Welcome to fall in downtown Durango – winter will be here before you know it. The Durango Business Improvement District stays busy at this time of year with family-friendly events and holiday promotions.
BID’s next event is Downtown Children’s Halloween, presented by Clearnetworx and sponsored by the city of Durango. This is a free event in Downtown for kids and families. Downtown Children’s Halloween is always held on the day of Halloween, which this year is on a Friday.
Bring the kids downtown from 4 to 6 p.m. for safe and fun trick or treating. Nearly 100 businesses on Main Avenue, East Second Avenue and some of the cross streets will be handing out candy and non-candy items to trick-or-treaters. Be sure to visit the intersections of 7th and 10th Street to see Durango Police Department, CDOT, La Plata County Sherrif’s Office and Durango Fire and Rescue, who will all be on site. Downtown Children’s Halloween is meant for kids 10 and younger, in costume, accompanied by an adult, but everyone is welcome to attend.
There is also a Halloween Carnival and Trunk or Treat at the TBK Bank parking lot. Boys and Girls Club puts on the Carnival, which features fun games for kids 14 and younger. The Trunk or Treat features up to 10 businesses handing out candy and non-candy items from their vehicles.
If your kid has any food allergies that make it hard to enjoy Halloween trick-or-treating, look for the large sign at the Durango Welcome Center that identifies the locations that have non-candy items.
Downtown Children’s Halloween was created many years ago by the owner of Southwest Sound, Robert Stapleton. If you still read The Durango Herald from your Florida home, Robert, thank you from downtown for starting this great community tradition!
BID’s last event of the year is Singing With Santa, which is held on the day after Thanksgiving. On Nov. 28, there will be a holiday shopping incentive program where one lucky person will win a $1,000 Heart of Durango Dollars digital gift card. BID also has a scavenger hunt for kids to find Santa’s escaped reindeer. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at Buckley Park. The event features free hot chocolate, cookies, caroling, lighting of the community Christmas tree and Santa!
BID also wants to remind you about the biggest shopping night of the year, Noel Night. Our good friends at Local First always hold Noel Night on the first Friday in December, which this year is Dec. 5. Deals, discounts, fun and holiday cheer will be included in this annual holiday shopping tradition.
Last but not least, BID’s Holiday Rewards will begin on Noel Night. It will conclude when all 200 rewards have been claimed. The reward is a Heart of Durango Dollars digital gift card worth $25, $50 or $100 based on how much you spend.
Read my column next month for more info on Holiday Rewards and Singing with Santa.
Tim Walsworth is executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District. Contact him at timw@downtowndurango.org.
