EMBARRASS- If you were looking for something scary just in time for Halloween, the Klatt family in Embarrass was ready to help.
Tom and Morgan Klatt host a travelling petting zoo, sell their homegrown produce, and plant food plots. Morgan is also a kindergarten teacher at Northeast Range in Babbitt.
This year, they decided to share their love of Halloween by creating a “haunted trail” event on six weekend nights in October leading up to Halloween.
“We decided to give it a try,” said Tom. “We like to give back to our community.”
And the community responded. Not counting the final night, over 700 people visited their haunted trail, located just west of Four Corners, winding through a corn maze and then wooded trails, with over two dozen volunteers, some in costume spooking the visitors, and others helping with parking. The trail itself was designed with adults in mind, and Morgan said they warned families that this event wasn’t geared towards younger children, just those 13 and older.
“We hope to keep doing this and growing it larger each year,” said Morgan. “But we do need a bigger parking lot.”
But youngsters got their chance at fun at the trunk-or-treat on Oct. 25. There were over a dozen people, mostly in costumes, handing out candy from their spookily-decorated trunks. Families had a chance to visit with rabbits, pigs, and donkeys that live at their farm, and play on hay bales with slides. Families also got the chance to tour the haunted trail in daylight, without the jump scares, and just a possible encounter with a rather friendly banana! Klatt’s had prepared for 200 children, and if you counted the adults who came with their children and grandchildren, there was most likely many more.
Some folks were running out of candy only midway through the afternoon event, but others were chipping in and doing emergency grocery store runs.
Those handing out candy said it was a chance to have some Halloween fun.
“We don’t get any trick-or-treaters at our house,” said Julia Maki who lives in Embarrass. She was enjoying visiting with the children and talking about their costumes.
The Klatts hope to make use of their newly-created trail year-round, with plans for a lighted snowshoe trail in the winter, and then an “I-Spy” experience trail in the summer.
Community members and businesses handing out candy at the trunk-or-treat event included: Tricia Flake and Avery Buschman, Trapline (Kelliann Frank), Iron Range Painting (Rachel Dingman), BIC Realty (Julia Maki), Brandi Webb family, Cindy Scherer family, Hope Lutheran Church, Changelle Cannon, Jamie Zahnow and friends, Rural Living Environments, Jen Sutter, Brenda Skelton, Angela Sipila, and the Embarrass Volunteer Fire Department.
The event was held at the same time as a big truck event held at Embarrass Town Hall, and hosted by the Friends of the Embarrass Region Volunteer Fire Department. There was lunch for sale, lots of big trucks to explore, and Sparky the fire dog, along with raffles and activities for children. You can keep track of upcoming events by following their Facebook page.