Halloween art decorates the window of the Little Dog Coffee Shop in Brunswick. Thirteen families participated in the Parks & Rec Department’s window painting event last weekend, which brought the spooky spirit to Brunswick’s downtown. John Terhune / The Times Record
Midcoast witches, skeletons and superheroes can look forward to a slate of Halloween events this weekend, including the return of Brunswick’s long running parade after a two-year pandemic absence.
“This year we’re anticipating a really good turnout,” said Sabrina Best, deputy director of Brunswick Parks and Recreation. “Everyone’s itching to get out to bring back this historical event.”
Brunswick’s Halloween parade, which gives costumed guests of all ages the opportunity to “monster march” down Maine Street, dates back to at least the 1960s and can draw more than 1,000 people, Best said.
The Mall in downtown Brunswick will transform into a hub for trick-or-treaters following Monday’s parade. John Terhune / The Times Record
Attendees will set off from the Mall at 4:30 p.m. on Monday and return at 5 p.m. for a Tent or Treat event. Kids will be able to trick or treat on the Mall, where close to 20 local organizations and volunteers will be handing out candy from decorated tents.
Families that don’t want to wait until Halloween to get into the spooky spirit can visit the Parks Department’s pumpkin decorating and pizza party on Saturday morning. Registration for a 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. session costs $10 for Brunswick residents or $13 for non-residents and includes a 6” pumpkin, decoration kit and water.
A virtual costume contest will give children, families and pets the chance to compete for prizes from Frosty’s Donuts.
To learn more about Brunswick’s events, visit the Parks and Recreation Department’s webpage.
Up the road in Bath, Soggy Dog Designs is hosting its 14th annual free Trick or Treat Tromp at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The event, designed for young children and others who prefer Halloweens light on scares, will feature carnival games in Library Park, according to organizer Wendy Jung.
At 4 p.m., kids will get to trick or treat at participating businesses on Front Street.
The event will double as a food drive to support Bath Area Food Bank, Jung said. While not required, food donations, especially of canned pasta, are appreciated.
“We wanted to teach the kids about giving back and not just walking around getting free candy,” she said.
The giving spirit will also be on display later that evening at the Bath Methodist Unitarian Church, which is hosting a Trunk or Treat event with Longreach Girl Scouts from 5 to 7 p.m. Parents should bring a canned or dry good donation to the Church, where cars decked with Halloween designs will be offering candy to trick or treaters.
Freeport will offer festivities of its own throughout the weekend.
Visitors to Pineland Farms can carve jack-o’-lanterns at 10 a.m. on Saturday and then buy a ticket to explore the farm’s 5-acre corn maze.
The Freeport Oyster Bar’s Halloween Bash will provide Midcoast adults with an evening of live music and, for the bold, a costume contest. Tickets, which cost $25 dollars, are available at visitfreeport.com.
Capping off the town’s offerings, Visit Freeport’s annual trick or treating event will bring kids and families downtown from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday.
Participating storeowners, who have marked their windows with jack-o’-lantern posters, know to stock up on hundreds of dollars’ worth of candy in order to satisfy the “overwhelming” flock of guests the event brings to Freeport, said Jay Paulus of Bridgham & Cook, better known as the British Store.
“It keeps building every year,” said Paulus, who plans on decorating the storefront with a Dr. Who theme this year. “It’s a blast.”
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