By Mike Donahue

Moapa Valley Progress

Eva Wilson, 5, of Salt Lake City, uses a pumpkin to bowl for candy at the Halloween Jamboree. Photo by Mike Donahue.

Some 270 ghosts, goblins and other ghoulish figures gathered at atlatl rock in Valley of Fire State Park last Saturday for a ghastly good time during the 10th Annual Halloween Jamboree.

Kids and parents from California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada spent a fun two hours bowling with pumpkins, tossing hula hoops over mock head stones, tossing ping pong balls into pumpkins, pinning the nose on the pumpkin and decorating Halloween cookies, all in honor of Halloween, “and of course Nevada Day,” said Guy Corrado, park ranger in charge of the event.

“We were very fortunate to have the great weather,” Corrado said. “Everything just seemed to fall into place. There was no wind, a perfect blue sky and the kids really had a great time.”

Corrado said there more than 20 volunteers who helped stage the jamboree including 10 scouts from Las Vegas Troop 17. Scout master John Dunn said the troop has helped all 10 years of the event.

“We started with this event in the beginning,” Dunn said. “It’s a great annual event for the troop and the park keeps inviting us back so I guess we’ll just keep coming.”

Each child who arrived at the event in the atlatl rock picnic area was given a goodie bag stuffed with candy and items donated by local merchants including Overton McDonalds Restaurant, Sugar’s Restaurant, Inside Scoop and Logandale Chevron.

Some of the kids who enjoyed the games included 8-year-old Zoe Zubia of Overton who was dressed as the Grim Reaper; Joseph Muhlestein, 11, Overton; Jocelyn Tweddle, 9, of Las Vegas; Jena Johnson, 6, Fallon, and Andee Laird, 8, Overton.

The Wilson family from Salt Lake City ended up at the jamboree after jumping into their motor home to go for a drive.

Five-year-old Eva Wilson, who was dressed as catty-looking character, ended the day with a sack full of candy. The Wilsons even had costumes for their dogs.