The Halloween spirit was in the sea air on October 19, when the Mattapoisett Lions Club hosted its 4th Annual Fall Free Family Fun Festival in Shipyard Park.
Enjoying warm gentle breezes and bright blue skies, families poured into the park to partake of games, snacks, face painting, and being together in celebration of the fall season – and, of course, Halloween.
King Lion Mario Conde sported an ear-to-ear grin as he surveyed the park and the throngs of kids and their adult minders dancing to pumping tunes and gracing the area dressed in costumes.
“We ran out of pumpkins at 2:00 pm,” Conde said with a chuckle.
But giving credit where credit is due, Conde said the event was the brainchild of Kimberly Ray, whose event-planning expertise made the whole thing not only run smoothly, but also possible.
“She couldn’t be here today, but she gave us a spreadsheet and diagram of where to place everything,” said Conde.
Kids played ten pin using pumpkins instead of bowling balls, played corn hole toss, colored in fall and Halloween-themes pictures, and patiently waited for their turn at the ever-popular face painting station.
Families eagerly stood in line for a ride in the hay-filled wagon pulled by a small tractor with Bruce Rocha, longtime Lions Club member, at the wheel. Rocha estimated that by the end of the day, over 400 kids and grown-ups had taken the trip through scenic Mattapoisett village.
There was no shortage of snacks courtesy of the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club with its offering of hot chocolate, apple cider, water, and massive Macintosh apples.
A slightly-less-than-scientific survey found that 50 percent of the children in attendance said that getting candy was the best part of Halloween, while the other half said it was the dressing up that was the most fun.
As the name of the event suggests, the Mattapoisett Lions Club offered this event to the public at no cost, but was fully reimbursed in thousands of smiles and gratitude from the community.
To learn more about the Mattapoisett Lions Club you may visit www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org.
By Marilou Newell