Grinning, gaping skeletons have popped up all over downtown Franklin.
Bony figures are sitting at cafe tables, stirring up a sinister soup and shedding weight on an elliptical machine. They’re kicking their feet up in the bathtub and pushing old-fashioned plows in their overalls.
Though each is dressed up and posed differently, the skeletons all come to herald the same thing: a frightfully fun new community event in Franklin.
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The skeletons are part of a transformation of the downtown area into Halloween Town, as spooks, sprites and ghouls gather for a ghostly good time on Oct. 27. Take part in a frightening family 5K, dress up your pet for an animal costume contest, and celebrate the season with a Halloween carnival.
Party with Frankenstein and tiptoe through a haunted log cabin. Enjoy hayrides, pumpkin painting and showing of “Young Frankenstein” at the Artcraft.
Then tie the whole night together with trick-or-treating at downtown businesses and then a community trunk-or-treat.
“It all ties together with a desire to do something big for Halloween. I’ve found out that a lot of people love Halloween. I didn’t know before we started this, but people are excited,” said Holly Johnston, speical events director for Franklin Parks and Recreation. “We wanted something free, that was a whole day of fun activities for the whole family.”
The new event is actually built from pieces of other longtime Franklin Halloween traditions that the community has enjoyed for years, Johnston said.
The parks department has organized a Halloween-themed 5K on a late-October Friday, and hosted a trunk-or-treat event the following night on Saturday. When plans were put in place to add a Halloween-themed 5K race, it was originally scheduled for Friday night.
But organizers decided it made more sense to combine the two on one day, rather than spread it out over two, Johnston said.
“Normally, we’d have to stay late Friday night, then come back on Saturday, so this was much easier,” she said.
Halloween Town was made possible with a $2,500 grant from Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism organization. One of the group’s primary goals was to encourage new events, and this fit into that.
“It’s been a big help to have funds from them to get this started,” Johnston said. “People have come out of the woodwork with ideas for next year, so I think it’s going to be a fun day.”
With the Pumpkins in the Park 5K in the morning, and trunk-or-treat at night, the next challenge was building activities to keep people entertained all throughout the day. Parks officials didn’t have to search very far for options.
They worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin, which traditionally hosts a Halloween party, to weave their spooky carnival into the mix.
Organizers also partnered with Sarah Taylor at the Johnson County Public Library to weave one of their events into the festivities. The library was planning a Frankenfest, part of their monthlong celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” They wanted to have a read-a-thon of the novel, as well as games, activities and other Frankenstein-themed attractions.
“It’s the culmination of everything we’ve been doing all month around Frankenstein,” said Sarah Taylor, programming manager at Johnson County Public Library.
Other Franklin organizations have stepped forth to contribute to the festivities as well.
Outside of B2S Life Sciences, mad scientists will show kids how to make slime, analyze the colors in different types of candy and see how dry ice works. The company is currently renovating its headquarters in downtown Franklin, and wanted to do something to introduce themselves to the broader community.
“It’ll be some cool little science experiments,” said Amber Bechert, quality manager for B2S Life Sciences. “It helps bring awareness that we’re the only biotech company in Franklin, and it helps us to bond with the community.”
The Johnson County Museum of History planned to hauntify their historic Hendricks log cabin, featuring historic re-enactors and Halloween-themed crafts.
At the Artcraft Theatre, “Young Frankenstein” is set to be the featured movie for the weekend.
The day will feature pumpkin painting, a magic show, face painting and balloon making. Hayrides will take people throughout Province Park and around downtown. A DJ will set the tone with appropriately spooky music.
Silly Safari is set to present creepy, crawly animals, while the Howl-O-Ween costume contest will let people dress up their pets to get in the holiday spirit.
No Halloween-themed party would be complete without the trick-or-treating aspect, and the festival will have multiple opportunities for kids to load up on goodies.
Downtown businesses plan to pass out candy in late afternoon before ceding to the massive Trick Your Trunk gathering on North Main Street near the Artcraft.
“We already have several businesses signed up, and we’ll put out a map the week leading into it to let people know where they can trick-or-treat at the businesses,” Johnston said. “This was a good way to get them involved.”
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Halloween Town
What: A new community festival focused on Halloween-centric activities.
When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 27
Where: Downtown Franklin
Schedule
- 9 a.m.: Pumpkins in the Park 5K Run/Walk and 1-mile family fun walk, registration starts at 8 a.m. at the Franklin Recreation Center, 396 Branigin Blvd. Cost is $20 for the 5K, $2 for the family fun walk.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Hay rides, starting at the courthouse square
- 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Mummy Manor, Johnson County Museum of History, 135 N. Main St.
- 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Frankenfest, Johnson County Public Library services center, 49 E. Monroe St., enjoy a "Frankenstein" read-a-thon, activities, crafts, photo opportunities and more.
- 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Games and crafts, courthouse square
- Noon: Howl-O-Ween pet costume contest registration, courthouse square
- Noon to 3 p.m.: Pumpkin painting, JP Parker Flowers, 377 E. Jefferson St.; free fall photos, Salvage Sisters, 398 E. Jefferson St.
- 12:30 p.m.: Howl-O-Ween pet costume contest, courthouse square
- 1 to 2 p.m.: Magic show, courthouse square
- 2 and 7:30 p.m., "Young Frankenstein," Artcraft Theatre, 57 N. Main St.
- 2 to 4 p.m.: Kids’ lab experiments, B2S Life Sciences, 97 E. Monroe St.
- 3 to 5 p.m.: Face painting, balloon making, courthouse square; Halloween Carnival, Boys and Girls Club of Franklin, 101 Hurricane St.
- 4 to 5 p.m.: Silly Safari, courthouse square
- 4 to 6 p.m.: Trick-the-Town trick-or-treating at downtown businesses
- 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Trick Your Trunk, a safe trick-or-treating experience on North Main Street near the Artcraft Theatre.
Information: franklinparks.org
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Monster Mash
When: 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Greenwood Community Center, 100 Surina Way
What: Greenwood Parks puts on its spookiest face with music, dancing, food and of course, trick-or-treating. Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. Tickets for the hayride and hot dog dinner are $2 per person.
Information: greenwood.in.gov
Spooktacular
When: Noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 27
Where: Greenwood Public Library, 310 S. Meridian St.
What: A community Halloween party featuring crafts, games, trick-or-treating and more.
Information: greenwoodlibrary.us
Carni-Fall
When: 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 27
Where: Independence Park, 2100 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood
What: Staff members from the Johnson County Parks and the White River library will have carnival games, crafts and trick-or-treating along the story walk.
Information: jocoparks.com
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