Decorated hay bales line downtown Muskegon through Halloween

MUSKEGON, Mich. — Hay bales dressed up by local businesses, organizations and residents are on display across downtown Muskegon for the fourth annual Harvest Hay Bale Trail, a free walk that runs through Oct. 31.

The displays stand in Hackley Park, along West Webster Avenue between Second and Third streets near the Muskegon Museum of Art, and along Third Street toward Western Avenue, according to the city.

Visitors can vote for a favorite on the city’s website through Oct. 31. The bale with the most votes wins a trophy “and ultimate bragging rights,” the city says. The trail is put on by the Downtown Development Authority and the Muskegon Social District, and it opened Sept. 26 at the Muskegon Farmers Market Fall Harvest Festival.

Past winners include Family Financial Credit Union’s Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine in 2023, and Lascko Services, with a skeleton and a jar of fireflies in 2024 and Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch” in 2025, according to the city.

Pure Michigan, the state’s tourism site, suggests pairing the walk with downtown’s shops, restaurants, attractions and Social District.

For an evening out later in the month, the Rotary Club of Muskegon holds Harvest Fest on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Culinary Institute of Michigan, 336 W. Clay Ave. Students at the institute prepare the food, paired with wine, craft beer, hard seltzer and nonalcoholic drinks, the club says. There is live music, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.

Tickets are $85 and include admission, a seasonal gift and one drink ticket, with a cash bar available. The event is for ages 21 and older, and a valid photo ID is required. It raises money for local charities through the Rotary Foundation, which has given more than $530,000 in grants to Muskegon-area nonprofits since 1994, the club says.

Sources:
City of Muskegon, “Harvest Hay Bale Trail Voting”, https://mkgcity.com/haybales
Pure Michigan, “Harvest Hay Bale Trail”, https://www.michigan.org/event/harvest-hay-bale-trail
Rotary Club of Muskegon, “Harvest Fest”, https://muskegonrotary.org/page/harvest-fest
Photo: JJonahJackalope, “Buildings in downtown Muskegon, MI 4,” Oct. 6, 2023, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buildings_in_downtown_Muskegon,_MI_4.jpg

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Tags: Muskegon · Michigan Travel · Parks and Recreation · Halloween · Business · Festivals