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The first year, Southern Lanes hosted a few vendors, a costume contest, and fair-type games for about 35 to 50 trick-or-treaters inside between the bowling lanes. As word got around about the free, family-friendly event, more and more people trickled in. And as fate would have it, the onset of COVID-19 brought about an unexpected twist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2020, Southern Lanes decided to move the event outdoors, adhering to social distancing guidelines by spacing vendors out by 6 feet and ushering people in one group at a\u00a0time. Around 600 people showed up, likely looking for a holiday reprieve from the roaring global pandemic. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the event\u2019s outdoor setting allowed Southern Lanes to accommodate even more vendors, activities, and food trucks, leading to a remarkable surge in attendance. Last year, 1,500 to 2,000 people joined the festivities, Litten said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect it to get as big as it is,\u201d Litten said. \u201cI mean, I hoped that it would, but I didn\u2019t think that it would be this big in the short amount of time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, dozens of local vendors hold pop-up shops. Last year Southern Lanes had a live band for the event and had a free petting zoo. Litten\u2019s daughter performed \u201cThriller\u201d with her class from Soaky Dance Arts dance studio at the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt kind of gives the parents something to do as well if they wanna shop,\u201d Litten said. \u201cAnd then we\u2019re able to support other local small businesses.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the day, Southern Lanes offers wristbands at a special rate of $20 each. The wristband grants unlimited access to bowling, laser tag, bumper cars, and miniature golf. Regardless, the Halloween festivities remain free of charge. Local vendors sell products, distribute coupons, and hand out gifts and candy to trick-or-treaters. Litten said supporting local businesses is meaningful to her because Bowling Green is where she grew up and because Southern Lanes itself is a small local business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to me because that\u2019s what we are,\u201d Litten said. \u201cI think people forget that because we are such a large building with a lot of things to do, but we\u2019re still a local small family business.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With fond memories of Southern Lanes\u2019 earlier days on Campbell Lane, Litten cherishes the sense of family and community that the bowling alley has always embodied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think growing up in a life like that, I know so many people,\u201d she said. \u201cIn Bowling Green, it\u2019s like you never meet a stranger. And it takes a village. My village is in Bowling Green.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n On Sunday, Oct. 29, Southern Lanes will once again be brimming with small-town Halloween spirit at the ninth annual Trick or Treat. Grab your costumes and visit from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to experience a quintessential Bowling Green holiday tradition. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AS THE crisp October breeze embraces Bowling Green, children in the suburbs go from door to door collecting king-sized candy bars and comparing costumes. Those closer to town or without a neighborhood to roam rely on a hidden gem for Halloween fun \u2014 the Southern Lanes Trick or Treat.\u00a0 Now located on Scottsville Road, Southern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":20743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/2-3-1024x683.png\")