Please join perhaps as many as 5,000 South Bostonians to celebrate the return of the “Children’s Magical Halloween Castle” inside Fort Independence on Castle Island. The massive green doors on the Fort’s sally port will open wide on Saturday, October 26, and Sunday, October 27, from 12 noon until 4 p.m. each day. All are welcome, especially the young folks, to view the stunning Halloween displays within the Fort. Both adults and children are encouraged to come in their Halloween costumes. And admission is free. The Castle Island Association (the “CIA”) began holding the Children’s Magical Halloween Castle many years ago; it quickly became a much-anticipated annual occurrence. However, over the last five years, South Boston has missed the Children’s Magical Halloween Castle, which last occurred in October of 2019. The pandemic in 2020, coupled with a lack of volunteers after COVID 19 had peaked, triggered its demise.
Credit for the Halloween Castle’s revival belongs to CIA Vice President Pat Reid and the remarkable corps of volunteers she has assembled. After deciding to bring this South Boston event back to life, Pat spent much of her summer talking it up and holding public meetings at the Branch Library. As of now, she has assembled over 100 volunteers, who’ll be handling a variety of challenging tasks. Simply moving the extensive Halloween decorations out of storage and unpacking them to be mounted took about 20 people. Another 35 people volunteered to fill thousands of Trick-or-Treat giveaway bags; 35 more volunteers will see to dismantling the Halloween decorations and packing them away for 2025 after the event. Coverage and managing the event itself on October 26-27 will involve about 50 folks (most of them in costume). In addition to Pat, South Boston residents Bob, Linda and Eileen gave up their Columbus Holiday last Monday to volunteer for putting up the Halloween decorations.
Please note that there will be nine (9) “rooms” on display at the 2024 Children’s Magical Halloween Castle. The first four (4) will include the Wizard of Oz, pumpkins, Snow White, and pirates. If you are bringing some very young children, you might want to exit at that point so they don’t become too frightened. After those “rooms”, there are five (5) more “Spookier” displays – the Devil’s Den, Witches, a monster room, and a coffin room that leads to a decorated hallway out to the Fort’s parade ground. The parade ground will be decorated also and is a great place for youngsters to play for a while. And there’ll be storytelling episodes narrated by Paula Fleming, who many will remember as a much-loved Branch Librarian here in South Boston.
While you’re at the Children’s Magical Halloween Castle, take a moment to give a grateful thought to Pat Reid, the CIA, and the volunteers for all they accomplished by bringing back “The Children’s Magical Halloween Castle” in this year of 2024.
A Halloween Castle visit to Fort Independence will show you and your family some real history, too. The Fort was originally built to defend Boston Harbor and the colonial City of Boston, which was called the “City on the Hill” back in 1630 by John Winthrop, the first Governor of Massachusetts. The structure you see today is actually the eighth Fort, designed and built by Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer and ultimately completed in 1851. Even as recently as 80 years ago, the Fort still served as a military communications link during the Second World War
Some parts of the Fort are being repaired, so please stay in the areas where there are Halloween decorations. Also, the Fort’s piping for drinking water is now being replaced. Please bring bottled water of your own, especially for the kids. And just one more reminder – we’ll repeat that admission to the Children’s Magical Halloween Castle is completely free, but if you wish, you can make a donation to the CIA. Do this by mailing your check to the Castle Island Association, Box 342, at South Boston’s U.S. Branch Post Office, 444 East Third Street, MA 02127.
