Strobe lights. A canine skeleton. Mannequin torsos. Paper mache pumpkins. A stuffed black spider as tall as a young child.
Such are the contents of a couple old vaults in the Jefferson County Courthouse as organizers plan the inaugural “Big Rock Fright Nights” Halloweenfest.
Tagged “It will scare the yell out of you,” the event is planned for the last two weekends in October at the county fairgrounds.
An enthusiastic planning committee has been meeting monthly with Jefferson County Events Coordinator Bruce Binkowski since late last fall, about the time Binkowski attended the annual Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs convention in Billings.
The convention made clear that “people love events” and that Halloween is an especially “universally loved” event the county could capitalize on, Binkowski told the Fair Board last Nov. 20.
The committee is comprised of Ginger Kunz, Holli Woods, Salina Baker, Leah Lewis, LaDana Hintz, Carey Burnside and Sharla Samuels.
With a committee in Whitehall also planning similar festivities, Binkowski has said Halloween has a lot of potential to be a recurring countywide event.
The Boulder committee has discussed making the fairground’s white barn a “fright barn,” filling volunteer hall with pumpkin carving and reserving the red barn for trick-or-treating.
They’ve also discussed fundraising opportunities — such as holding a barbecue at the fair and selling concessions at the rodeo — and ideas for promoting the event, including entering floats in the July 4th and rodeo parades and asking Main Street business to decorate appropriately as Halloween nears.
Meanwhile, the committee has also been holding informal crafts nights to design ghoulish decor, including an artificial Christmas tree painted black.
Binkowski’s younger brother, Jon Binkowski, founder of Renaissance Entertainment and Creative Services and a designer for Disney and other theme-park clients, will visit Boulder April 8 and 9 to tour the fairgrounds with a designer and the committee, meet with the commissioners and recommend how the county might proceed.
Bruce Binkowski said his brother, who is “helping out [his] big brother” and not charging the county for his services, is “all into” the idea.
The younger Binkowski met with the commissioners last Sept. 11 for a broader discussion on attracting more visitors to the area.
For admission to “Big Rock Fright Nights,” the committee has discussed charging $5 per car rather than a per-person fee.
“This isn’t about making money,” Binkowski said at the Feb. 28 committee meeting.
“This is about paying our expenses and putting on a fun weekend for families.”
