The Clovis Veterans Memorial District held its annual Halloween Spooktacular event on October 30th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Veterans Parkway and 5th Street. Kids participated in several activities like ring toss, arts and crafts, and other carnival style games. The event also included meet and greets with Clovis PD, Clovis firefighters and local veterans groups including the American Legion.
Families in attendance wore Halloween costumes, dressed up as creatures and characters of all types. As in previous years, kids went booth to booth trick or treating, as each booth provided candy to fill their bags and buckets.
Volunteers had an overall sense of happiness to see the good turnout. Firefighter Paul Gilman enjoyed seeing the kids having fun thanks to the involvement of the community.
“Tons of families you know bringing their families out and participate,” Gilman said. “You have the Rotary out here involved with the community, you got the fire department and the police department out here. It’s just a cool community event.”
Organizations like the Central Valley Blue Star Moms volunteer each year to not only bring fun to the community, but also to give a sense of relief and ease to children who have parents who are serving in the military. Blue Star Moms President Marisol Gonzalez talked about what they like to bring each year to the Spooktacular.
“A lot of children actually have parents that are service members, so it’s important to see the community come out and have a good time,” Gonzalez said. “ It’s a safe environment for families and children.”
Some organizations have been participating in Spooktacular since its inception. All in attendance had the benefit of seeing the kids enjoy the annual Halloween event. Veteran August Flach explained what he enjoyed the most about being a part of the event.
“The kids having a great time,” Flach said. “That’s why we’re here. We want the community to realize that every organization that’s out here today is here for one reason, and that’s to celebrate the kids.”
Families were excited to have an event where their kids could enjoy the holiday in a fun and safe environment. Parent Rodolfo Martinez talked about what he experienced that stood out the most to him.
“All the families just being together and the kids just having a good time,” Martinez said. “That’s what it’s all about, really just the kids.”
The Memorial District will now focus on Veterans Day, when they will be hosting a variety of events, including the grand opening of the Community Heritage Center.