By Doug La Rocque
The Halloween celebrations kicked off Saturday afternoon as Grafton Lakes State Park held its 9th Annual Halloween Nature Trail. [private]The event was once again a sellout, as ghosts and goblins of all ages got the chance to walk the trail and help the animals of the forest solve a mystery. What was happening to all the acorns? Seems they disappear each fall.
At each of the five stations along the way, the deer, the owl, the squirrel, the porcupine and the tree spirit all gave the children a brief lesson about the animals and their food sources, in particular, the acorn. It wasn’t all education however, as treats were handed out at each station, as well as cider, doughnuts and the like inside the Shaver Pond Nature Center at the end of the walk.
Halloween evening brought the first ever Trunk or Treat to the Grafton VFW. Many cars and trucks lined up along the driveway, opened trunks and tailgates to show unique Halloween decorations and of course, give trunk or treaters a goodie or two for stopping by.
The event was put on by the Grafton Youth Commission as a safe alternative to trick or treating, and by all accounts, was well received and quite a success, despite the cold weather on top of the mountain.
In Berlin, the village was all decked out in its Halloween finery as usual, while trick or treaters walked the streets gathering their various delicacies.
For the younger ones, the night wrapped up with the annual Halloween Party at the Berlin Fire House, where prizes were handed out for the best costumes, as well as refreshments.[/private]