Originally known as “The Spooky Monster Stroll,” held at the Gilpin Community Center beginning in 2021, the Halloween happening proved to be hugely popular with local children and parents from the start. Gaining momentum ever since, this year on October 20 between 5 and 8 p.m., Gilpin Parks and Recreation teamed with Gilpin County School’s Trick or Treat Street to make the event, renamed The Spooky Trick or Treat Stroll, bigger than ever.

The line to purchase wristbands that allowed attendees to partake in the fun and games ran the length of the barn and out its door. Past favorites such as the Fishin’ Hole entertained kids as they lowered their lines with magnets attached into the kiddie pool. Once they had caught and netted a rubber duckie, they were awarded candy and/or prizes for their efforts.

Candy was the common denominator at all of the booths. Timberline Fire’s Ring Toss tested kids’ eye-hand coordination. A “bowl-in-one” was the objective in the T.P. Toss. Reminiscent of a shooting gallery at an old-timey county fair, kids took aim with balls at their targets in Duck Hunt and Oh, Rats.

For a dollar, you could join the Cake Walk. As in musical chairs, participants walked around in a circle, taking a seat when the music stopped. One of the chairs was chosen beforehand as the lucky seat. If you found yourself sitting there, you won a tray of cupcakes. Free hot chocolate and cider was provided by the Friends of the Gilpin Community Center.

As the last leaves of autumn gently tumbled to the ground and daytime transitioned into nighttime, a hayride and a trick-or-treating trail beckoned outside. Running alongside the Rec Center building and winding beyond through the woods, with many stops along the way, delighted children’s buckets and bags quickly filled with sweets.

By then pitch black, the Haunted Stroll was the next stop on the itinerary. Measuring their steps carefully, it was only for the bravehearted who were prepared to be scared out of their wits along the dimly lit eerie pathway. Not far along, Swamp Thing sprang from its hiding place to take your breath away. Svengoolie and Mistress of the Dark Elvira’s Movie Macabre pale in comparison to Gilpin Ambulance Authority’s triple feature of Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Michael Myers, Jason, and Freddy Krueger were all there lurking in the shadows contemplating ghastly deeds. Gravestones, giant spiders, skeletons, decapitated heads, and a witch brewing an evil potion in her cauldron completed the unnerving experience.

To view upcoming events at the Gilpin Community Center, go to www.gilpincounty.colorado.gov/explore-gilpin/parks-and-recreation/ special-events-and-holidays.