The Huntsville Main Street Program is set to host its annual Scare on the Square event on Oct. 25 at Rather Park downtown. The event is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m.
For nearly two decades, Scare on the Square has played a central part in ushering in the fall season, with activities ranging from costume contests and booths for games and giveaways, to a trunk-or-treat area, according to the City of Huntsville’s website.
Huntsville Main Street Program manager Amanda Schillaci said her program partners with 30 to 50 organizations to bring Scare on the Square to life. This includes the Sam Houston State University Satellite Gallery, which she said turned its building into a haunted house last year.
“We open up the registrations to anyone who wants to have a booth to participate, and it’s a great opportunity for local businesses and organizations to interact and get more involved in the community,” Schillaci said. “It’s not just the Main Street program. There’s public works, who brings things in, there’s PD, there’s so many different organizations that make this event possible. But the Huntsville Main Street program is the face of it.”
As program manager, Schillaci said that this year’s event will be bigger than in previous years. “There are some new fun activities that we’ve tossed around that we want to bring in, and there’s been an overwhelming response with a number of businesses who want to be involved,” she said.
Schillaci emphasized that an event like Scare on the Square is a chance for everyone to make memories with their loved ones that will last. She hopes that people will leave the festivities feeling more immersed in the community.
“I’m hoping that for people who are new to the community and don’t really know what downtown offers, this is an opportunity for them to go ‘oh, I didn’t know that we had this shop here,’ or ‘I didn’t know that this was going on,’ and then for others if they’re also new, it gives them a sense of community and things to look forward to,” Schillaci said.
“They may not know which neighborhoods to go trick-or-treating in, or they may not want to go trick-or-treating in a traditional sense, but they still want to have that community aspect. These annual events that we have allows everybody to come together.”
