Fall Festival/Halloween Celebration
It was that time of year again. The days weren't as long or as warm as they used to be, while the evenings were cool enough to be refreshing. However, something was obviously different this particular evening. As the light from the artificial sun began to slowly fade, more and more people were able to see the shimmering of lights and hear the faint sounds of music and chatter coming from Shiny Park.
The trees in the park had already started their transformation, making the wilderness a wonder to behold. The splashes of red, yellow, and orange overhead were accented all the more by the small, paper lanterns that adorned every tree in the perimeter. They weren't terribly bright, but the lanterns were enough to provide a warm, welcoming glow as people entered the park.
Signs and flags hung from the trees as well, announcing the appearance of the Fall Festival. On the east end of the park, there was a small stage where a live band played the music setting the festival. Booths were organized throughout a wide area of the park, each with someone in a traditional Japanese kimono manning for the night. There was a row of booths which each had their own specialty of food. Despite the atmosphere, one was just as likely to find sushi and bento as they were burgers and pizza as well as desserts, old fashioned and modern.
Another row of booths housed various carnival games visitors could play to win simple prizes. Some were physical games; trying to knock down cans with a bean bag, hitting down a hammer hard enough to hit a bell way up high, throwing horseshoes, etc. There were one or two roulette booths where people could try to win prizes by placing bets.
The Fall Festival also kept elements of the modern Halloween holiday within its boundaries. Because of this, visitors were just as welcome to wear costumes as they were a kimono.
Some of the booths to the west housed more "grotesque" attractions, such as a tub filled with a thick black and green goo visitors could shove their arms into up to the elbow in search of prizes. The desserts in this section also took on the disturbing form of bloody brains, human hands, eyeballs, and rats.
At the far west end of the park was a much more modern addition: a haunted house attraction. The large tent was black with spider webs, fake blood splatters, and various fake monsters poking their heads out of the windows. A few flashing lights could be seen underneath the door people would use to enter. That aside, no one could tell exactly what awaited any who dared go in.
With everything finally ready, the Fall Festival officially started.
The trees in the park had already started their transformation, making the wilderness a wonder to behold. The splashes of red, yellow, and orange overhead were accented all the more by the small, paper lanterns that adorned every tree in the perimeter. They weren't terribly bright, but the lanterns were enough to provide a warm, welcoming glow as people entered the park.
Signs and flags hung from the trees as well, announcing the appearance of the Fall Festival. On the east end of the park, there was a small stage where a live band played the music setting the festival. Booths were organized throughout a wide area of the park, each with someone in a traditional Japanese kimono manning for the night. There was a row of booths which each had their own specialty of food. Despite the atmosphere, one was just as likely to find sushi and bento as they were burgers and pizza as well as desserts, old fashioned and modern.
Another row of booths housed various carnival games visitors could play to win simple prizes. Some were physical games; trying to knock down cans with a bean bag, hitting down a hammer hard enough to hit a bell way up high, throwing horseshoes, etc. There were one or two roulette booths where people could try to win prizes by placing bets.
The Fall Festival also kept elements of the modern Halloween holiday within its boundaries. Because of this, visitors were just as welcome to wear costumes as they were a kimono.
Some of the booths to the west housed more "grotesque" attractions, such as a tub filled with a thick black and green goo visitors could shove their arms into up to the elbow in search of prizes. The desserts in this section also took on the disturbing form of bloody brains, human hands, eyeballs, and rats.
At the far west end of the park was a much more modern addition: a haunted house attraction. The large tent was black with spider webs, fake blood splatters, and various fake monsters poking their heads out of the windows. A few flashing lights could be seen underneath the door people would use to enter. That aside, no one could tell exactly what awaited any who dared go in.
With everything finally ready, the Fall Festival officially started.