Skip to main content

Millcreek Journal

Venture Out! brings Halloween fun to Millcreek

Nov 08, 2021 02:59PM ● By Lindsey Baxter

Musical threatre groups performed outside Christy Sports. (Courtesy of Venture Out! Utah)

By Lindsey Baxter | [email protected]

Millcreek City, organized by Venture Out!, has finished its 10th annual Millfreaks event. Groups were able to sign up for $25 per car for the fun-filled night. Each group was in and out of their car as they traveled to various venues in Millcreek to enjoy great shows, photo opportunities and entertainment. Each tour lasted approximately two and a half hours. 

The city’s new event director, Aimee McConkie, said it was a group of Canyon Rim residents who initially organized the annual event before being run by Venture Out!. In 2020 the event was recreated as an entertainment scavenger hunt due to Covid. 

“People had such a good time with the event that the format was replicated in 2021,” McConkie said. “The new format lets people explore new parks and areas of Millcreek. It is challenging setting up and programing four different venues, but participants love the excitement and variety of the new Millfreaks.”

Oct. 16 was the 10th year of Millfreaks, a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt. Villains were lurking around at Millcreek’s four stops called realms. Families joined for an entertainment hunt that winded through Millcreek’s familiar, wild, and often unknown spaces to disrupt the villains’ objectives. It was the ultimate trick or treat experience. 

Some activities for the event encouraged decorating cars and dressing up and contests for each. Brandi Henderson and her children, Rylee, Oakley and Bentley all came dressed for the night in scary costumes and their car had orange lights on top and a lit-up inflatable ghost out the sunroof. When asked what they looked forward to the most, Henderson said, “We’re excited for the scavenger hunt, of course.”

The first location or realm was the track field at Skyline High School. The goal of this location was to get excited and get moving. Groups were able to watch the Marcus & Guy’s comedic video to introduce the game. The idea of this was mostly for adults to be witty and clever, but with silly people to keep children interested as well. Groups were also able to run through a bounce house and obstacle course, run on the witches’ treadmill, throw darts at the ghosts, walk the plank, and finally end with the ZOINK candy shoot.

Duy Beck, a Millcreek resident and active professional stunt man said, “The first stop was really the most fun of them all. It was aimed for children, but when you just let go and have fun with friends, there was a lot of activities to do. And getting candy at the end of all the fun activities was a nice treat.” Beck also showed a young ninja how to do a back flip at the top of the inflatable bounce house onto the slide and told him to keep up with his parkour.

The second stop (realm) was at the Olympus Hills Shopping Center. Groups were able to watch Marcus & Guy’s second comical-quest video. At different times throughout the event, there were performances by Thompson Lane of Monster Mash and Paul Brewer the Magician Extraordinaire. This realm had a monster photo booth as well as a game called The Witch Pitch.

By this time in the event, it was off to Canyon Rim Park for new activities and food for realm three. At different times throughout the event, there were performance from a contortionist, Aly the Owl, as well as live comedy and music from Marcus & Guy. This stop was a chance to relax, rest, and grab some food from either Strippin Dippin Chicken or Umani Pizza.

The final realm was a celebration at Big Cottonwood Regional Park, where groups were encouraged to honk their horns, yell, and scream that the villains are gone. Realm four was a party with music, lights, bubbles and dancers. The event concluded with Time Warp Grand Finale Shows at designated times throughout the night.

At every turn of this event, there were smiling faces and laughter. Shari Humphrey, her daughters, Tara and Cami, and her mother, Jan Asey, were dressed to win and were attending the event for the second year. The Humphrey’s have loved all the events from Venture Out! and try to take advantage of as many as possible, especially during this COVID time. Humphrey said, “I absolutely hope they continue to do this event. Even with the pandemic stuff and being away from each other, this event helped us to feel like we could be together without being together.”

Millcreek incorporated as a city in December 2016 and will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in February with several celebratory events. “These will be held at the new Millcreek Common Rink that is opening in January or February,” McConkie said. “The rink is outdoors and will offer ice skating and roller-skating. Then, Venture Out! Festivals will begin in June.”

For all upcoming events with Venture Out! check out www.ventureout.org or connect with them on Facebook. Those interested in volunteering can contact [email protected]