Hiawatha Parks and Recreation wrapped up certainly one of their busiest months to this point and Director Stacy Jasper stated she was thrilled with all of the participation and actions.
“We had a incredible month: 9 applications with a whole bunch of members,” she stated. “We went continuous with not a lot down time, however that’s how we desire it!”
Jasper and her crew hosted the Glow on the Go Enjoyable Run/Stroll on the Metropolis Lake on Oct. 2 with over 60 folks having fun with the neon stroll. The next week, HP&R participated within the HHS Group Service Day-getting help with parks tasks together with scraping the Lake Shelters, area upkeep on Paul Rockey Subject and portray strains on the Crestview basketball courtroom. Flag Soccer video games and tourneys wrapped up mid-October.
“We had a extremely nice season with the HHS Soccer Staff Teaching this 12 months,” she stated. “Previously, I’ve had a handful of excessive schoolers serving to out, however this 12 months, we went all in and the littles liked it! We capped off our season with a Youth Soccer Evening on Oct. 15 the place all of Hiawatha’s youth groups (flag and sort out) bought to go onto the sphere because the Pink Hawks ran by means of our tunnels for his or her closing residence sport. It was a fairly large deal for these youthful children seeing the environment and feeling the thrill. I feel the highschool group thought it was fairly cool too to have an additional 75 kiddos to run by means of.”
Subsequent up was all issues Halloween for HP&R as they handed out over 55 youth and grownup Halloween To-Go Kits.
“We have now actually liked doing these every month,” she stated. “We put collectively just a little bag of festive video games, crafts and treats and the children completely love them. We provided an grownup bag this month as properly, full of recipes and a DIY Halloween wreath.”
The Monster Maze was held within the Fisher Middle Gymnasium from Oct. 18-21, a reasonably new program for Parks & Rec.
“We got here up with this concept in 2020, after we wanted a spaced out occasion throughout the Covid season,” Jasper stated. “This 12 months, we had over 30 Halloween inflatables all through the gymnasium, along with a spooky spider net crammed hallway main in to the Maze.”
Over 300 folks went by means of the Maze throughout its 4 days, with a number of coming a number of days.
“This was our child pleasant haunted home for this 12 months and I feel our neighborhood actually loved it.”
Starting in 2017, HP&R has hosted the Terror on the Path, an outside wagon experience across the haunted strolling path. The occasion was held in 2018 and 2019, however was not held in 2020 as a consequence of Covid.
“The Terror on the Path has been a really profitable occasion for HP&R, seeing crowds of 450-500 every year. However after 3 years, we would have liked one thing new, only a change in surroundings and scare,” Jasper stated.
This 12 months, HP&R hosted the Competition of Frights, an indoor haunted home on the Fisher Middle. Jasper says Chris Diller was her go-to man to plan the massive occasion.
“Chris and I’ve a significant factor in frequent: we LOVE Halloween and we LOVE to plan and dream up of the way to offer an entertaining expertise every year,” Jasper stated. “Chris and I’ve labored collectively for 4 occasions now, and this 12 months’s was the best possible. We sat down late summer time and actually mapped out our concepts for the haunted home, bouncing off concepts to one another and developing with extra as we spoke. He was so instrumental within the Competition of Frights this 12 months…..with all of his props, his maze-building and his time for all of it. I owe him essentially the most for our success.”
And profitable it was! The occasion was provided on two nights, with the primary night time seeing 118 folks by means of and 317 the second night time.
“As soon as we bought our facility all assembled, adorned and I walked my volunteer Haunters by means of, I simply knew it was going to be successful,” she stated.
The Competition of Frights turned the Fisher Middle right into a 9 half walk-way, every room or hallway with a special theme.
“I had 25 Haunters all through the constructing every night time. They had been both dressed in keeping with scene or just lurking within the darkness of the maze,” Jasper continued. “We staged areas with terrifying clowns, creepy dolls, a spider net crammed hallway, a spooky cemetery, witches galore, a dysfunctional morgue, a bloody butcher store and a building scene full with a chainsaw-chase to finish the tour. I’m telling you, we REALLY scared some folks!”
