ELLSWORTH – The Witch on West Warner is growing into a family-friendly Halloween festival designed to bring neighbors, families, local businesses and the community together for a day of Halloween spirit at the Pierce County Fairgrounds from 2-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

The Haunted Fairgrounds Festival will feature Halloween attractions, a haunted maze, contests, a paranormal team, kids’ activities, vendors, food, entertainment, and more.

“I’ve loved Halloween since I was a kid. I’ve always had a really big imagination when it comes to Halloween, and honestly, the things I envision in my head would probably require a millionaire’s budget,” Melissa Nelson said. “But I love creating things, I love Halloween, and most of all, I love making people happy. I’ve always wanted to take that love of Halloween and create something that other people could enjoy too.”

The Nelsons’ Halloween display at their West Warner Street home grew each year since it began a few years ago. Last year, they added an inflatable maze. They soon realized they were running out of room and became more concerned about safety. They estimate 200-300 people visited last year.

“At first, I thought maybe we could have the street blocked off and make the event bigger that way, because I really wanted to continue doing Halloween for the community,” Melissa Nelson said.

She reached out to Pierce County Fair Manager Liz Dietsche about moving and expanding the event to the fairgrounds. They are also working with the sheriff’s office on safety planning.

“Liz Dietsche at the fairgrounds has been incredibly helpful and patient with us throughout the whole process. Filling our brains with so much knowledge,” Melissa Nelson said. “We really appreciate everything she shared and the time she has spent with us. When we first tossed the idea out in our local Facebook group, people seemed really interested, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if we could actually pull it off.”

The Nelsons are keeping the event admission free, though food and vendor wares will be for sale. They already have several food trucks and vendors lined up; there is no charge to be a vendor. Churches with fairgrounds stands are encouraged to open them but must reach out to Dietsche.

Other things planned include a paranormal team leading investigations, a tarot card reader, a palm reader, a pumpkin carving contest with a cash prize, a kids’ costume contest, a medallion hunt, a potion station by YB Urban? and more.

“One of the most important things to me is that this remains something the whole community can enjoy. The festival is completely free to attend. I know what it’s like when money is tight and you have to think twice about spending money on entertainment or activities. I don’t want a family to have to stay home because they can’t afford an admission fee,” Melissa Nelson said.

The couple has been working with resident Amanda Eastling, who offered her assistance in planning the festival. Eastling is a member of the Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation and Ellsworth Community School District Foundation.

“She really helped me believe that we could make this happen, and I’m incredibly grateful to her,” Melissa Nelson said. “We began getting vendors, food trucks, volunteers and other people from the community involved. What started as an idea to create more space for Halloween has turned into something much bigger.”

The Nelsons are looking for volunteers, whether it be loading trucks, decorating and set up/take down, assisting with contests, being a “scare” actor or helping with parking.

“I’m not a nonprofit organization,” Melissa Nelson said. “This is something I’ve done because I love Halloween and I love creating something for the community. Over the years, people have generously offered goodwill donations to help make our events better the next year and that’s helped us buy something new the following year. This year I held a garage sale and all of those proceeds are going for something new, and the community had the opportunity vote on a selection of items.”
Gregg Nelson said people will have a choice to participate in “scary stuff” or more kid-friendly activities, with something for all ages and preferences.

“If they just want to go trick-or-treating, they can,” Gregg Nelson said. “We will have stuff that’s not scary for people who don’t enjoy it.”

People will also have an opportunity to create the best Halloween display for a chance to win $500 cash. Families, friends, businesses, organizations and clubs are invited to claim a designated area of the fairgrounds and transform it into a Halloween display. Prizes will be given for scariest, most creative, funniest, best DIY/handmade and people’s choice. Festival guests will help decide the winners. Displays must be set up Oct. 30 or the morning of Oct. 31. Each group is responsible for providing their own decorations. The following items are not allowed:

• No nails, screws, staples, or anything that damages the fairgrounds or buildings.
• No digging, permanent attachments, or anything that could damage the grounds.
• No open flames, fireworks, or unsafe displays.

Electrical decorations must be safely used and secured. Displays cannot block walkways, entrances, exits, emergency equipment, or interfere with other participants. Decorations must be family-friendly and appropriate for a community Halloween festival. Participants are responsible for removing their decorations after the event or by Nov. 1.

For those interested in the pumpkin carving contest, they can drop their finished pumpkins off at the fairgrounds’ picnic shelter 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 31. Festival goers will vote for their favorite pumpkins; the winner will receive $100 cash and a trophy.

The Nelsons hope this becomes an annual event with different Halloween themes each year; any proceeds/donations will go toward making the festival better next year. Any donations received are goodwill donations and are not tax-deductible.

“We’re still hoping local businesses and community members will want to help make the festival even bigger and better,” Melissa Nelson said. “We’re offering recognition for supporters through things like media mentions and banners, and we’re also accepting donated items that can help with the event, such as decorations, extension cords, tents and other supplies.”
Melissa Nelson said she has a million ideas for what she’d love to create if money and resources weren’t limited, but for now they’re building the dream piece-by-piece

“It doesn’t have to be perfect or enormous. If a kid comes through the festival and has the time of their life, or a family goes home with a great memory they might not otherwise have been able to afford, then all the work is worth it to me,” she said. “The original Witch on West Warner event became something very personal to me over the years and having the creative freedom to continue developing that vision is a huge part of what motivates me. At the end of the day, I want this to feel like something the whole community helped create—not just something I put on. That’s what makes it really special to me.”

For many years, Haunting Off Piety also brought Halloween magic to the community. Michael and Deb dedicated countless years to putting on their haunt for the community and made giving back a part of the experience by collecting non-perishable food for the local food shelf, Melissa Nelson said. 

Although their annual haunt has come to an end, the Nelsons want to take a moment to celebrate the memories they created, the joy they brought to so many, and the generosity they shared.

At 4:30 p.m. Oct. 31, a special tribute honoring Michael and Deb will be held at the picnic shelter. The Witch’s Kindness Cauldron will also be unveiled, in honor of their years of giving back. The community is asked to bring a non-perishable food item to place in the cauldron for the local food shelf. Everyone who donates will be entered into a drawing for a special prize from the Witch on West Warner.

To volunteer or ask questions, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591441246231 or email melissanelson54011@icloud.com Donations are accepted via CashApp or Zelle (see QR codes).