From candy to caricatures to costumed characters to loads of activities – carving pumpkins being chief among them -- Carvin’ in Crabapple had it all last weekend.

An estimated 1,500 people ventured in-and-out of Saturday’s family-friendly Halloween-themed event in downtown Milton. Tables on Broadwell Road contained safe knives, paints, markers, and stickers to make perfect, personal jack o’ lanterns in all shapes, sizes, and designs. A mini-pumpkin’s throw away along the same street, kids lined up to hop on a giant inflatable slide, families grabbed savory and sweet treats from food trucks, and others sat to watch SEC football on a big screen.

Arts, crafts, popcorn, and more filled the Broadwell Pavilion side of the festivities. One of the biggest draws (new this year!) was a professional caricaturist who created sketches on the spot of whomever dropped by. 

On the opposite side of Broadwell Road was Trunk or Treat organized by the Milton Police Department and Karate Atlanta – a prime opportunity for costumed children to get a head start on their candy collection. And speaking of dressed-up kiddos, winners of this year’s costume contest included cute Viking dragon trainers and a sometimes mermaid named Ariel.

All this happened in a condensed footprint, with a steady stream of families coming and going. Whatever they were dressed up as, the attendees almost universally wore smiles – with bringing joy being this event’s main goal, after all – and almost certainly left with an even stronger sense of community.

Thank you to all who came out to downtown Milton on Saturday for this terrific event! We hope that it helped you get Halloween started on the right foot, and that you finish it with a flourish later this week.