Halloween Fall Festival Set for Saturday

The will be transformed into a haunted red carpet event Saturday during Temple Terrace’s annual .

The event features indoor trick-or-treating, hayrides, carnival games and a haunted house from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and a costume parade and contest from 8 to 8:30 p.m.

“It’s something that the city always looks forward to,” said Joel Spinks, a city special events coordinator.

This year’s theme is a Hollywood Premiere, so the haunted house will be set up like a movie scene being filmed and a back lot, said Spinks, who helped out with haunted houses at some of the city’s previous Halloween Festivals before becoming special events coordinator about six months ago.

“It’s fun,” he said of the event.

Rec Center staff members decorate five or six office doors and let kids trick-or-treat. They’ll hand out candy, chalk, toothpaste and beach balls. Kids will also get candy as prizes at the carnival games, Spinks said.

The night ends with a costume parade and contest. Prizes will be awarded to one family and kids in different age groups. This year, Old World Cheese Shop has donated lunch for two, has given two passes, has provided a $10 gift card, and the Rec Center is offering free tennis lessons.

The event costs $5 per child, and parents get in free.

“It’s something that’s safe and not stressful,” Spinks said.