Halloween Town

“As the season turn to fall, Hunterdon begins to prepare

Because during late October, it’s time to face a scare”

As Halloween approaches once again, the normal unnatural amenities begin to pop up in front yards across the country. Gravestones, fake cobwebs, ghosts, ghouls, and monsters of all sorts propped up on lawns and in trees. There’s horror movie marathons running on television, candy flies off of store shelves, and pumpkins seem to appear out of nowhere on every front porch step. Despite the current pandemic, Halloween is still a favorite local holiday, especially with the several different ways it can be celebrated. Traditional trick or treating is always a welcome tradition that is encouraged by the decorations that appear all over the place and grow in numbers by the day, but that’s not the only way to celebrate the Halloween mood. 

Almost all of the elementary schools in Hunterdon County and surrounding areas have an annual Halloween parade. Students and teachers alike wear costumes to school, lining the hallways in their unique and colorful costumes. Then, in the middle of the school day, the kids parade outside the school, walking with their class in a celebration of their colorful outfits. The parents of those children line the path, celebrating the cheerful and less spooky side of Halloween. In Flemington, an annual scarecrow building contest is hosted by the town. Families can enter into the contest by building a scarecrow to be displayed on Main Street, and the winners receive gift cards to local businesses. 

However, if you’re into the more spooky and scary side of Halloween, there’s something for you as well. Located at 1051 County Road 523 in Flemington is Schaefers Farm, host of the  annual “Farm of Horrors” event. This year, taking place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from September 25th to November 6th, you can experience the horrors the farm has to offer. While the event is split into four separate attractions, many opt for the full experience, which includes a corn maze, a haunted hayride, a haunted house, and more. 

While it’s fun to go all out celebrating the spookiest day of the year, you do not need to do anything complex to celebrate the holiday. You can, for example, just trick or treat around your neighborhood, which is popular among younger kids. However, if you want a simpler and much shorter trick or treating experience, there’s always trunk or treating. Located all over Hunterdon, instead of walking around whole neighborhoods for candy, you can do it all from the comfort of a single parking lot. All you need to do is walk a single parking spot away instead of walking to the next house over. One of the places where this happens is the church located by BJ’s and the Hunterdon Hospital.

Speaking of trick or treating, nothing matches the Halloween spirit more than the sight of carved pumpkins and haunted jack-o-lanterns. While there are several pumpkin patches where you can get your pumpkins from, one special way to get them is to take a ride on the Black River & Western Railroad. After paying the fee to take the train itself, you’re taken to a corn maze and pumpkin picking field, where each pumpkin is only $5. There are also several activities to do while you’re there, but the whole event, including the train rides, lasts about 2 and a half hours.

Finally, on Halloween night, the main street of Flemington holds a Halloween parade. Starting at 4:30 pm, and lasting until 6:30pm, anyone aged 0 to 13 gets to march down Main Street for the chance to win prizes for their costumes. The best part is, everything included in the parade is completely free. 

No matter how you celebrate Halloween, there’s a way for everyone in Hunterdon to get into the Halloween spirit and celebrate the weirdness of this holiday. Whether that’s haunted houses, costumes, horror movies, candy, decorations, or even just classic trick or treating, Halloween is a holiday that anyone can enjoy, no matter how big or small their celebration is.