The Board of Directors of the Chillicothe Halloween Festival are proud to present the third annual festival on October 11th through 13th in Yoctangee Park. The festival was created to provide a safe and family-fun atmosphere for patrons to celebrate the season while giving back to the community.
For the third year, the committee has expanded the festival to include additional activities and entertainment for patrons to enjoy. There will be a larger area for kids that will include inflatables such as bounce houses, a mechanical spider, water rollers, paddle boats, and an enclosed laser tag arena. The haunted house will return again this year to add to the thrill of the Halloween season.
Entertainment for the festival will feature eight local and regional bands. Headlining the event will be Six to Noon, Felony4, and Far From Angels. Also performing will be Ben True & the Basement Collective, Good n Stout, Dylan Stulley, Dallas Band, and CT Junction. Also in attendance will be actor-director Jeremy Ambler of AMC's The Walking Dead and Netfix's The Haunting of Hill House, and Special Effects artist Corey McCauley (The Bye Bye Man, Fear Clinic, Myth, Fighting the Sky).
Contests will include a Pumpkin Carving Contest where patrons will carve their pumpkins prior to the festival and enter for bragging rights and to be displayed throughout the festival. With a Costume Contest taking place on Saturday of the event with two divisions for children ages 5-16 and adults 17 and older. Categories include scariest, funniest, most original/creative, and best couple. Winners in each category/division will receive $50 cash prize and a trophy. The final contest is the Coffin Races, a soapbox derby style race, where team of 3-5 contestants will enter their homemade coffins to race for cash prizes and medallions.
In addition to planning the festival, the board has worked with local artist, Tony Keaton, to design a new mascot for the logo and celebrity SFX artist, Corey McCauley to cast the mask to bring it to life. The mascot, named Jack, made his debut at Ghost Walk, and will be at the festival to greet patrons and for photo opportunities.