HOWELL – Hundreds of Howell residents gathered at Oak Glen Park for a spooktacular night of thrills at “Howell-O-Ween in the Park.”
Whether they dressed in a scary costume, a cute and adorable character, or as a one-of-a-kind original idea, kids showed off their best costumes in celebration of Halloween.
Howell-O-Ween in the Park had a huge turn out this year with so many residents joining in on the festivities. The Township’s Director of Community Relations Steven Fecher, who put this community event together, believes they had so many people participate due to the event being previously canceled two years in a row.
“With not being able to host special events in 2020, this year has been more meaningful to see the children participating in activities with their friends and family. Howell Township residents have always supported our special events and we in turn like to provide them with multiple programming throughout the year,” Fecher said. “To see the excitement from the children dressed up in their costumes, running around from game to game makes all the effort and planning the Howell-O-Ween event worthwhile.”
The event, which was held on October 20, featured several mini games for kids, an inflatable corn maze, pumpkin painting, hayrides and other spooky activities.
This year, the Township was asking residents to bring a can or bag of pet food as they were collecting donations for the Monmouth County SPCA. Fecher said they were able to gather a large amount food for pets.
“We’re so grateful that the Township of Howell has graciously decided to do a collection for the Monmouth County SPCA for their recent Halloween event. The dog and cat food collected will go to feeding our shelter animals as well as providing food to our community pet pantry organizations that will assist the public. Our shelter is always happy to accept donations of basic pet necessities as well as monetary support that helps us carry our mission to protect and advocate for all animals in our care,” Ross Licitra, Monmouth County SPCA Executive Director said.
A major part of Howell-O-Ween was the costume contest kids could enter and win trophies for several different categories. Groups were divided by age then paraded around showing off their costumes and finally chosen as winners.
The winning costumes are as followed:
Ages 2 & Under:
- Bravest – Firefighter
- Cutest – Bumble Bee
- Classic – Red Riding Hood
Ages 3 & 4:
- Funniest – Dumb and Dumber
- Original – Haagen Dogs
- Glamorous – Cinderella
Ages 5, 6, 7:
- Creepiest – Scarecrow
- Best Executed – Beetle Juice
- Cutest Couple – Jack and Sally
Ages 8, 9, 10, 11:
- Creepiest – “Free Hugz” Clown
- Original – Washing Machine
- Authentic – Cruella
Ages 12 & Up:
- Best Makeup – Skeleton
- Funniest – Banana
