People of all ages gathered to hear Tim Stambaugh and the Fiends play music and hear nationally renowned storyteller Milbre Burch tell "tales both merry and scary," but the majority of the crowd consisted of children dressed in creative costumes.
At 6:30 p.m., Burch began telling stories on a stage littered with hay bales and pumpkin lights while the band added touches of percussion in the background.
One of the children in the crowd was Tyler Tulanian of Durham, who came dressed as a jack-in-the-box with his mom, Shayna.
"We saw this advertised in the paper and decided to come," Shayna said. "We didn't know (Milbre Burch) was going to be here, but now we're really glad we came."
Later on, the Tulanians had another reason to be glad they came, as Tyler won the most original category for children 5 and under in the costume contest.
Many of the people gathered around the stage said they came because it was a great opportunity for their children to have fun in a safe environment.
Tony Blanford of Carrboro brought his daughter and two sons to the event for the first time after reading about it in the paper.
"It's unique, and it builds community," Blanford said. "We just moved here from Indiana, and we didn't have anything like this at home."
Although the event was primarily attended by children, adults without children could appreciate the appeal of the Halloween festivities, too. Allison Kieber, a three-year veteran of the event, brought her friend Rachel Rugliese this year to enjoy the stories.
