CARIBOU and WOODLAND, Maine – Just days before the first snowfall hit Aroostook, families were eager to step outside and see what costumed creatures they might find.
Not far from Woodland Consolidated School, a crowd of 20 gathered at the entrance of the Woodland Community Trails as darkness fell Saturday evening. They were the first group of the night to walk through a carnival nightmare featuring zombies, famous clowns like Pennywise and the Joker, the Texas Chainsaw murderer and several creepy fortune tellers.
Everyone was in costume, of course, but that did not stop Paula Thomas, president of Woodland’s Parent-Teacher Association and head organizer of the Haunted Walk, from having a little fun with the spectacle.
“We wanted it to feel like you’re really in a carnival. A lot of people are scared of clowns, so we didn’t want them to be too scared. But, to be honest, I want people to be really scared,” Thomas said, while dressed head to toe in multi-colored clown clothes.
Thomas led each group through a winding wooded path of circus-themed scares, including a fun house-themed maze and another where folks could not tell exactly where the sound of a chainsaw was coming from. All while avoiding pesky clowns.
Woodland’s Haunted Walk began in 2011 at the home of town residents Andy and Tiffany Dodd. The walk became so popular that the event moved to the school in 2014 and has been a community staple ever since.
This year’s walk featured a longer, more scary version and a short cut out of the woods for anyone who had enough spooks for the night.
The walk proved to be a little too haunted for Woodland residents Andrew and Meeka Ketch’s children Ellavie, 8, Braeline, 7, and Thorne, 5.
“It’s scary,” Ellavie said.
A less scary but still fun scene unfolded outside Caribou Wellness & Recreation Center Saturday night. Thousands of costumed children and parents lined up around the nearly 30 vehicles parked for the annual Trunk or Treat.
Caribou Parks & Recreation began holding Trunk or Treat in 2019. Since then, only one of the events, in 2020, was cancelled due to COVID. The event has gotten bigger every Halloween, said Gary Marquis, Parks & Recreation superintendent.
“We had 1,500 kids this year, around the same as last year,” Marquis said.
It’s a simple concept: area business owners decorate the back of a vehicle with festive Halloween themes, dress up in costume and give away candy. Families get to trick or treat in a safe environment away from traffic, Marquis said.
Rowen Rossignol, 10, of Caribou was dressed in one of the larger costumes of the evening: the red devil creature from the popular video game “Among Us.” He was joined by sister Aiyanna Rossignol, 3, dressed as a princess, and friend MaryAnne Creed, 10, of Caribou, a Minnie Mouse cheerleader.
“We’re here for all the fun and the candy, of course,” said Rowen and Aiyanna’s mother, Cassandra Rossignol.
