Celebrate Halloween with nearly 40 vendors, a costume contest, trick-or-treating and more at the 11th annual Norman Fall Festival.
Norman Fall Festival is organized by Norman Parks and Recreation, Norman Downtowners Association and Loveworks Leadership. The free event will feature vendor tables, trick-or-treating, bounce houses, a costume contest, music and other family-friendly activities.
Carolyn Spitler, executive director of Loveworks Leadership, is helping organize the festival for the first time and has enjoyed watching it come together.
“I think that is one of the best things to see, that people are willing to work hard and just so that other people can enjoy it. I think that part’s really cool.” Le Spitler said.
Founded in 2011, Loveworks Leadership supports students ages 11-14, teaching leadership, life skills and character building.
“Our goal … is to form more community members, and more productive people who genuinely care about the community and serve in it whenever capacity that they can using the skills and assets that they have,” Spitler said.
Loveworks’ involvement in the festival stems from its commitment to community engagement and its long-term goal of involving students in future event planning.
Major goals of the festival include creating a free, volunteer-driven event while giving away as much candy as possible.
The annual costume contest will feature prizes such as a membership pass for the Young Family Athletic Center and a swimming season pass at Westwood Family Aquatic Center.
Additional activities include a storytime at 6:30 p.m. hosted by The Norman Public Library and a presentation at 7:30 p.m. by the Firehouse Art Center at The Depot. OU Engineering, Norman Public Schools Learning Bus and the Mobile Maker Lab will be in attendance. The Norman Ballet Company and Premiere Dance Company are also set to perform.
The festival is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. The festival originally was supposed to be between the Cleveland County Courthouse and The Depot, but was moved indoors to the Young Family Athletic Center due to potential weather. Volunteers must be 16 or older and can apply online.
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Tori Pham and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
