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Lines of costumed children and adults snaked around downtown Warsaw from Buffalo and Market to Center and Lake to Buffalo and Main and all the way from Center and Indiana streets down to the Old Jail Museum for Friday night’s Breakfast Optimist Downtown Spooktacular.
The hundreds of ghouls, princesses and other assorted characters at the annual event were all after the same thing - candy. Buckets and bags of candy.
“We’re very happy with tonight,” said Nora Christiansen, Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Warsaw events coordinator. “The weather is great, and we’ve had loads of people and our vendors are really excited to be here.”
There were over 50 vendors handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters in the community, she said. Indiana state Rep. Craig Snow, District 22, went a little further and was offering hot dogs and chips.
“So we’ve got kids all over the Buffalo and Center streets intersection, and everybody is just having a great time,” Christiansen said.
While the lines were moving along, secret judges were walking around and handing out tickets to all the kids who the judges believed should win a prize. Prizes could be claimed at the table at the intersection of Center and Buffalo streets.
Christiansen said there were loads of categories for infants to adults, as well as a group category. The vendors also decorated their booths and tables for a contest.
For the prizes, Christiansen said the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club donated the bulk of the money. The River Coffeehouse, Eastlake Skating Center and Cloud 9 Multisports also donated prizes.
The Spooktacular replaces Third Friday for the month of October and is held on the fourth Friday, a week before Halloween. It took place from 5 to 7 p.m. as it starts to get chilly and dark by 7.
There’s no Third Friday in November. December’s event will be on Dec. 5 for the Twinkle Light Parade and the Christmas Celebration.
“We’d love to have people out,” Christiansen concluded.
