Once 1,000 clear bags were given at the Pine Bluff Police Department’s Fall Festival on Thursday, a line of locals wrapped around the Convention Center waiting to enjoy a safe night to be spooked. Kids young and old dressed in everything from heroic to ghoulish, and those who dared visited the haunted house at the festival for maximum Halloween fun.
“This event, which is hosted by the Pine Bluff Police Department, is a family-safe event,” said Convention Center Executive Director Barbara Dunn. “It’s all about the community. We have over 100 vendors, and everything they have is free for the children. It’s fun. The decoration is exciting, they have the haunted house and more importantly it’s safe.”
Those who went through the haunted house left with big smiles on their faces, Dunn said.
“Individuals come happy, and they leave extremely happy,” Dunn said.
Kayleigh Battle, 7, poses for the camera with Pennywise the Clown and an electronic skeleton. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
A skeleton in a purple robe towers above the crowd inside the Pine Bluff Convention Center. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Gunner Godsby, 5, and Timber Godsby, 6, ride an inflatable dinosaur and unicorn from vendor to vendor. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)