Batavia got an early start on Halloween with BatFest in the city’s downtown on Saturday.
Bethanne Guidarelli lives in Sugar Grove but grew up in Batavia and decided to come back to her hometown Saturday to go to the fest with her young son Arnie, who is almost 2 years old.
“I’ve been coming to this when we were kids and this is my third year here since we moved,” Guidarelli said. “We just enjoy the parade and walking around and seeing friends and just having a good time. We couldn’t have a nicer day, and it’s great the kids get to start Halloween.”
The festival, organized by the Batavia MainStreet group, included a costume parade, face painting, dance performances, a pumpkin roll, trick-or-treating, live music and more.
Batavia MainStreet Executive Director Beth Walker said the event, now in its 24th year, is all about bringing the community together.
“This is really our family-friendly event. It gets people going all around our downtown district,” she said. “It’s creating positive exposure to our downtown and having people explore what we have. We have strategically placed attractions around so people will hopefully go to places they might not always visit and see different areas.”
Walker listed examples including a reptile show at the Congregational Church of Batavia, as well as businesses like New Moon Vegan “who converted their space to look like Super Mario World.”
“It’s just a feel-good event going on downtown,” she said.
Walker said the event “would easily draw 4,000 people on a good day.”
“Kids get so excited about their costumes and the disappointing thing is you only get to wear the costume for one day,” she said. “When you offer this – I know my kids loved it when they were younger – it’s just another opportunity to put your costume on and do whatever everybody else is doing and at the Bond Center there are just so many other activities for the kids to do.”
Saturday’s crowd, even at the opening, appeared it would easily reach 4,000 as the grounds near the Peg Bond Center as well as the streets near it were clogged with kids and parents dressed in costumes and waiting for the parade to start.
Eddie Pignataro of South Elgin said he and family have come to the fest before and that he enjoyed the pumpkin roll a year ago.
“I definitely remember things rolling down the hill – the contest for that – it was a pumpkin roll like bowling with pumpkins,” Pignataro said. “It’s great. This is a nice area and Batavia has a lot of younger families and it’s cool. This will definitely become a tradition.”
Batavia resident Deena Boellinger said she has come to BatFest before and was representing the Batavia Women’s Club who were performing at the event.
“I enjoy being in costume. I’m into it,” she said. “I don’t always come in costume and this was kind of a progressive thing. I found the hat and then I found the skirt and wrapped my arms this morning. We’re going to do a ‘Flash-Mom’ dance.”
Laura Newmeyer of St. Charles was also going to be part of the dance and said her goal “was to have fun and just enjoy all of this.”
“It’s beautiful and I believe we are creating awareness for the Batavia Women’s Club and all the good services and things they do for the community,” she said. “This builds communities and brings people together.”
Renee Martinez of Batavia came dressed as a fox to BatFest and said she likes to bring her daughter down each year for the parade.
“Everybody comes together and it’s fun and there are so many activities for the kids,” she said. “My daughter Isabelle always decides what our costumes are going to be and then we have to put something together. She’s always in charge of that.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
