NORTH SYRACUSE — Nonprofit events committee The Bville Connection is teaming up with the Village of North Syracuse Parks and Recreation Department to kick off spooky season. Park at Dark takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Heritage Park in North Syracuse.
Children can show off their Halloween costumes early, go trick-or-treating and decorate luminaries for the “Trail or Treat” after-dark walk. Wegmans and Aldi have donated Halloween candy.
TBC President Kim Lane said the nonprofit decided to branch out to other communities. Previous events have taken place in Lysander Park and other Baldwinsville venues.
“We were very intentional when we were forming and with our mission statement to say we do things in the greater Baldwinsville area, and I think that’s vague on purpose,” Lane said. “This is the first time that we’ve ventured outside [B’ville] and hopefully it won’t be the last.”
The partnership with North Syracuse was a natural one, as Parks Director Tony Burkinshaw has B’ville connections of his own: he lives in Baldwinsville and used to work for the Town of Lysander Parks and Recreation Department.
“We’re really grateful for the partnership that the village of North Syracuse has shown us for this event,” Lane said.
More than 40 businesses, vendors, nonprofits and other groups have signed up to hand out candy and hawk their wares at the event, which benefits the CanTeen in Cicero, Purpose Farm in Baldwinsville and North Syracuse Parks and Rec. The parks department is hoping to sponsor a scholarship for a 2023 summer camp attendee.
“We’re connecting businesses that might never have done an event [together] before,” Lane said.
Lane and the rest of TBC’s team are hoping to bring their B’ville followers to North Syracuse to discover new businesses and new friends.
“Hopefully the attendees will be a great mix of Baldwinsville along with Cicero, North Syracuse and surrounding areas,” Lane said.
In addition to browsing local businesses and traversing the Trail or Treat, attendees can try their hand at a scavenger hunt, play Halloween games, get their faces painted by AirFX Body Art or check out the Northern Onondaga Public Library’s Pop-Up Library. Hungry haunters can feast on the offerings from two food trucks: Bob Barkers Famous Hot Dogs and Yum Yum Shack, which specializes in gourmet egg rolls.
There will also be a costume contest with prizes sponsored by Common Fund Mortgage, Help Me Grow Onondaga, Rosamond Gifford Zoo and Aetna. Categories include silliest, cutest, best homemade and most creepy.
Lane acknowledged that Park at Dark might seem a bit early for a Halloween event, but that is by design. She said TBC wanted to offer area families more opportunities for seasonal events and didn’t want to step on the toes of attractions such as Enchanted Beaver Lake.
“With the events we do at The Bville Connection, we try to be the kickoff event of whatever season,” Lane said. “We are pretty intentional in when we pick our dates because that way we’re not competing with other popular, more established events.”
As with all Central New York events, the weather is a factor when it comes to scheduling.
“The very first time we did it, we did it late in October and the weather was so yucky,” Lane said. “We’re hoping to catch the tail end of the summer weather.”
In the spirit of giving and connection, students from the CanTeen and the Baker High School chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) will volunteer at the event.
Cash-only admission for Park at Dark is $5 per person. Enter Heritage Park via Chestnut Street and stop at the pavilion to buy your wristband. Bring your own flashlight, bug spray and a trick-or-treat bag. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations for the CanTeen and Purpose Farm. Their wish lists will be posted at facebook.com/thebvilleconnection.
