October on the Kenai Peninsula was full of Halloween and autumn festivities for folks of all ages. Pumpkins fell from the sky during Kenai Aviation’s Great Alaskan Pumpkin Drop, celebrated during the city’s 10th Annual Fall Pumpkin Festival and decorated during a workshop hosted by the Kenai Community Library.
The Soldotna Public Library and Kenai Community Library hosted kid-friendly, Halloween-themed craft nights and activities throughout the month. The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Elks Lodge both held Trunk or Treats on Halloween night, offering candy, hot dogs and treats for kids to claim.
While many events around town were free, the Kenai Chamber of Commerce asked people attending its third annual Haunted Chamber Maze to give back by donating food and toys for the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank and Operation Children First. The haunted house-style maze was open every day from Oct. 18-31.
The haunted chamber was “family friendly” from Sunday through Thursday — meaning the lights stayed on with no jump scares allowed. Weekends catered to those seeking a more hair-raising Halloween experience, offering special effects like fog machines and strobe lights, jump scares and more mature themes. Children under 8 weren’t allowed.
Although the chamber doesn’t yet have a final tally for the number of people in attendance or amount of food or toys donated, 344 pounds of food were donated before the last pickup on Oct. 30. The amount of food donated on Halloween likely put the chamber past this year’s goal of 500 pounds, and dozens of toys were donated.
