Nashua Parks and Rec Hosts Fall Fright Festival

From Nashua Parks & Recreation Department:

NASHUA, NH - What do you get when you combine the Gate City Fall Festival with the City’s long history of Fright Night? An even better tradition from the City of Nashua offering more family-friendly fun, games, and entertainment. It’s the Fall Fright Night Festival!

Nashua Parks & Recreation encourages families to enjoy the festival on Friday, Oct. 28 from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm – rain or shine - at Greeley Park all around the Rotary stage with haunted hayrides and the haunted maze walk - for those who dare - starting at 6:00 pm.

Area non-profits and local businesses with activity booths invite participants to enjoy arts and crafts, games, and interactive learning experiences throughout the evening. The Nashua Public Library, Triangle Credit Union, and Southern NH Medical Center are just some of the many, many vendors on hand as well as the Nashua Department of Health & Public Services which will offer free vaccines for attendees in the City’s mobile health unit. All those children receiving vaccines will get a gift bag courtesy of the City.

Department Director, Bobbie Bagley said the Fall Fright Night Festival is a wonderful opportunity for families to get flu shots if they haven’t had time to take off work and bring themselves and their children to the Health Center.

“We are happy to be part of this city-wide event,” said Bagley, “so we are making the most of an occasion that brings so many of our children together for some healthy fun. My job is to help keep them healthy in the school year ahead. The free on-site clinic gives our community a much better chance of weathering flu season which is particularly dangerous for young children.”

The signature attraction for the first-ever Fall Fright Night Festival is the costume parade at 4:00 pm for children grades K through 5 on Rotary stage. Paul Shea of Great American Downtown will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Terrific prizes will be awarded for Most Funny, Most Original, and Most Scary from a distinguished panel of judges including Mike LaChance, Executive Director, YMCA; Ashlee Norwood, Nashua Public Library; and Carolyn Choate, honorary chair of the Fall Fright Night Festival.

“I’m just tickled orange that Mayor Donchess asked me to help put this event together,” said Choate, “I have such fond memories of my children enjoying Fright Night when they were a little older but now this new, reconfigured event is so inclusive with children of all ages finding their comfort zone at one terrific event in the crown jewel of our city’s park system.”

Choate added that through working with Nashua’s Park & Recreation Department, Director Nick Caggiano; Programming Manager, Tom Dwane; and Assistant, Kellie Oberholtzer, she has an enormous amount of respect and deeper appreciation for the hard work they do on behalf of the community.

Following the Costume Parade, the crowd, expected to number from 800 to 1500 children and parents, will want to stick around for all the fabulous performers and acts on stage. Patches the Clown will amaze everyone with her balloon animal-making skills while Anna the caricaturist will capture all the silly faces she can and give them away.

Additional performances on Rotary stage will be presented by Allegro Dance Academy, Peacock Players, Nashua Community Music School’s Recycled Trashcan Band, and others.

For those accustomed to the traditional Fright Night experience, they will be happy – and spooked – to know that Parks & Rec has been working hard to scare you with the Haunted Maze in the community garden area of Greeley Park adjacent to the horse shoe pits. The Haunted Maze begins at 6:00 pm.

Likewise, the Haunted Hayrides will proceed at 6:00 pm, across Concord Street on the west side of the park in the barbeque area.

For more information, call Nashua Department of Parks & Recreation, 603-589-3360.

Image via Nashua Parks & Recreation Department.