Children’s Magical Halloween Castle Enjoyed By Thousands
The annual Children’s Magical Halloween Castle sponsored by the hard working and dedicated members of the Castle Island Association ran into a bit of bad weather this year. What is usually a 2-day event, had to be cut back to just Sunday, this time because of a raging rain storm with winds so strong boats were ripped from their moorings.
But that was Saturday and Sunday more than made up for it. Nearly 4,000 people showed up to marvel at this unique event that had the young ghosts, goblins and super heroes thrilled to the max. Even Governor Baker showed up and joined Congressman Steve Lynch, State Senator Nick Collins and City Councilor Ed Flynn in the fun.
Fort Independence, as always, was transformed into an elaborate haunted castle and it delighted the kids and their parents with spooktacular Halloween special effects and decorations. There was live entertainment, snacks and drinks for everyone as the holiday traditions were mixed in with this historical landmark. But the theme of the day, as is always the case, was fun. The happy screams and laughter of the crowd made it even more exciting. And the costumes were just incredible.
There were witches and bears, dragons and clowns and even Abe Lincoln made an appearance. The most popular costume of the event was the T-Rex! Some of the costumes were store bought, others were handmade with great care, but all of them were impressive and festive.
Though the rain from the previous day had gone, the sky was still Halloween cloudy; just enough to give it that seasonal atmosphere and put everyone in the spirit.
The Children’s Magical Halloween Castle is a long-standing tradition that attracts people from as far away as Maine and Connecticut. In fact, former South Bostonians currently living in Florida have been known to make the trip north just to be part of the Halloween fun. And why not? The members of the CIA put their hearts and souls into making this event an experience to remember and one that is worth returning for year after year by people of every age.
South Boston Today spoke with CIA President Bill Spain and asked him his thoughts on this year’s festivities. He was pleased and proud as he should be and, even though Saturday was rained out, his take on it was as follows: “This was the first time in 36 years one of the days had to be cancelled because of the weather. If we can go another 36 years without it happening again, he’ll be quite happy”. And it’s a sure bet that everyone else will be too.
