Marysville celebrates Halloween with a variety of events

MARYSVILLE — Marysville families had an assortment of activities for all ages on Halloween, starting with the annual afternoon of trick-or-treating on Third Street.

The tinsel-haloed angels of Hilton Pharmacy were armed with both candy and small toys for kids, while the staff of BookWorks literally dolled themselves up for the occasion, with owner Mary Burns dressed as Raggedy Ann. The staff of Lambert Gray stuck with their regular work clothes, but still got into the spirit by decorating their offices with spider-webs and dispensing sweets. Oosterwyk’s Dutch Bakery not only handed out free goodie bags for the kids, but also did a brisk trade in baked goods for the grown-ups who escorted those trick-or-treaters.

For Marysville residents Kyle and Morningstar McKay, Halloween on Third Street is more than just an opportunity to dress up as a vampire family with their son Graham as he fills his bag with treats.

“This is our 10th wedding anniversary,” Kyle McKay said. “We love to see people dressed up for the day and, yes, we did do our wedding in costume. That’s why we got married on Halloween,” he laughed.

The Marysville Care Center staged its own annual trick-or-treating for families, but to reduce the risk of any possible H1N1 transmission, its trick-or-treating area was mostly limited to a single room, with many senior residents wearing wigs, masks and outfits to match those of their young guests. Emily Bylum, decked out as Supergirl, helped her great-grandfather, Carl Verg, pass out sweets.

“It’s good that us older folks can participate,” Verg said. “It’s therapy.”

While the Marysville Care Center boasted its own haunted house, the Grace Academy gym was much brighter, with a bouncy house, a petting zoo and indoor soccer, basketball and other sports.

Event coordinator Megan Belisle explained that the Grace Bible Church youth group tailors their Fun Fair to provide a safe place for kids to play games and get candy, with canned food donations serving as families’ admission.

“We enjoy doing this for the community, knowing that a lot of moms and dads are getting more and more afraid to have their kids walk the streets at night,” Belisle said.