Halloween is coming on, so Muleshoe decided to celebrate Sunday afternoon, October 26, at the Muleshoe Heritage Center. Bernadette Bradley, co-manager of the Muleshoe Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the Muleshoe Heritage Foundation, invited businesses and groups in Muleshoe to get involved and make Howl at the Mule howl louder. This event has been done a few years, but this year was bigger and better.
Vickie Burch and Sheila Stevenson manned the gate as people filed in. Between paying adults and kids under two years old who came in free, they estimate that about 250 people enjoyed the festivities.Everyone received a Halloween plastic bag for the prizes and goodies they would win playing the games.
Lots of games, food trucks, and fun to things to do were busy when I arrived. I started taking pictures of kids in costume, games they were playing for prizes,and even parents and other adults dressed in costumes.
I started taking pictures and meant to take some names, but rather than interrupt the kids’ focus on winning the games, I just decided to take pictures and let them have their fun. I did get a few individual costumes that were really works of art. And I didn’t mean to leave anyone out, but I am sure I missed some really great costumes.
This batch of kids were taking the cake walk, hoping to win a prize.
i was impressed that this little mermaid could walk in her costume!
Games were set up everywhere and were manned mostly by young people from school and church groups and other groups.
I could relate to this game. It was like pole bending on a horse, minus the flag at the end. Weave your stick horse through the markers, grab the flag at the end and race back to the finish line.
Face painting was popular with all ages.
Look carefully and you will see the purple bean bag leaving his hand to knock down the headstones on the table.
For the costume contest this year, costumed kids were to have their picture taken by Terry Brewster at this decorated wagon, and later the pictures will be judged and the winners announced with prizes awarded. Eight categories will be judged and the winners will be posted on the Chamber’s and Heritage Foundation’s Facebook pages.
Look carefully here, too, and you can see the ring being thrown at the blue posts. And then this little skeleton threw bean bags at the holes in the clown sign.
But older kids enjoyed the games, too.
A hayride was even an option as well as a bouncy house.
Kyla Ledbetter’s Wild Cactus Cafe, Rolando Estrada’s The Roasted Corn, and Luli Murillo’s Dips and Dots food trucks were on hand to feed hungry game-players.
All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of local people to man the booths and donations made by area businesses and individuals. Terry Brewster took the costume photos, Donavan Moreno brought the Axe Throwing blow-up, Sonic Drive-in donated fifty gift cards, Tullie Struve from Olton brought fifty pumpkins, Higginbotham’s supplied the golf game materials, Fry and Cox provided scary spider decorations, Muleshoe Feed Barn gave the hay bales, and United Supermarket donated all the prize candy.
I took lots of pictures, but i know I didn’t get one of every game. So, here is the list not only of the games, but the people and groups manning the booths.
Eddie Alvarado did the Face cut out.
Thanks to local businesses and everyone willing to put in the time and effort to provide the activities, it was a fun afternoon with lots of great costumes to enjoy. I suspect the howling will go on again in the future.
Happy Halloween!
Thanks to Bernadette Bradley for her help with this story, and thanks to everyone who made the afternoon a success.
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