To the Editor,
(Bouckville, NY – Oct. 2015) I would like to thank everyone who helped make the Halloween Happenin’ a great success on Saturday, Oct. 17 on the Chenango Canal in Bouckville. This event took seven weeks and 120 hours of preparation and arrangements, 116 man-hours to set up, 28 hours to wire the electricity and 145 hours of pumpkin carving and delivery.
Halloween Happenin’ was available for one night, from 5 to 9 p.m., free to the public at the Chenango Canal.
At least 150 people enjoyed the spectacularly lit trees and decorations, the popular Clues Hunt, walked the scary live-haunted trail, watched cartoons in the dungeon and learned important scientific facts through experiments presented by real scientists.
Children arrived in costumes that were judged with ribbon prizes. All children received prizes and everyone enjoyed refreshments and stayed a while in unexpectedly cold weather.
The Chenango Canal Association was the sponsor, partnering with Kelley Phillips Post 569 American Legion from Oriskany Falls manning the refreshment and prizes tent. Volunteers from Waterville, Hamilton, Madison and Bouckville participated.
Here is an excerpt of a poem written by Helen Lundt that summarized what she saw at the 2015 Halloween Happenin’:
The Halloween Party
“I sat in the little canal museum
at a small table, The Greeter. I wore black,
a huge floppy hat with a gorgeous
purple feather, and a sparkly blue-silver
shawl around my shoulders. Behind me was a
window showing a fairy-land of colored lights
around trees, spotting pumpkins the children
had carved into evil looking faces, figures of
storybook land and in the basement, foods
and prizes the prize lady gave out…
… And they filed into the room, some in warm
jackets, others with great costumes and masks.
Mothers carried little ones in costume…I saw
a little baby sheep outfit, cowboys, spacemen,
a beautiful light blue princess with jeweled crown,
they were filling the room…over and over.
The scientist poured liquids, mixed colors to show
what base, the alkali and acids did when mixed.
He had colored paper with outlines of a picture…the
children used cotton swabs dipped in Windex
to color the outline, finding the orange picture
turning red. Wow, their favorite red dog. They were
fascinated with all the different experiments
ready and willing to join in before their yearly
Clue Hunt, their foods, drinks, and prizes.”
Special thanks go to friends and members of the Chenango Canal Association, Oriskany Falls Rotary Club, Valley Propane, Waterman Pumpkin Farm, Byrne Dairy, Kountry Kupboard, Colgate Bookstore, Tanner Insurance, Kinney Drugs, Price Chopper, the new Hamilton 4-H Club, COVE at Colgate University, the Interfaith Council & friends at Colgate University, Trish Coon and student volunteers at Madison Central School (MCS), MCS Art Department and Madison’s FFA at the Fall Festival, all the promotion with area newspapers and handouts at Memorial Park School and Madison Central School.
This event was an all-out community effort with a dozen volunteers who put in long hours to prepare and work at the event.
In appreciation,
Diane Van Slyke, President
Chenango Canal Association