General Information
UPDATE: TICKETS FOR THE TRAIL ARE NOW SOLD OUT. HOWEVER, THE FESTIVAL INSIDE THE LIBRARY AND THEIR PARKING LOT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
October 20, 2018 from 6:00-9:00PM
Avon Lake Public Library & Kopf Family Reservation
Join us for our annual family-friendly Halloween Festival. This event will have both indoor & outdoor festivities, meet & greets with cool characters, and the haunted trail itself.
Trail Ticket Sales: Resident tickets will go on sale September 12, 2018 at 9:00am. Pending availability, Non-resident tickets will go on sale September 19, 2018 at 9:00am. Online ticket sales end 10/7/18 at 11:59pm. Ticket cost is $3 for residents and $5 for non-residents. **Tickets are required to visit the trail. Due to the size of the event and storytelling component, no self-guided tours allowed**
Tickets are sold in 15-minute time blocks. Please enter the trail queue at the beginning of your timeslot (i.e. if you purchase the 6:00-6:15pm ticket please enter the line at 6:00pm). If you miss your timeslot, you will not be permitted to enter the queue. The trail itself will take ~45 minutes.
Arrival: Parking is not permitted at the library this year to accommodate for our growing crowd. Please plan to park at Avon Lake High School's north lot, Calvary Baptist Church or Erieview Elementary (there will be police to assist in crossing Electric Blvd).
Upon arrival, we recommend heading to the ticket booth in the center of the Library's parking lot. Here you can pick up an event map, get the lay of the land, and your trail ticket (if we haven't sold out during the pre-sale). We strongly advise that you purchase your trail ticket in advance as tickets are limited and once they are gone we cannot take anymore guests on the trail. We anticipate selling out. Last tour leaves at 8:45pm.
Family Activities: Inside the library, you will find many activities! Take your photo with visitors from a galaxy far far away, make a spooky craft, grab a balloon animal/monster, or learn a little bit about some spooky animals with Back to the Wild!
For our little ones who aren't quite ready to take on the trail but still want to hear a story, join us for Picture Books...That Go Bump in the Night! This spooky (but not too spooky) story time and sing-a-long will take place in the Story Time Room at 6:30pm and 7:30pm. Free numbered tickets are available beginning 15 minutes before each scheduled time. Geared for ages 4-6 but all are welcome.
Outside the library you will find pumpkin decorating, the Ghostbuster's car and the Ghostbuster's themselves, a DJ, and the entrance to the trail. At an extra cost food and beverage will be offered by one of our many vendors.
The Trail (Note we have a new layout this year!): The trail is a 1.1 mile walk through Kopf Family Reservation. Approximately 1/4 of the trail is unimproved (dirt trail) so be sure to wear appropriate shoes. During your venture into the woods you will meet many characters waiting to tell you their story. While the narrative and characters can be spooky, we are not here to startle you. We suggest the trail for 8 years and older, but the final decision is up to the parent. You know your child's fear factor. At the ~0.5 mile mark, you will have a choice to make. You may exit the woods or continue on to the final leg where the stories become quite a bit scarier. **Tickets are required. No self-guided tours are permitted**
We would like to thank our generous sponsors: Kopf Builders, Howard Hanna-James Miller, Kowalski Ford, Salad Kraze & Friends of the Park. With their support we were able to bring you additional fun activities!
This event is made possible by a partnership with the City of Avon Lake, Avon Lake Public Library & Lorain County Metroparks. We receive additional volunteer support from the Kiwanis, Avon Lake High School's Key Club, True North, Cleveland Haunt Club, Back to the Wild, BDD Princess Parties, 501st Legion, Cleveland Ghostbusters & Friends of the Library.