The frightful occasion noticed acquainted Hiawatha faces and moreover, crowds from Atchison, Seneca, Horton, Falls Metropolis, Sabetha and Highland.
“I even had the possibility to hang-out this 12 months and that was one of the enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had,” she stated. “Almost all my Haunters have been part of all 4 of our haunted occasions in order that they knew precisely what to do – and had been tremendous grateful to be indoors!”
People who volunteered to scare by means of the Competition of Frights had been Chris Diller, Brenna Letzinger, Tessa Jones, Lainey Lock, Frank Newell, Jill Sprick, Nancy Weingart, Joyce Bauer, Connie Mathewson, Sara Garrett, Linda Lock, Rhett Lock, Matt Lock, James Floyd, Jeff Paskevitch, Brady Jasper, Stuart Mathewson, Dusty Jones, Dave Jackson, Mark Sudbeck, Heath Simmer, Andy Grathwohl, Susy Overdick and Quentin Overdick, with Tish Sims and Jennie McCullough taking tickets.
A climate delay pushed the Nice Pumpkin Relay to Saturday, Oct. 30 and was held at the highschool observe, with 16 costumed members – all carrying a pumpkin baton as they handed it alongside relay-style to their teammates. And on Halloween, HP&R hosted two extra occasions to finish the Frolic with Trunk or Deal with and Witches’ Evening Out.
“We noticed about 140 kiddos by means of this 12 months’s Trunk or Deal with and I had 9 households/companies host a trunk.”
These volunteering with trunks had been the Simpson/Hinton/Sheldon households with a Ghostbusters theme; Corinne Weldon and Brynne Swearingen with a Candyland theme; the HHS NHS group with a Misc. Halloween theme; HP&R with a Frankenstein theme; John and Nancy Weingart with a Vampire Kisses theme; Ag Companions with a Sweet theme; GNBank with a Jurassic Park theme; Emily Chandler’s household and the Breakout Youngsters Membership with a Biggest Showman/Circus theme; and KANZA with their Scooby Doo theme. HP&R selected the Breakout Youngsters Membership as “Most Artistic” for his or her bus turned circus set-up whereas the Weingart household was voted “Spookiest” with their vampire themed trunk. The “Crowd Favourite” was awarded to the Ghostbusters Trunk, full with Slimer, Ghostbusters, the Keep Puft Marshmallow Man and characters Dana Barrett and Louis Tully.
Later that night, HP&R co-hosted the first annual Witches’ Evening Out, a ticketed occasion for ladies to socialize, store and paint a Halloween themed-canvas. Over 40 witches loved the occasion, additionally hosted by the Hiawatha Chamber and Guests Bureau.
“October was so busy for us,” Jasper stated. “However we liked each second of it. It’s my favourite month of the 12 months as a result of we simply pack it so full with neighborhood occasions.”
And people efforts didn’t go unnoticed as Hiawatha Parks and Recreation was acknowledged because the Hiawatha Chamber & Guests Bureau’s Member of the Month.
“I bought the decision and was simply so glad for my division,” Jasper stated. “Not that we want any reward for doing our job, however I’m grateful for the chance to acknowledge my workers for his or her onerous work too. It takes all 4 of us after which some to tug off our occasions and make our services clear and secure.”
Subsequent up for HP&R will likely be a protracted record of winter actions, beginning with the fifth annual Turkey Trot 5K and Mile Enjoyable Run on Sunday, Nov. 21.
“I’ve bought 76 pre-registered for the Trot, which is at all times our largest race of the 12 months,” she stated.
Jasper famous that every one ages can nonetheless join the anticipated time 5K and enjoyable run however won’t get a memento shirt. Turkey Time To-Go kits for the youth are being provided now as properly. Merely name 742-7176 to order one.
Different actions embody Grownup Coed Volleyball, Triple Risk Basketball, Jingle & Mingle To-Go Kits for youth and adults, Santa Mail, the Reindeer Run, the Sweet Cane Hunt, and extra.
“I’m within the midst of engaged on a couple of new applications as properly, together with Yoga, Decide-up Pickleball and a Soup Swap,” she stated. “All of our winter flyers will likely be out throughout the subsequent week with all particulars of every occasion. Take a look at our Fb web page for that information!”
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