Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations may be all you see in stores, but Halloween activities could still be found Saturday at Lancaster County Central Park.
Its first Halloween Happenings event included pumpkin painting, a high-tech scavenger hunt, an animal guessing game and a spooky basement full of "body parts."
Park naturalists Lee Amigh, Marilyn Schlegel and Jen Ledwich hosted the event at the park's Exhibit Farmhouse.
"I've been wanting to do this for years and years. I just had to wait for others to be on board," Amigh said.
"We wanted to do something where kids were being artistically creative, exercising and getting an education," she said.
The GPS scavenger hunt — there were six courses total — that takes the Halloween hunters through a scenic route of apple orchards, sycamore-skeleton trees, bird boxes and a beautiful winding trail was a big hit with the children and adults. The hunt takes about 45-minutes for novice GPS-users.
Samantha Hess, 8, of Mountville, said the scavenger hunt was her favorite activity "because we got candy at the end, and spider spinners!"
Nine-year-old Emily Sipe, of Lancaster, agreed. "We went around and found prizes; the GPS was my favorite," she said.
The GPS scavenger hunt wasn't just a learning experience for the kids, according to Jen Ledwich. "Little kids can pick it up faster than adults," she said.
Emily's mother, Ericka, agreed. "Our kids were teaching us how to use it."
Halloween Happenings also offered a creative way to learn about the animals seen and heard in the fall. The participants were handed clues about bats, coyotes and skunks and then tried to guess which animal fit the description.
"I learned things I didn't even know before today," admitted Girl Scout troop leader Stacey Lindsay.
Kids also had the opportunity to paint their own pumpkins, which were then entered into a contest. Nathan Henderson, 9, of Lancaster, won Most Gruesome Pumpkin. "It's supposed to be a Cyclops — a one-eyed mythical creature." Honors also went to the most beautiful and colorful pumpkins.
Halloween activities wouldn't be complete without a bit of haunting. Participants ventured into the dark basement of the farmhouse where the remains of Ted the Plumber's "body parts" were in bowls for all to feel as kids went around the room.
"We went down in the basement and felt Ted's innards!" said 4-year-old Evan Sipe, recounting his favorite part of the day. Those innards were, in fact, noodles, skinless tomatoes and cauliflower.
The scenic area of the farmhouse created the perfect fall setting for families enjoying the pre-Halloween festivities. As Lancaster's Grace Henderson and her two children set off to find treats on the scavenger trail, she said, "It's the little wholesome things I like — being close to nature — that are the most fun."
Amanda Balionis is a Sunday News staff writer. E-mail her at abalionis@lnpnews.com.
