BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD

Moe says the best Halloween costume is one you can wear over a winter coat. I asked what he was going as.

“Warm.”

He’s also been studying why Estes Park brings its trick-or-treaters downtown. His research involved no walking and a surprising amount of chocolate.

SIT DOWN. THIS ONE’S GOOD.

HALLOWEEN ON ELKHORN

Too Many Hills. Not Enough Candy.

One little chocolate bar is a poor return on a mountain expedition.

Moe had figured out why Estes Park does its trick-or-treating downtown.

Nobody had asked him to investigate. He’d arrived at the answer while sitting down, which is how he prefers to approach questions involving hills.

“Candy per mile,” he said.

“You’ll have to explain that.”

“Picture a little kid dressed as a skeleton. He climbs a driveway, rings the bell, gets one miniature chocolate bar. Then he turns around and sees the next porch light halfway up another mountain.”

“That might be an exaggeration.”

“So is calling that thing a candy bar.”

He had a point about the chocolate.

By the third house, Moe figured, the skeleton would need a sandwich. The pirate would be dragging his sword. Somebody’s mother would be carrying a pumpkin bucket, two costume pieces and a child who had announced that Halloween was over.

“Eventually,” he said, “somebody must have looked downtown and noticed all those doors right next to each other.”

It was a tidy explanation. A little too tidy, considering it had come from a man who sometimes drives to get the mail.

Still, with Halloween coming around again, I wanted to know.

Was downtown trick-or-treating simply what happened when mountain children demanded a better return on their walking?

Downtown Halloween, lit up for the evening. Photo: Sherry F., Halloween 2025.

Moe Wasn’t Entirely Wrong

That will be difficult to live with, but there it is.

In a 2016 Trail-Gazette column, Charley Dickey described seeking out former Estes Park resident Moses Street and asking him how the celebration began.

Street remembered three things working in favor of a downtown Halloween: concern about dangerous incidents elsewhere in the country, homes scattered across the Estes Valley, and less activity downtown by late October.

So the distance between houses really was part of his thinking.

Moe leaned back. “I accept your apology,” he said.

“I haven’t offered one,” I said.

“Take your time,” Moe said.

But the story didn’t end with somebody noticing the geography. Street loved Halloween. He wanted to get something going, and that meant persuading the people behind those conveniently spaced doors to participate.

According to Dickey’s account, he visited businesses and asked them to stay open and hand out candy.

Imagine making that pitch before there was a crowd to point to. Today, people know what downtown Halloween looks like. Back then, somebody had to be willing to try it without knowing whether anyone would come.

Street kept his shop open.

But getting the other shops to join him was another matter…

THIS WEEKEND · OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER 1

Downtown Halloween · Saturday, October 31, 5–7 p.m. Elkhorn’s trick-or-treating tradition returns Saturday. Bring the costumes, leave room for a warm layer, and enjoy seeing what the neighbors dreamed up. 2026 event overview. Elkhorn Avenue closes from Spruce Drive to East Riverside Drive, with setup and closures beginning at 4:15 p.m. Town closure notice.

A sweet stop at the library · Saturday, 5–8 p.m. The Estes Valley Library will hand out treats and small Halloween toys in its lobby. Library event details.

Spooktacular Bash in Allenspark · Saturday, 6–9 p.m. The Old Gallery and Hilltop Guild are teaming up for costumes, a chili cookoff, karaoke and an open mic at 14863 Colorado Highway 7. Organizer’s details.

Downtown closure, library hours and Old Gallery event time rechecked October 27. Times are Mountain Daylight Time.

RMNP UPDATE

Timed entry has finished for the season. The park’s 2026 general reservation period ended October 12; Bear Lake Road’s ended October 18. A valid entrance pass is still required. NPS reservation dates · Entrance passes.

Check the road before you go. Late-October conditions can change quickly. Call 970-586-1222 for the recorded Trail Ridge Road status. Old Fall River Road is closed to vehicles for the season. NPS road information.

Checked October 19. Road conditions will be rechecked before sending.

DID YOU KNOW?

Some of the quietest Halloween visitors have feathers. Owls’ wing feathers have special edges and soft surfaces that help reduce flight noise. The National Park Service describes these features in its great gray owl profile. So if something passes overhead without the usual flapping sound, a ghost is not your only explanation.

Read the NPS owl profile

UNTIL NEXT WEEK

If you remember the early downtown Halloweens, I’d like to hear about them. Your costume, your favorite shop, the year the weather nearly won. Reply to this newsletter and tell me.

And if somebody hands you a miniature candy bar, try to appreciate how little climbing it required.

Read the whole downtown Halloween story.

Keep the coffee warm and save a little chocolate.
Buck

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

The feature credits Charley Dickey’s interview with Moses Street and the Trail-Gazette’s account of museum research. Read the article’s source note. Event details come from the Estes Valley Library, The Old Gallery and Estes Valley Voice; park and owl information comes from the National Park Service, linked above.

Downtown photographs: Sherry F., Halloween 2025.