The Great Pumpkin Party rises for its 27th year

The annual Great Pumpkin Party will be coming back with plenty of spooktacular events on Oct. 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event, spanning Second Avenue and Cottonwood Square, has been a Halloween tradition in Niwot for the past 27 years.

Pat Murphy, one of the founders of the event, continues to organize the activities on behalf of the Niwot Business Association, with funding from the Niwot Local Improvement District.

Family-friendly events will include three magic shows in Cottonwood Square at 10:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.. Hayrides will delight the tired trick-or-treaters from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Stinky the donkey will be hanging out at the Niwot Group at Compass 7915 Niwot Rd. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The haunted house in the former feed store on Second Avenue will be back thanks to Niwot High School's Key Club.

Children are encouraged to wear costumes and trick-or-treat throughout Second Avenue and Cottonwood Square. Dress up in your best costumes, and go door to door from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. for lots of spooky treats and possibly a few new friends too. Don't forget a costume for your canine companions because there will be a dog costume contest after the parade at the Old Oak Coffeehouse. May the spookiest four-legged fuzzball win.

The Halloween Parade invites children's participation. Arrive before 11:20 a.m. at the corner of Second Avenue and Niwot Road in front of Niwot Liquor. The parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. and will travel down Second Avenue, led by the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, to the tune of "I Want Candy."

"More and more, we're seeing families dress up in a theme, and they have the dogs dressed up too. Just the cutest costumes around, it's a good day," said Murphy.

Murphy said the community has always come together to participate in and help put together this festive Halloween event ever since it started 27 years ago. The party started out with the local businesses donating money, Murphy going door to door to collect it, and volunteers helping out to ensure that the Great Pumpkin Party was ready for the revelers and spooktacular trick-or-treaters. The Pumpkin Party has a rich history in Niwot, and many have come to support the tradition even through rough weather, including a blizzard roughly 15 years ago.

The Great Pumpkin Party was started by Erma Knoch, the Tim and Carrie Wise family, and Murphy. They had the original idea for the Pumpkin Party, and Knoch coined the name "The Great Pumpkin Party." Since then, the party has become a key part of the fall festivities around Niwot.

"Originally, it was to get to know the shops in Niwot and have the community get together for Halloween," Murphy said. It has evolved since then with new events and features. "It's really well attended and well-liked and it's not too commercial, we don't make it too commercial. It's just an old-fashioned kind of holiday. I love that the Key Club from the high school does the haunted house, it's wonderful. They are great to work with, and John Fischer allows us to use the old feed store to have the haunted house in."

Today there are many members of the community that contribute to the success of the Pumpkin Party. The Niwot Community Association Road Crew directs traffic and helps with the road closure along Second Avenue. Charlie Nygren and his family donate pumpkins to the event every year. Gail Ludwig with Tanglewood Traders designed a new poster to advertise the event.