The iconic theme song from the ’90s show Goosebumps rang through the air Saturday afternoon as monsters, Star Wars characters, Harley Quinn and all sorts of spooky characters paraded merrily through downtown Greeley on Monster Day 2024.
Among the monsters were also adults and families who enjoyed the day despite the terrifying triple-digit temperatures. The day was not intended as a prelude to Halloween or a summer horror festival, but as a day to celebrate monsters and show that they are not so bad after all.
Ed Edmunds founded the event eight years ago and since then the number of vendors has grown, but it is still a day to celebrate the unusual and good causes.
Edmunds and his wife, Marsha Taub-Edmunds, own Distortions Unlimited, 517 13th St., Greeley. The company has been in business in Greeley for more than 40 years, making rubber monsters and Halloween decorations that have appeared in movies, television shows and in the yards of homeowners across the country.
“Oh man. This is probably one of the biggest events we do,” said Nicholas Melton, general manager of the 13th Floor Haunted House Denver. “We just love coming here.”
Melton said the 13th Floor, a nationally known haunted house, is associated with the bullying prevention campaign “Don’t Be A Monster.” Monster Day has helped the campaign since the event’s first year, supporting its fight against bullying.
Don’t Be A Monster, based in Denver, conducts school awareness sessions and other events to talk to children about the dangers of bullying and to provide them with support and education.
“We are accepting donations and working to eradicate bullying once and for all,” Melton said.
As families walked around downtown, some parents reminded their children that all the monsters and scary makeup they saw were just an act. It’s not real.
Some of these monsters running around in the heat were from Fritzler Farm Park and Scream Acres at Fritzler Farm Park.
With spooky season and Halloween soon creeping into our lives, Fritzler Farm, 20861 Weld County Road 33, LaSalle, is a local spot to get your scary fix. On Saturday, however, their monsters were not in the mood for fear, but for company, as they took photos with people of all ages and waved to everyone.
Bri Fritzler, manager of Fritzler Farm Park, said they have been involved in Monster Day for the past few years. The day allows them to educate more community members about what their park is about, she said. The monsters of Scream Acres have come every year, but this year they brought more.
“We love the Greeley community,” Fritzler said. “We’ve been a big part of it for 25 years. Just coming here (for Monster Day) and interacting with people we see in the fall is a great way to get in the mood for the (fall) season.”
For more information about the Don’t Be a Monster campaign, visit dontbeamonster.org.
The Fall Festival at Fritzler Farm begins Sunday, September 15. Scream Acres begins Saturday, September 21. For more information on both events and to purchase tickets, visit fritzlerfarmpark.com.
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