Annual Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt & Halloween Haunt Returns This Month

Press release from The Rotary Club of Mukwonago:

Oct. 3, 2021

The Rotary Club of Mukwonago has announced dates for the 2021 Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt and Halloween Haunt. Everyone is invited to attend the event at Field Park in Mukwonago on Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each day.

Returning for its 18th run, the Jaunt/Haunt has grown to be the community’s premier family event of the season. Organizers have expanded the attractions in the park over the years while keeping admission prices low and opting for decorations and themes that are suitable for even the youngest visitors. The cost is $2 for adults, $1 for children 12 and under, and free admission for babies – with additional donations to support local projects welcome.

For two nights, the paths of the park will be lit up by hundreds of carved pumpkins. Local businesses, groups, and organizations supply the jack-o’-lanterns and create the displays as a fun and inexpensive way to promote themselves in the community. Anyone is welcome to bring carved pumpkins to the park on October 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tea lights will be provided, but all businesses and groups are asked to set up their own pumpkins. Displays should include a sign with the name of the business or group. There is no fee to set up a display, with the only cost of participating being the supplies used to create a display. Those wanting items from their display must return to the park at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday to gather the items. Volunteers will dispose of any pumpkins left behind.

Volunteers will also transform the park’s pavilion into a not-so-haunted house complete with a story and cast of characters. Each day at 7 p.m., a double feature of quasi-horror films by Christopher Mihm will be shown in the park. This year’s movie titles are “The Phantom Lake Kids in The Unseen Invasion” and “The Phantom Lake Kids in The Beast Walks Among Us”. Anyone wanting to see the movies is asked to bring chairs. Other event activities include face painting, games, crafts, and fun photo opportunities. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from a local Girl Scout troop as well as Scott’s Dog House and Sugar Spun Cotton Candy.
The entire event is planned and staffed by local volunteers, with all proceeds from this year’s Jaunt/Haunt staying in our community to fund the many causes supported by the Rotary Club of Mukwonago as well as Life’s Connection. Presenting sponsors of this year’s event are the Rotary Club of Mukwonago and Citizens Bank.

The Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt was started in 2003 by Joline Palatino and Linda Forster, local sisters who wanted to raise money to replace the roof on the Red Brick Museum in Mukwonago. The Jaunt later teamed up with the Rotary Club of Mukwonago’s Halloween Haunt. Together the events have raised thousands of dollars for many causes in the area.

For more information about the Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt and Halloween Haunt, visit www.jackolanternjaunt.com or the Rotary Club of Mukwonago’s Facebook page.

This press release was produced by The Rotary Club of Mukwonago. The views expressed here are the author's own.