Unbeknownst to us, there is a tradition at campgrounds across the country that turns Halloween into a weeks-long extravaganza. At Indiana’s Tippecanoe River State Park, the profusion and complexity of decorating is beyond any that we’ve seen, ever.
The entire campground is decorated (except for site 18, where we stayed for two nights!) in anticipation of the townspeople of neighboring Winamac coming through here next Saturday, which is well before actual Halloween! Of course, we had no way of knowing ahead of time that this was such a big deal; apparently John’s tireless research of an area to identify possible hikes, waterfalls, and other natural phenom did not produce a “Halloween Party” result!
We’ve walked around the campgrounds to see every single display. The opulence is beyond incredible – folks haul storage trailers to this campground just to schlep their sheer volume of decorations then used to create graveyards, witch’s bubbling cauldrons, petting zoos holding skeleton animals, dozens of random skeletons hanging from trees, and creepy clowns arranged in carnival settings, just to name a few of the displays. Various giant inflatables dot the landscape, some are animated, shrieking at us as we passed by. The themes are mostly scary, we only saw one elaborate display of Fall, complete with hay bales, corn stalks, and oodles of various squash.
Kids abound at the campground. Zillions of kids, all getting excited for next Saturday’s anticipated haul. As they wait for the “big day” to arrive, they zip around on bikes or scooters, play corn hole, watch the TV which is mounted on the outside of the family RV, play football or badminton, and generally enjoy the forest as a playground in addition to the actual playgrounds scattered throughout the campground.
Facts we learned, as we walked around talking to folks, and making photos:
- This is a 30-year-old tradition at Tippecanoe State Park! Some of the adults to whom we spoke have been coming here since they were kids! These folks are dedicated to this two-week period in October as a family tradition; many were part of multiple-campsite groupings of family members, who had been setting up in this manner for years, following in the footsteps of their own parents. What fun! The state park took over the event in 2012, adding activities and games to the mix.
- 6 months to the day of arrival for the coming Halloween is when these dedicated folks make their reservations for 2 weeks, giving them plenty of time to set up in readiness for the big Trick-or-Treat event on the Saturday previous to Halloween.
- In preparation, families bring 3000-4000 pieces of candy (!) to distribute as this campground is open to the public for the one day/evening of Trick-or-Treating and celebrating. The nearby town of Winamac lets loose their kids and accompanying parents, allowing entry to the state park from afternoon into evening; hence, the ridiculous amount of candy being purchased and distributed! Think of that expense!
- The State Park is all in, as they charge the regular park entry fee of $7 for Indiana residents for each auto that enters for this event, and $5 for a pass to all of the kid’s activities, which may help to offset an undoubtedly high energy bill for the month of October! These photos were taken in daylight, so the multitude of lights and electric-powered displays is not obvious.
We will not be here for the big event of course, as we are headed out this morning after two nights in this gorgeous forest, to our next destination.
I am actually relieved that we will not be here to witness the chaos! Because I do not distribute conventional candy at home (you know why!) I could not afford to give out 3000 pieces, or even 100, of the kind of treats I typically purchase! In Evansville, we get ~50 kids at our door on Halloween, which we will miss altogether this year…
The scariest of all of the displays was the one RV inside which they had placed a large Trump/Vance sign in the windshield. I left my signage at home, where it belongs, but will cut/paste one here, just to counter that MAGA guy.
