LAKE STEVENS — Children in costumes are scheduled to take over Main Street again this Halloween night.
The annual Lake Stevens Family-Safe Downtown Halloween Festival is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Sunday with a costume parade. Participants in the parade will begin lining up at 4:45 p.m. at the Lake Stevens Boys &Girls Club at 1609 E. Lakeshore Drive in Lake Stevens.
The event is just the beginning of a festive and safe night, said Kristen Mueller, a program coordinator at the Lake Stevens Family Center. The festival, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. along Main Street, will also include carnival games at the Lake Stevens Community Center, trick-or-treating at downtown businesses, a trick-or-trunk event with classic cars, free photos and a chance to go through a not-so-haunted house.
The festival helps ensure that local trick-or-treaters are not walking down a dark street alone on Halloween night, Mueller said.
“In many ways, it’s just trying to keep all the kids safe on one night,” she said.
The Lake Stevens Family Center at 1803 123rd Drive NE held the first festival with support from local service groups and merchants in October 2002.
“Prior to this event being structured the way it is, the police would get call after call for just malicious mischief and kids doing the tricks instead of the treats, and they say those calls are almost nonexistent now,” said Kathleen Friend, program manager at the Lake Stevens Family Center.
Firefighters and police officers are typically part of the festival and help lead the parade, according to Friend. The Lake Stevens Fire Safety House is decorated and becomes the popular not-so-haunted house near the Lake Stevens Family Center.
The Lake Stevens Family Center lets kids search through racks of costumes to exchange their costumes from previous years and accepts registrations to be part of a chili cook-off during the Downtown Halloween Festival. Chili samples will be available for $1 during the event.
The money raised from the chili cook-off is put toward the center’s annual holiday giving program where businesses and individuals help buy gifts for children and people with disabilities. The center began registering people for the program on Oct. 18. Several businesses have put in early requests to help buy gifts, Friend said.
“I think people for the most part are recognizing this is a really challenging time for people,” she said.
People who are interested in entering the chili cook-off or learning more about the center’s holiday giving program can visit the Lake Stevens Family Center, call the office at 425-397-7433 or go to www.lakestevensfamilycenter.org.
Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.
Halloween in north county
Arlington: Hometown Halloween events on Saturday along Olympic Avenue in downtown Arlington include a pumpkin decorating contest at 10:30 a.m. at Arlington Hardware; a pumpkin pie contest at noon at Legion Park; trick-or-treat at participating businesses at noon; costume contests at 1 p.m. at the park; and a Great Pumpkin Roll at 1:30 p.m. from the top of the First Street hill.
Granite Falls: Businesses throughout town plan to be open for Halloween fun on Sunday. Trick-or-treaters ages 5 to 12 are invited to the Granite Falls Historical Museum costume party from 4 to 7 p.m. at 109 E. Union St. Police officers also plan to serve hot dogs and hot chocolate from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Police Station, 205 S. Granite Ave.
Marysville: The annual Teen Halloween Haunted Egg Hunt is set for 7 Friday night at Jennings Memorial Park, 6915 Armar Road, for ages 11 through 15. Bring a bag and a flashlight. Cost is $3.
Stanwood: The Haunted House at the Stanwood Community and Senior Center, 7430 276th St. NW is open from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For $5, participants age 5 and older can ride the haunted elevator to the haunted cafeteria.
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