Family events in Port Huron, Marine City & Ira Township
By Barb Pert Templeton
The organizers of family Halloween events across St. Clair County this weekend certainly hope the weather cooperates, although this trio of events will be hosted rain or shine.
Here are a few places to take the kids to enjoy one last Halloween 2024 hurrah.
Port Huron
The fun will begin at Sanborn Park in Port Huron on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. with the city’s annual Halloween Trick or Treat Stroll. Participating trick-or-treaters will enter the park every 30 minutes with the last group gaining admittance at 12:30 p.m. Many tickets have been sold in advance but the day of the event tickets are $12 each and, on a cash, only basis.
Along the stroll, trick-or-treaters will receive candy or treats from nearly 30 local businesses and organizations as they walk the route. Participants will encounter Halloween inflatables and scenes, cider, donut holes from Chef Shell’s Restaurant and Catering and a petting zoo. In addition, children and adults may ride in a trackless, mini train that loops around Sanborn Park at no additional cost. Parking is available for free at the park. The event concludes at 12:30 p.m.
Sandborn Park is located at 1919 Sanborn Street in the city.
Marine City
The debut of Trunk or Treat on Water Street in Marine City will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27. Hosted by the Marine City Maritime Days Festival, plans for the event were hatched after a very successful Maritime Days Festival was hosted in the city in August, according to Maritime Days President, Tammi Graber.
A desire to host a free holiday event for the community and deciding to host it on a Sunday, which is often family day, got the ball rolling and after that volunteers and local business sponsors started lining up to help.
Counting individuals, non-profit groups, churches and area businesses, the trunk or treat has 60 stops for kids to pickup candy and treats along the street. Trunk volunteers have been encouraged to decorate their stations any way that they want and show up a bit early to make sure they are ready to pass out candy at 2 p.m.
In addition to the Trunk or Treat Graber said there will be a juggler performing at 3 p.m., local fire trucks on display and even some pony rides compliments of Day Dreams Farms. She said the Maritime Days Committee will have a station passing out cookies and coco and the local business, The Painted Toad, will welcome kids to stop in at their studio to paint a pumpkin. The pumpkins, which will not be real pumpkins but more like a souvenir plastic that kids can take home, will be given to the first 100 children who stop by, Graber said.
Seeing this event come to life on Water Street, with so many volunteers and sponsors stepping forward to help is very gratifying for Graber. She hopes to make the Halloween event an annual thing in Marine City and is already making plans for a possible Easter Egg Hunt in the spring.
“As long as we have volunteers, we can keep doing these things for the community,” Graber said.
Ira Township
Ira Township Parks and Recreation will host their annual Trick and Treat through the Trails at Ira Township Municipal Park on Sunday, October 27, 2023. The event starts at 2:00 pm.
The public’s invited to stop by and enjoy treats, games and refreshments in the park and on the trails.
“This is a fun event and great way for national honor society students and scouts to earn community service credits,” Cindy Babisz, with Ira Township Parks and Recreation said.
Volunteers and sponsors have been encouraged to get creative to host a fun, spooky station in the trails.
Babisz said sponsors help contribute toward the prizes, treats and general decorations that are used to decorate the trails.
Visitors can enter the park from 7085 Meldrum Road entrance, the Shortcut Road entrance will be closed for safety.