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Candy, horns and more

Water buffalo joins Halloween Hop fun

By Fritz Busch & Amy Zents 4 min read

NEW ULM -- Businesses participating in Halloween Hop and Trunk or Treat were full of children and many adults dressed for the occasion Saturday.

The event, part of the city's seasonal programming, featured themed storefronts, trick-or-treating and a variety of attractions.

A 5-year-old water buffalo named Worf was the unlikely star of the Halloween Hop, drawing a steady stream of families and costumed children to a temporary petting zoo set up downtown.

The petting zoo, run by Leslie Loyd of Amboy, was sponsored by Mabel's Mercantile. The petting zoo featured llamas, alpacas and the Worf the water buffalo, who who stood calmly as children reached out to touch his thick coat and curved horns.

"They ask what he is -- that's the biggest thing," Lloyd said. "And they really like his horns, so they always ask about his horns."

Lloyd has cared for Worf since he was a year old and travels across southern Minnesota with her animals. She said water buffalo are often misunderstood.

"They've been domesticated for longer than cattle," she said. "They're very docile animals and they're very easy to work with and tame."

While Worf drew the most attention, Lloyd emphasized the importance of understanding each animal's unique needs. Her background in biology helps her manage the variety of species she cares for.

"It helps me learn how to care for all these animals and their different needs," she said. "They do have differences. Like the sheep are copper sensitive, so they can't have extra copper in their feed. So you just have to be careful with some of the feeds."

Assisting Lloyd at the event was Mikaela Arends, a friend from Good Thunder, who regularly helps with animal care and setup. Together, they answered questions from curious children and kept the animals comfortable as the crowd moved through.

"This is awesome," Lloyd said. "There's a lot of people here today, and it's great to see everybody out."

The Halloween Hop also featured families in themed costumes.

The Isles family dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz, with their dog Pepper portraying Toto. Nick and Gray Lawler of Winthrop, posed with a spotted miniature horse, one of several animals in the petting zoo.

Ellie and Jack Isaac of Winthrop stopped outside Alliance Bank after picking up free treats inside, continuing their downtown stroll in festive attire.

Throughout the morning, the sidewalks filled with laughter and the occasional bleat or bray. The event offered a mix of seasonal celebration and hands-on learning, with Worf anchoring the experience as both curiosity and companion.

After the Halloween Hop, the fun continued over the Brown County Historical Society Museum (BCHS) with a holiday themed scavenger hunt. More than 300 children and parents participated in the Brown County Historical Society Museum Scavenger Hunt. They received Halloween treats for finding 15 hidden items on all three museum floors.

Hidden items included ghosts, a skeleton phone, felt pumpkin, zombie girl, witch's kitchen, three hanging bats, a mummy with moving, lighted eyes, a stack of pumpkins, witch's brew cauldron, skeleton duck, glittery pumpkins, a purple spider and green spiders in the bat cave.

Participants included historically-dressed Tara Nilson of New Ulm and her daughter Dylan.

"I like history. We're studying it in school," said Dylan Nilson, a New Ulm Middle School fifth-grader who dressed as a plague doctor. Nilson's costume included a beaked mask, worn with other protective clothing filled with aromatics like lavender, mint and spices based on the belief that pleasant smells could ward off the bubonic plague, especially during epidemics in 17th-century Europe.

Plague doctors often were hired by cities to care for the poor, treating patients, documenting disease and performing autopsies. They carried a wooden stick to examine patients and do tasks without direct contact. Their full protective suites were sealed with oils or wax, included wide-brimmed hats, goggles, a long coat, gloves and boots.

Tara dressed as a Salem witch. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts from February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging.

Peter Schukert of Winthrop rode a dinosaur powered by a person underneath him, inside the creature with a breathing vent.

New Ulm Halloween events will continue through this week. The 11th Annual New Ulm Nightmares Haunted Houses continues 7-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The event features two new haunted houses, Mrs. Olson's School for the Unusual and Tripoli Brothers Cirkus.

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