got more than enough sugary sweets to celebrate the spooky-themed holiday, some towns, such as one in Grays Harbor County, put together special events to celebrate.
The Elma Fall Festival kicked off its three-hour-long event on Halloween. Whether it was inflatable costumes, iconic superhero costumes or video game character costumes, close to 1,000 people could be found roaming the streets dressed for the holiday. The festival, which was hosted by the Elma Chamber of Commerce, allowed kids to get a jump start on their trick-or-treating and enjoy a plethora of family-friendly entertainment such as a live dance troupe and inflatable bounce houses.
Although the weather across the county has been anything but decent for much of the last two weeks, the consistent stretch of wet conditions miraculously went on hold for much of Halloween, staying dry while still being cold enough to see your breath.
“You have no idea how happy I am with how the weather held up for us to have the festival. I was worried that it would rain at some point, but I’ll take being chilly over being wet,” said Jillanna Bickford, the Elma Chamber of Commerce director.
Bickford, who was dressed up as the classical Disney princess Snow White, noted that she was impressed with the turnout to the fall festival citing that the amount of kids present was expected. Bickford oversaw multiple aspects of the festival such as running the music board and chaperoning the Halloween Scramble game, an event that allowed kids within specific age categories to rummage through a big pile of hay to get as many pieces of candy, stickers and snacks as they could in a timed manner.
The Halloween Scramble wasn’t the only way for children to get candy though as more than 20 businesses and organizations including the Elma Police Department, Elma Cub Scouts and Summit Pacific Medical Center, gathered outside their door or under a tent booth to distribute buckets full of candy to eager kids waiting in line.
Henry Maffey, an Elma resident who took his young daughter to the festival, said he was happy to see her having a good time and socializing with other kids dressed up for Halloween.
“I almost wish I would have given her a pillowcase to collect candy because her basket is nearly full,” Maffey said. “I’m happy Elma does this type of event for the kids because it’s in daylight and I can always keep an eye on my daughter plus I know this is more fun for her since she’s still a little afraid of the dark.”
Besides handing out candy, the festival also provided free popcorn and multiple flavor varieties of shaved ice. Families looking to keep a memento of their time at the festival were also invited to use a free photo booth set up by the Chamber of Commerce.
While some families used the Elma Fall Festival to get their trick-or-treating done for the day, some knew it was just the beginning.
“My son wanted to stop here before I take him trick-or-treating in Aberdeen and Hoquiam to get a bigger load of candy,” said Bethany Hood, an Aberdeen resident. “He told me he wants to get enough to last until Christmas, but I don’t even want to begin to think about Christmas yet.”
While many businesses in Elma set up their own unique scarecrow, none drew as much attention from the crowd as the animatronic werewolf set up outside This & That did during the Elma Fall Festival on Halloween, in Elma. (Allen Leister / The Daily World)
Perhaps one of the most anticipated events was the live dance performance from The Dancehouse, a performing arts group, during the Elma Fall Festival on Halloween, in Elma (Allen Leister / The Daily World)
