Though September hasn’t wrapped up just yet, pumpkin spice lattes have already arrived on the Kenai Peninsula and Halloween festivities aren’t far behind. In a matter of weeks, Kenai and Soldotna will be alive with fall fun, trick-or-treating and other seasonal celebrations.
The Kenai Art Center will be opening “Halloween,” on Friday, Oct. 3. That’s an open call art show featuring local art that celebrates “good-natured-spookiness” and all the “fun and creativity of the spirit of Halloween.” For more information, find “Kenai Art Center” on Facebook.
The Kenai Community Library will hold a pumpkin decorating workshop on Friday, Oct. 10 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The first 20 kids will get a free pumpkin, and supplies will be available for decorating them — though there will be no carving available at the event. For more information, find “Kenai Community Library” on Facebook.
The City of Kenai will hold its 10th Annual Fall Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, Oct. 11, starting at noon. At the Kenai Softball Greenstrip there will be pumpkin painting, pumpkin displays, music, food trucks, a hayride, games and a pumpkin drop — in which a pumpkin will be lifted high into the air and then surrendered to gravity to produce a seasonal splat. For more information, search for “City of Kenai Parks & Recreation” on Facebook.
Kenai Aviation will be dropping pumpkins out of planes on Saturday, Oct. 18, at its annual Great Alaskan Pumpkin Drop. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m. at Kalifonsky Meadows Park down Kalifornsky Beach Road. There will be food trucks, bonfires, and food drive. Find more information at “Kenai Aviation” on Facebook.
A Fall Carnival will be held at Nikiski North Star Elementary on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be games, food, a silent auction and a costume contest. For more information, search for “Nikiski North Star PTO 2024-2025” on Facebook.
The Kenai Chamber of Commerce will open its Third Annual Haunted Chamber, a haunted house-style maze, on Oct. 18. Entry is free, though a toy and food drive will be collecting donations at the door. The haunted chamber will be open until Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday through Thursday will be “Family Friendly,” while Friday and Saturdays are more extreme with jumpscares. For more information, find “Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center” on Facebook.
The Soldotna Public Library will host “Not-Too-Spooky Storytime” and open a haunted maze on Thursday, Oct. 23, starting at 4 p.m. There will be books, songs, crafts, games, a scavenger hunt and the “gentle” haunted maze. Costumes are encouraged. For more information, find “Soldotna Library” on Facebook.
The Kenai Community Library’s Literary Haunted House will return Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 during the library’s business hours. The “not-too-scary” haunted house will be free and open to all ages, with interactive exhibits based on familiar characters.
The Tsalteshi Spooktacular will be held on Sunday, Oct. 26, with a trick-or-treat trail from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for kids aged 10 and under as well as a zombie run at 12:30 p.m. Get more info at “Tsalteshi Trails” on Facebook.
On Halloween, Oct. 31, the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank will again hold the annual “It’s Scary to Be Hungry” event. People and families can drive through the food bank’s decorated parking lot and get a free meal and other “goodies” from staff in costume.
Both the Kenai and Soldotna libraries will also be hosting several Halloween-themed craft nights and activities for young children throughout the month, check their Facebook pages or websites for more information.
Trick or Treats
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula’s Trunk or Treat will be held at their location on South Spruce Street on Oct. 25 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to traditional trick-or-treating opportunities, there will be a variety of activities and free hotdogs.
The Kenai Elks Lodge will host a Trunk or Treat in the lodge parking lot on Friday, Oct. 31, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
First Baptist Church on South Binkley Street in Soldotna will host a “Halloween Drop By” with cocoa, candy, popcorn and coffee at 6 p.m. on Oct. 31.
The web version of this story on peninsulaclarion.com will be updated with additional events and trick-or-treating opportunities as they are announced.
If you know of a Halloween event on the central Kenai Peninsula that’s missing, reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
