Saturday turned out to be one of the coldest days so far this fall, and everyone who attended the fifth annual Salisbury Parks and Recreation Halloween Fun Fest knew it.
This year, the Fun Fest had fewer participants, according to Liz Tennent, the Recreation Department’s marketing director.
“I’m just so very thankful that people braved the cold weather to celebrate this year,” she said.
With temperatures clinging to the 40s most of the afternoon, Tennent knew that the turnout this year would probably be lighter than in previous years.
Usually, the parking lot is full, with about 400 to 500 people coming out every year.
This year, children clung to their parents in hope of sharing body heat, and the lines at all of the indoor events, such as the Salisbury Fire Department’s Kid’s Safety House, were long.
About 200 to 250 people braved the blustery temperatures this year.
Tootsie Roll and blue M & M showed up. After those tasty treats, ninjas, cats, witches, lions and even a family of cannibals with a baby in their pot showed up.
Someone dressed up as a headless person, made even scarier since he was carrying his own head.
But, Tennent said, they all were there for one reason. To have fun.
That was the reason the students from Catawba and Livingstone colleges risked the weather. To watch the children have fun. The Catawba students even missed the most important game of the season against Carson Newman to run booths at the festival.
Students from both colleges had booths where children threw everything from bean bags to tennis balls.
After the games, the festival-goers could take part in the downtown trick or treating.
All of the shops in the downtown area had children arriving early, before the official 5 p.m. starting time.
Anyone interested could take a ride through downtown on the Haunted Trolley. The trolley, the newest addition to the Fun Fest, was a welcome one when everyone saw that it had windows to block the chilling wind.
On the trolley, there were ghost stories about Historic Salisbury that made even the bravest of men cry.
No one was safe from the story-telling abilities of Dick Landis.
The National and Lutheran cemeteries, the Meroney Theater and even the Wrenn House took on a new light as ghost story after ghost story unfolded.
Missing feet and murdered piano teachers — Landis left nothing out.
And were all these stories true?
“Oh, absolutely,” said Landis. “Very definitely true stories.”
With children on the trolley, most would have thought that Landis would have glossed over the scary parts just a little, but he didn’t.
Landis even told the story about James A. Reid, who lost his foot when it got run over by a train.
There is a plaque on the wall of the Lutheran Cemetery that says “Here lies the foot of James Reid.”
Now, according to Landis, Reid limps every night, looking for his lost foot.
At the end of the ride, commuters on the trolley were let out in the same place where they started.
Then, they could start all over and do everything again.
Contact reporter Joanie Morris at 704-797-4264 or jmorris@salisburypost.com
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