Culture
The Chillicothe Halloween Festival helps an Appalachian city embrace its ‘quirk’ and haunted history
By: Emily Votaw
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) – Enormous pumpkins were weighed, elaborate costumes were worn and soapbox derby cars done up like coffins raced down the middle of Yoctangee Park this weekend during the 2024 Chillicothe Halloween Festival.
Chillicothe resident Mark Davis was one of the festival’s Saturday afternoon costume contest participants, bringing a detailed rendition of the winged, trench coat clad “Creeper” from the horror/comedy film franchise Jeepers Creepers.
“It took me forever to find everything,” Davis said, noting that he typically goes for simpler costumes, like Halloween‘s iconic Michael Myers. Doing the Creeper justice was tougher, and Davis sourced parts of his costume from Goodwill, eBay and even the Ohio Renaissance Festival.
Davis’ decision to go for a more involved costume paid off, earning first place in the 18+ division of the “scariest costume” category.
Fellow contestants and mother-daughter duo Becca and Phaedra Shoemaker brought an entirely different vibe to their group entry, taking inspiration from Adam Sandler and Chris Farley’s 1993 Saturday Night Live duet Lunchlady Land.
The Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library was one of over 80 vendors and organizations that set up tents and tables at this year’s festival. Jenn Coffill, who manages adult programming at the main library branch, spent Saturday afternoon spreading the word about the free “spooky events” the library is hosting this season.
(Here’s a link to information about those events.)
These include a visit from Ohio author Mindy McGinnis titled Blood, Brains, and Lobotomies, covering the history of the treatment of brain injuries and mental illness, as well as her book A Madness So Discreet.
She said the festival is an example of Chillicothe celebrating its uniqueness.
“I absolutely love when the community embraces its ‘quirk,’” Coffill said.
Although the festival is a general celebration of the season, it’s also a kind of extension of the city’s “haunted” reputation. In fact, the festival raises its initial production funds by way of the annual Chillicothe Ghost Walk, which happens in September ahead of the festival.
There are plenty of ghost stories tied to the region. The spirits of World War I soldiers are said to haunt the Majestic Theater; a poltergeist named Harold has been known to wreak havoc on patrons and staff at the Crosskeys Tavern; and shadowy figures have been spotted floating through Grandview Cemetery.
With a weekend full of eerie entertainment, unique costumes and community spirit, the 2024 Chillicothe Halloween Festival once again showed how this small Appalachian town knows how to embrace the spooky season—and its own haunted history.