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Town of Normal celebrates 30th annual Haunted Trail with family fun and fright

The Town of Normal is gearing up for one of its longest-running fall traditions, the 30th annual Haunted Trail, offering both family-friendly and fright-filled experiences. The Not-So-Scary Trail will run from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 16-18, while the Scary Trail will take place from 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25. Both events are hosted by Normal Parks & Recreation and held near 510 E. Vernon Ave. with parking available at the Parks and Recreation office or Chiddix Junior High School. A shuttle service will return visitors to their vehicles after the walk. Town of Normal Special Events Supervisor Hanna Razo emphasised just how long the event has been a staple in the community. “I’ve only been around for the past seven, so it’s been a thing for a really long time. Even before I’ve been here,” Razo said. The Not-So-Scary Trail focuses on lighthearted, festive fun for younger children and families. “It’s more of princesses and superheroes,” Razo said. “We hand out candy, play games, we have a photo booth, a meet and greet, hot chocolate [and] face painting.” For those looking for a fright, the following weekend’s Scary Trail offers a darker twist. “That one is more of zombies and clowns and different types of characters,” Razo said. “That one is definitely geared more toward ages at least 12 and older.” Admission for both events is $5 per person, with a limited number of VIP tickets available online for $12, allowing guests to skip the line. “Sometimes that line can get pretty long,” Razo said. “VIP tickets for the Not-So-Scary Trail are probably close to being sold out right now. Scary Trail tickets are still available.” Razo said the event’s focus is on community connection and affordable fun. “The community loves this event. We have a lot of people come through each year. It’s pretty well known in the community, and as far as price, it’s very family-friendly.” Planning for the Haunted Trail begins in mid-August, according to Razo. “We try to change up some scenes and stuff every single year just to keep up with the new characters and things that kids are into right now,” Razo said. “These last few weeks, we’ve been pretty deep into planning … deciding final touches on decorations and characters and how many volunteers we need.” The event requires extensive help from staff and community volunteers. “We recruit probably close to 100 volunteers,” Razo said. “Those are the people who are dressing up and handing out candy and playing games and helping with admissions. We have a couple of staff who help with setup, tear-down, and the admission table.” Volunteers come from across the Bloomington-Normal area, including Illinois State University and Heartland Community College. “We have lots of fraternities and sororities from ISU,” Razo said. “Heartland athletics, their baseball and softball teams have volunteered every single year. Illinois Wesleyan men’s volleyball team volunteers every year, too.” The trails are designed with accessibility in mind. “The Not-So-Scary Trail is all on the Constitution Trail, so all of it is accessible,” Razo said. “They can take wheelchairs, strollers or wagons. The scary version does go off the beaten path into a wooded area where strollers would be more difficult to take through.” Razo said seeing kids’ excitement is one of her favorite parts of the event. “A lot of them see it as like a trick-or-treating event, but some of these kids think the characters are the real deal,” Razo said. “It’s cool to see the kids interact with some of the characters that we have.” The Haunted Trail covers roughly a quarter mile of decorated path filled with themed scenes and live actors. “You might not be spending 45 minutes inside of a haunted house, but you do have a little over a quarter mile of trail to walk,” Razo said. “We have scary scenes and everything set up throughout that entire length.” For more information or to purchase tickets, visit here.

The Town of Normal is gearing up for one of its longest-running fall traditions, the 30th annual Haunted Trail, offering both family-friendly and fright-filled experiences.

The Not-So-Scary Trail will run from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 16-18, while the Scary Trail will take place from 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25. Both events are hosted by Normal Parks & Recreation and held near 510 E. Vernon Ave. with parking available at the Parks and Recreation office or Chiddix Junior High School. A shuttle service will return visitors to their vehicles after the walk.

Town of Normal Special Events Supervisor Hanna Razo emphasised just how long the event has been a staple in the community.

“I’ve only been around for the past seven, so it’s been a thing for a really long time. Even before I’ve been here,” Razo said.

The Not-So-Scary Trail focuses on lighthearted, festive fun for younger children and families. 

“It’s more of princesses and superheroes,” Razo said.  “We hand out candy, play games, we have a photo booth, a meet and greet, hot chocolate [and] face painting.”

For those looking for a fright, the following weekend’s Scary Trail offers a darker twist. 

“That one is more of zombies and clowns and different types of characters,” Razo said. “That one is definitely geared more toward ages at least 12 and older.”

Admission for both events is $5 per person, with a limited number of VIP tickets available online for $12, allowing guests to skip the line. 

“Sometimes that line can get pretty long,” Razo said. “VIP tickets for the Not-So-Scary Trail are probably close to being sold out right now. Scary Trail tickets are still available.”

Razo said the event’s focus is on community connection and affordable fun. “The community loves this event. We have a lot of people come through each year. It’s pretty well known in the community, and as far as price, it’s very family-friendly.”

Planning for the Haunted Trail begins in mid-August, according to Razo. 

“We try to change up some scenes and stuff every single year just to keep up with the new characters and things that kids are into right now,” Razo said. “These last few weeks, we’ve been pretty deep into planning … deciding final touches on decorations and characters and how many volunteers we need.”

The event requires extensive help from staff and community volunteers. 

“We recruit probably close to 100 volunteers,” Razo said. “Those are the people who are dressing up and handing out candy and playing games and helping with admissions. We have a couple of staff who help with setup, tear-down, and the admission table.”

Volunteers come from across the Bloomington-Normal area, including Illinois State University and Heartland Community College. 

“We have lots of fraternities and sororities from ISU,” Razo said. “Heartland athletics, their baseball and softball teams have volunteered every single year. Illinois Wesleyan men’s volleyball team volunteers every year, too.”

The trails are designed with accessibility in mind. 

“The Not-So-Scary Trail is all on the Constitution Trail, so all of it is accessible,” Razo said. “They can take wheelchairs, strollers or wagons. The scary version does go off the beaten path into a wooded area where strollers would be more difficult to take through.”

Razo said seeing kids’ excitement is one of her favorite parts of the event. 

“A lot of them see it as like a trick-or-treating event, but some of these kids think the characters are the real deal,” Razo said. “It’s cool to see the kids interact with some of the characters that we have.”

The Haunted Trail covers roughly a quarter mile of decorated path filled with themed scenes and live actors. 

“You might not be spending 45 minutes inside of a haunted house, but you do have a little over a quarter mile of trail to walk,” Razo said. “We have scary scenes and everything set up throughout that entire length.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit here.

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