Thousands gathered at Rent One Park, home of the Southern lllinois Miners, in Marion on Saturday for a spooky night of family-friendly fun. 

The fourth annual Halloween Spooktacular was hosted by the Marion Police Department and several local organizations sponsored the event.  

Parents and children dressed up in Halloween costumes and participated in the fun activities of the evening, such as trunk-or-treating, eating free food and a haunted house. 

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“This is a safe place for the kids to do their trick-or-treating,” David Fitts, Marion Police Chief, said. “We know if they come here to our event that they will be taken care of.” 

Fitts said the Halloween Spooktacular is a way to bring the community of southern Illinois together. 

Several people from different local businesses and organizations volunteered to help with this event.  

Former Marion mayor, Anthony Rinella, has helped with the Halloween Spooktacular every year and said this was the biggest turnout he’s ever seen. 

“They [the crowd] are all just growing every year,” Rinella said. “The crowd is still wrapped around the stadium, and it has been that way since five o’clock.”  

Rinella said he agreed that this is a safe venue for children to enjoy the fun of celebrating Halloween and getting candy. 

“It’s just the atmosphere that people trust in this day and age to have their kids in,” Rinella said. 

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Rinella said this is not just an event to bring the community together, but to bring the region together. 

“The city needs to continue to give back to the community,” Rinella said. “This is just one of the ways that we do.” 

Staff reporter Bethany Rentfro can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @BethanyRentfro.

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