Halloween in the Park event draws more than 1,700

The Gunn Park Committee knows what it takes to get Bourbon County residents involved, as evidenced by the huge turnout at the first-ever Halloween in the Park event on Saturday in Fort Scott.

Gunn Park was covered in Halloween-themed decorations and lights for the event, which saw adults and children enjoy hayrack rides, spook rides and other ghoulish treats, such as a costume parade and various children's games, put on by the Gunn Park Committee and several hundred other local volunteers.

Large numbers of people --more than 1,700 people entered the park on Saturday -- swarmed in and out of the park all evening, committee member Diana Mitchell said. Events put on by the committee are geared toward allowing local residents to enjoy holiday festivities in Fort Scott without traveling out-of-town.

"I've had so many phone calls from people saying 'Thank you' and telling me how much fun it was," Mitchell said. "We know what this town wants -- we've got what it takes. We've just got to keep going and get a little more support from the community, but many people are stepping up."

Long lines for the Haunted Cabin and Forest tours, which took guests deep into the park for a frighteningly good time, often created two hour waits for most people waiting to take the tour, Mitchell said. Local resident and committee member Tony Fleeman, who volunteers his time and effort for several special events in Fort Scott, echoed Mitchell's comments.

"We had great weather is what we had," Fleeman said. "It's all been a great success. I think everybody enjoyed it."

Fleeman and other volunteers worked several evenings before the event took place to prepare Halloween decorations and get them in working order. Volunteers put in several hours to bring several Halloween characters to animated life for the event and to create an enjoyable Halloween experience for everyone.

Fleeman said he spent most of his time at the back of the park, wearing his costume and taking people through the Haunted Cabin and Forest tours.

"I just did whatever I could," he said.

Fleeman also agreed with Mitchell in that one of the only drawbacks to the event was the issue of crowding as people waited in the old Family Physicians parking lot to board buses that transported them into the park. Crowding also took place inside the park as people waited for scheduled tours of the park, officials said.

Fleeman said the committee would work to address some of these issues and improve other aspects of the event for next year, and for the upcoming Christmas in the Park, a similar event that takes place in early December.

"We were a little overwhelmed by that number of people at one time," Fleeman said. "Next year, we'll add on to it so it will cut down some of the wait. We also don't want people to see the same thing each year."