The 15th Annual Haunted Hayride presented by the City of Riverbank Parks and Recreation Department along with the help of volunteers was well attended this past weekend. The weather cooperated with clear, dry skies and a little chill in the air; the Halloween-themed festivities had people lining up prior to the 7 p.m. start time.

There were 14 scare sites set up in Jacob Myers Park, where the event is staged, with the sites manned by volunteers from the Boy Scouts, Friends of Jacob Myers Park, Parks and Recreation staff and city staff. The creative custom sites were Mt. Yikes, The Walking Dead, Purge, Doctor’s Office, the Graveyard, the Black Death, Witch Craft, Swamp Monster/Annabelle, creepy clowns, Jeepers Creepers, chain saw and the sinister “It” clown.

Riverbank Mayor Richard O’Brien and Councilmember Cal Campbell were both on hand to assist in the event taking tickets and making sure people were on the trailers safely, along with City Manager Sean Scully, who spent some time on a scare site as Frankenstein.

“The trailers that I rode on the people loved it,” said Parks and Recreation Supervisor Kerrie Webb. “Kids would scream and fall to the middle of the trailers. There was a lot of laughing and screaming all night. Trailers (coming back) would warn the departing trailers not to go.”

Guests had an option to hit the snack bar while they waited in line with all proceeds going to Riverbank Cares in memory of Jan and Scott Pettit. Items like hot chocolate, coffee, hot dogs, and popcorn were available for one dollar.

Staff prepares for this event as early as August and met with volunteers in September. The event brought in over 350 people on Friday, Oct. 27 and over 400 on Saturday, Oct. 28.

“The event went very well,” added Webb. “The lines moved right along and the wait was minimum. A big thank you for all the volunteers that helped make this a big success.”