During the spooky season, Fossil Ridge High School has continued to work with Lee Martinez Farm to provide Treatsylvania, a fun opportunity for kids to go trick-or-treating while also exploring the farm.
This is the thirty-third annual year of Treatsylvania, originally starting in the 1990s. For the past three years, this event has sold out within two hours of the tickets being released electronically, with a total of 2,400 kids coming in throughout four sessions.
Similar to Fossil’s Trick or Treat Street, Treatsylvania is a secure way for kids to receive their candy and a way for the farm to raise money. “We’re a youth-based facility that caters to the ten and under crowd and we wanted a safe alternative to trick-or-treating,” says Bridget Brownell, the senior supervisor for the Farm.
Kids begin their journey by receiving a Treatsylvania basket if they didn’t already bring in their own, gathering candy from different storefronts, wooden doors painted with the theme of Halloween on the front ranging from Frankenstein to a haunted mansion.
Throughout their time on the farm, children get to witness and pet different farm animals creating a great experience for little kids. They also get to travel throughout the farm on a hayride, unfortunately not included this year due to weather reasons. One last stop in the Not-so-Spooky Barn where they consume both cookies and hot chocolate.
Preparations for the event begin towards the end of summer, August at the latest. They use storefronts from past years, creating new ones when needed, the top corners reserved for sponsor’s logos.
These sponsors also show up to the event themselves, passing out candy in their own storefronts or present in other parts of the farm.
Lee Martinez Farm is also known for events such as Breakfast with Santa, family camp out, programs for kids to learn about farm life, and pony rides on the weekends. The Farm typically receives a wide majority of volunteers not just from Fossil.
Other high schools that often volunteer in the Poudre School District come from Rocky Mountain, Fort Collins, and Poudre. Since the event has been going on for so long a majority of the volunteers got to experience Treatsylvania, now giving back to the community that once gave great memories to them.
“All [of CSU’s] groups and organizations, they would comprise about 80% of volunteers we needed and then that started to go down,” says Brownell. The lack of volunteers from CSU caused Brownell to
gather more high school volunteers.
Erika Foerster, who is a second-year volunteer at the event, did it through Fossil’s Key Club. “I loved seeing all the little kids in their costumes and hanging out with their friends,” Foerster explains.
Not only did students receive volunteer hours for their clubs, but received multiple rounds of hot chocolate, cookies, and a treat bag when they completed their shifts.
Despite the colder October weather this event was once again a success and Lee Martinez Farm will continue to be known for its enjoyable and special events.
