by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Walpole’s second annual Falloween, an event that combines Halloween on Main with Harvest Fest, took place on Saturday, October 26th. It was a spectacular day with temps in the 60’s and wall-to-wall sunshine: perfect weather for almost any costume - and there were many fun and creative entrants this year!
The day started at about 9:15 a.m. with costumed participants checking in and gathering on Stone Field. Promptly at 10, the costume parade was formed at Blackburn Hall. From there, it went out past the municipal parking lot, taking a left onto East Street and another left onto Main. Once they reached the town common, the parade quickly turned into a trick-or-treat extravaganza as hundreds of eager children dispersed to participating businesses to request their rewards.
As trick-or-treating wrapped up, crowds gathered back on Stone Field. The area had been transformed into an exciting Autumn festival featuring a variety of Fall-themed inflatables, live music, face painting, balloon twisting, and more. Since this is the town’s 300th anniversary, Falloween was included in the year-long celebration, and made possible by both the 300th Anniversary Committee and Walpole Recreation.
Lauren Antonetti, Assistant Director of Walpole Recreation, had this to say prior to this year’s event: “This years Falloween event is going to be bigger than last years with the help of the 300th Anniversary Committee. With their support, we have been able to double the amount of inflatables and food trucks while also adding new, exciting elements like live animals and roaming dinosaurs. We also have a one time addition of a carousel that will bring some excitement for sure. This event is a community favorite and we are excited to enjoy the day with Walpole.”
"We are so happy that the Committee was able to greatly increase the bouncy houses and add a carousel while ensuring the festivities were free for all this weekend. Everyone we spoke to at the event had a great time, especially our youngest neighbors. We are very grateful for the hard work of the Recreation Department who put this on,” the 300th Anniversary Committee said of the event.
Halloween on Main is believed to have originated in 1994 as an exciting pre-Halloween trick-or-treat option. The original goal - other than for kids to have fun, of course - was to support the downtown business area by getting people to walk it and explore the offerings by foot rather than the usual quick drive-by. It has since turned into a yearly favorite, with hundreds of participants annually. Combining it with the newer, but beloved, Harvest Fest seems to have been a very successful idea that the town can now look forward to every October.
