Communities

Halloween and history

New Ulm’s annual Halloween Hop sparks interest in local history

NEW ULM – A petting zoo featuring a water buffalo, treats from Jersey's Sweet Spot, and 36 local businesses participating in Halloween festivities transformed New Ulm for the annual Halloween Hop Saturday morning.

The Physician's group of New Ulm, dressed in their finest costumes, had a booth set up to pass out candy and chat with fellow community members.

"We're all practicing here in the community," Physician Ben Tonsager, dressed as Luigi, said. "These are all the people that we're out here to see and help. It's nice to be out in multiple capacities."

New Ulm native Manny Miller took the opportunity to suit up in his Mickey Mouse costume and visit with the community, something he does quite often.

Shilo Arndt and her son Attie, who dressed as Spiderman, also went downtown to check out the hop. It was their first time living in New Ulm that they had time to participate. Their favorite part was seeing downtown transform for the Halloween Hop.

"The Kiesling House has some fantastic decorations," Arndt said.

Executive director of Brown County Historical Society (BCHS), Amy Johnson, was present at the Kielsing House, which is closed for the season but opened for the Halloween Hop.

"It's fun to see everyone come out," Johnson said. "It’s so well attended."

Last year, Johnson and the BCHS counted over 1,000 attendees visiting for the Halloween Hop.

At the Kielsing house, members of the Junior Interpreters, a new program that began earlier in the year, were handing out treats.

Funded by the New Ulm Area Foundation, Junior Interpreters host historical demonstrations at the Kieling House. They show visitors how to make butter and sauerkraut, along with demonstrations on doing laundry with a washboard. Junior Interpreters also share knowledge of fur trades and other local history relevant to the Brown County area.

Mayor Kathleen Backer said that the Junior Interpreters allowed museum workers to focus on the BCHS scavenger hunt. She was happy with Halloween Hop's turnout.

"Look at the families, even the adults are dressed up," Backer said. "It brings such joy to see the busyness up and down the streets for an event purely for families."

Over at the museum, families walked through all three floors to complete the scavenger hunt hidden amongst the exhibits.

Museum Assistant Heidi Brandes said that the event is a great way to get kids engaged with local history.

"The scavenger hunt keeps them moving around the exhibits and hopefully saying 'mom that looks really fun, can we come back here again sometime,'" Brandes said.

Wanda Gag's exhibit was joined by not quite millions of paper cats decorating the walls. An animatronic witch guarded the entrance to another exhibit. Cobwebs covered display cases on all three museum floors, creating a spooky museum atmosphere.