A heavily wooded state park in northwest Iowa is the site of an unusual event held this Saturday. It’s called the “Fright Hike” and it covers about half a mile in Fort Defiance State Park near Estherville. Lexie Ruter is executive director of the Estherville Chamber of Commerce.
This will be the 11th annual Fright Hike, held the Saturday before Halloween each year — held in the woods of the state park that’s about two-and-a-half miles outside of Estherville.
The “Fright Night” festivities begin just before sunset this Saturday, but Ruter says the half mile route will be lit for the first hour.
A ticket to the Fright Hike at Fort Defiance is 10 dollars. Halloween has become one of the biggest consumer holidays of the year and the National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend a record $12.2 billion on Halloween costumes, candy, decorations and haunted houses this year. The National Retail Federation’s annual survey found seven out of 10 people said they would participate in Halloween activities.
