Events and Activities : Vinton Parks & Recreation to host frightenly-fun Halloween events

Something spooky is in the air and we want to celebrate it! This weekend, the Vinton Parks & Recreation Department will play host to a number of frighteningly-fun Halloween-themed events.

- In the evening of Friday, October 30, the Vinton Skate & Activity Center will be the place to be for a scary good time. Open Skate from 7 PM to 9 PM will feature our annual Halloween Costume Party. Anyone dressing up in a costume will receive a $1 discount off the regular admission price. Remember, a costume that counts for the discount is not just a mask, kids! We’ll also have prizes for the guys and ghouls wearing the best costumes! Regular skate admission is just $4.50 per person.

Also, putting alone on the mini-golf course is difficult but just try and see what happens when monsters and zombies are thrown in the mix! Join us Friday night to play a round of glow-in-the-dark Ghostly Glow Mini Golf while being stalked by some frightening creatures of the night. This event will also take place from 7 PM to 9 PM on Friday, October 30th. Cost for golfing is just $2 for a 9-hole round.

- The Kid’s Downtown Spooktacular Day on Saturday, October 31st will have your costumed children participating in a number of Halloween-themed games and pumpkin decorating before they head out on a costume trick-or-treating parade through Vinton’s downtown businesses. There will even be refreshments too! The games and pumpkin decorating starts at 10 AM at the Benton County Courthouse lawn and the costume parade will begin at 10:45 AM. This event is completely FREE and would not be possible without our great sponsors: Dave Kelchen at Fareway and the Kacena Pumpkin Farm!

- The Vinton Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting its annual Jack-O-Lantern Jump on Sunday, November 1st at the Vinton Recreation Center/Community Swimming Pool. The event will begin at 2 PM and serves as a great way to get rid of those mushy, decaying pumpkins by dropping them to a target below from the top of the waterslide tower. Everyone names their pumpkin before the launch and it is quite a sight when they hit and splatter. All pumpkins must be carved and gutted before we let them launch. This event is co-sponsored by our local Pizza Hut who gives participants a personal pan pizza just for giving Jack the leap of faith. The forty foot drop can be a little scary but once the pumpkin is launched, they really don’t feel a thing. There are targets on the ground and the closest child and adult thrown pumpkin to the bull’s eye wins a large pizza from Pizza Hut.

- If you have any questions, please call the VPRD office at 319-472-4164 or email Matt at vprdboggess@vintoniowa.net.