Clovis community events celebrate Halloween season together

A variety of locally-grown pumpkins are on display and ready to be picked out at The Grove of Old Town Clovis Pumpkin Patch. The Grove is one of multiple attractions held in Clovis to kick off the Halloween season. CHRISTIAN MATTOS/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

New and old traditions are coming to Clovis this fall. With Halloween around the corner, there are plenty of fun events for the community to celebrate the spooky season together.

Throughout the month of October, residents can stop by The Grove of Old Town Clovis Pumpkin Patch to pick out some of the festive squash for jack-o-lanterns and cooking.

Located at 841 Clovis Ave., owner Shanna Collotzi runs the family business with her brother and their families. She said their goal was to open a pumpkin patch with local produce for Clovis to enjoy.

The Grove features 24 different varieties of pumpkins grown by the owners themselves, “with blood, sweat and tears,” Collotzi joked. The pumpkin patch also features a mini hay bale maze, carnival rides, a funhouse for kids and local musical acts on the weekends. The Grove is open every day of October from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“We really feel that [the pumpkin patch] provides a family-friendly environment to the community and being a part of Old Town Clovis we felt was really important to bring the business here, local,” Collotzi said.

Other organizations are celebrating Halloween a bit early for extra family fun. Both the Clovis Veterans Memorial District and the Sierra Vista Mall are hosting their own events that are equal parts spooks and safety.

The Clovis Veterans Memorial District is holding the first annual Halloween Spooktacular on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Liberty Ballroom.

This Spooktacular event is inspired by past traditions in Old Town Clovis, which included trick-or-treating downtown and returning to the District’s gymnasium for a movie night, said marketing associate Sarah Wood.

Now, with help from the community and military organizations, a new tradition is beginning. With games, crafts, face painting and even a bounce house air racer, there are plenty of activities to enjoy while supporting a good cause.

“It is absolutely free to attend, we’re just asking if possible for everyone to bring a canned food donation to benefit the Salvation Army,” Wood said. “We really hope [the Spooktacular] lightens up the community and supports fellowship among everyone here in Clovis.”

Sierra Vista Mall is holding the fourth annual BooFest on Friday, Oct. 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. inside the mall and outside at the Community Park.

Sponsored by the Clovis Police Department, the free event will include face painting, carnival games, costume contests, mall-wide trick-or-treating and more. Children will also be able to go trunk-or-treating in the parking lot at Community Park, where local organizations and businesses will have decorated cars for the event.

“You get to dress up and go trick-or-treating at one of the main hubs in Clovis,” said Natalie Khan, the marketing director at Sierra Vista Mall.

Also attending BooFest are Bumblebee and Iron Man robots from the Mega Legends party service, spiders from the Arachnid Society and Reptile Ron with his reptiles, Khan said.

Children and teenagers up to age 16 can register for the costume contest by Oct. 24, and organizations who want to take part in the trunk-or-treating can contact the Clovis Police Department or the mall to get involved.