PUBLISHED OCT. 13, 2016
Little Manatee River State Park to host Halloween-themed Fall Fest
By LOIS KINDLE
The Little Manatee River State Park will be the setting of a haunted woods tour, including a haunted house by the river, from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29 at Fall Fest. Younger children are invited to enjoy arts and crafts, a picnic and more from 5 to 7 p.m.
Rangers and volunteers at the Little Manatee River State Park are gearing up for Fall Fest Saturday, Oct. 29, a new event promising both young kids and teens a spooky, good time.
“It’s aimed at celebrating the season with games and activities for families and younger children from 5 to 7 p.m., and then tours of the haunted woods for anyone 13 and older from 7 to 9 p.m.,” said Kate Smithson, park services specialist.
The early activities will include a hayride around the park’s campground, where campers have been asked to decorate their sites and hand out a few treats; hands-on arts and crafts, including spider-web weaving, making owls out of tree bark and more; contests; and a picnic in the park’s main picnic area.
Families are asked to bring along their favorite foods and meats to barbecue. Tables and park grills will be available for shared use, but visitors may bring their own, if they wish.
The evening’s haunted woods tours are intended to be eerie.
“Our goal is to make it scary, so it may not be appropriate for younger children,” Smithson said. “We’re leaving the decision up to the parents.”
Telling stories about “how spirits came to rest at Little Manatee,” park staff, volunteers and members of the Florida Conservation Corps. will guide visitors through the darkened woods to and through a haunted house that’s been set up like an “old shack down on the river in the 1920s,” Smithson said. Afterward everyone will roast marshmallows over a fire in the main picnic area. Visitors are encouraged to bring a chair.
A donation of $5 per person, which includes gate admission, is requested for anyone 13 and older. Kids 12 and younger are free.
Proceeds will go to the Friends of the Little Manatee River State Park, which supports the park’s operational expenses and programs not covered by the state budget.
In addition to the Fall Fest, there are a number of other events scheduled at the park through year’s end. These include three remaining Park After Dark programs.
• Art of the Campfire at 8 p.m. Oct. 15 will celebrate “the centuries-old rituals that bring people together around the fire,” Smithson said. These include a campfire cooking demonstration and appetizer-size foods sampling, stories and music.
• Star Light, Star Bright at 7 p.m. Nov. 1, during which participants will view the stars through a telescope and/or binoculars to learn about constellations; hear the history of the stars and what they’ve meant to people over time; and learn light pollution.
• Night Hike at 7 p.m. Dec. 17. Visitors will hike about 1.5 miles by moonlight for a complete sensory experience.
The cost for each of these programs is $5 per vehicle of up to eight people and $4 for vehicles with a single driver. Both are payable using the park’s honor station, since the ranger station is closed after 5 p.m.
Visitors are advised to wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes and to bring water, insect repellant and a flashlight.
And finally, the park will offer group bike rides approximately one hour before sunset on the first Fridays of November and December. Participants must bring their own bicycles, water and helmets, if applicable. The family-oriented ride starts at the main gate and weaves through four to six miles of the park on paved roads.
The Little Manatee River State Park is at 215 Lightfoot Road, Wimauma. For additional information on the 2,428-acre state park or its programs, call 813-671-5005.
The park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year.
