A towering dragon breathing fire is not an average sight on Highway 40, but then again it is Halloween in Steamboat Springs and the main thoroughfare which passes through downtown is temporary closed.
As a much-loved annual tradition, Halloween in the Yampa Valley is a production like no other. Stores close early and shopkeepers morph into ghosts and ghouls to hand out candy to crowds of trick or treaters. Fire-eaters and a host of entertainers dot downtown, as costumed locals of all ages roam Main Street.
The Group office at 509 Lincoln Avenue is unrecognizable after its transformation into a haunted house. The cobwebbed, cauldron-filled spook space is a magnet for locals and visitors keen to embrace the Halloween vibe.
United Way of the Yampa Valley invites locals to dress up for a cause at the Monster Mash. “It’s our main fundraiser with trick or treat games focused on our four impact areas of early childhood education, youth success, financial empowerment and health & crisis services,” says Kate Nowak, Executive Director at United Way of the Yampa Valley.
Participants trade tickets for treats, play games, and learn the Monster Mash dance as live band Constant Change entertains the crowd during three sets. Local firm SBNY is hosting an Orange Carpet Costume Contest, while Mythology will be serving up specialty cocktails with vodka or gin gimlets. Guests can feast at the brisket or portobello mushroom slider bar and finish up with a make-your-own ice cream sundae.
For the ultimate scare fest, Colorado Mountain College offers a weekend of tours inside their Haunted House, an annual terrifying tradition and fundraiser for multiple clubs on campus. Enter at your own risk, it’s not for the faint of heart.