Spooky activities of all kinds will come in downtown Nashville on Halloween, Oct. 31, complete with trick or treating, zombie face painting, a Halloween parade and even a pet costume contest.
The plans for a “grandiose” Halloweentown parade and events to promote the holiday have been in the works for a few years, business owner and Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau member Tyra Miller said last week.
“We wanted to start somewhere and this being the first year we are starting out small and hoping this will grow as an annual community event,” she said.
There are about six volunteers helping to put together the event this year and Miller said they would love to add more to their ranks.
For the parade, seven participants with floats or vehicles will make their way through downtown Nashville on Halloween night at 7:30 p.m., including the high school marching band who will kick off the parade and the Nashville Express.
More are welcome to join, Miller said.
To promote community events and holidays is traditionally a great way to get involvement in the community, Miller said.
“We have the Holiday Light Parade and we wanted to build on promoting our holidays and continue to do so,” she added.
The CVB is essentially responsible for promoting the Brown County area.
“We are a destination to most, but we are also a small community,” Miller said
”We need to keep that as an integral part of our community. Community involvement and events are crucial to promoting our area.”
Festivities are not just limited to Halloween night.
There will be a Spooky Tour of downtown Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 29, at a cost of $10 per person, meeting at the visitor center.
The guided tour takes guests through town with a local historian who will tell “spooky tales” of Nashville and Brown County.
At Polly’s Bark Park at 96 Pat Reilly Drive, pets will compete in a costume contest on Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. Prizes will be awarded.
CVB Integrated Marketing Manager Kamady Lewis said that the idea around Halloweentown is to move forward with the event each year, developing it into a days or weeklong tradition for community members and visitors.
With the parade, Spooky Tours, pet costume contest and trick or treating on Artist Drive and the Salt Creek Trail, it all comes together to form one cohesive event, Lewis said, easy for families to attend one or all.
Lewis said the goal moving forward is to facilitate events where everyone attends and building out something that is community rather than tourism based.
Whether or not people participate in all events or just one, people will be able to take part in Halloween however they like.
“We’re making it all work together,” Lewis said.
Trick or treating
Don your best costumes and hit the streets in Nashville on Monday, Oct. 31, as multiple locations in Nashville will offer trick or treating on Monday, Oct. 31.
Trick or treating on Artist Drive and the Salt Creek Trail will be from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Nashville Christian Church, 160 South Van Buren St. will host Trunk-or-Treat from 5 to 8 p.m.
Get ready for a night of spooky fun at the Brown County Visitors Center at 211 South Van Buren St., where visitors can get their faces painted from 5 to 7 p.m.
Candy donations are welcome, too. People can donated individually wrapped candy at the visitors center, YMCA, Brown County Parks and Recreation office and the Brown County Public Library.
In the northern part of the county on Sunday, Oct. 30, Safe Trunk or Treat will be at Sprunica Baptist Church at 3902 Sprunica Road from 4 to 7 p.m.
Want to get involved?
Contact Lori McGee at [email protected].
