Rotarians are in the community seeking Sponsors for the Hootenanny

All of this stuff is more expensive
this year than last year!!

From its beginning in the 1970's the Newport Halloween Hootenanny has been a safe, welcoming, FREE-to-all community event. That's a community Carnival with games, costume contests, hayride, haunted house, DJ and line dancing - all FREE. Attendees enjoy FREE candy, prizes, giveaways and food.    

Newport Rotary has been proud to coordinate the event for almost 2 decades. But, it's the area's business community that provide the primary funding and volunteers for the event. Area businesses get a sponsorship package of annual benefits online, and get great exposure at the event. 

Area businesses, please be generous with your donations this year and considering going up a level in sponsorship. Inflation has hit us all hard in the last few years. A donation of $250 in 2021 (5 years ago) had almost twice the purchasing power then as it does today for event staples like chocolate, candy and food basics. 

Our Rotarians seeking these sponsorships are out in the community now, so be looking for them. 

Thanks you for all you do to make Newport and Carteret County a great place to live, work and raise a family! 

Give a Hoot! Hootenanny Community Roundtable on April 20.

Near Newport Community, 

Just a friendly reminder that our Hootenanny Round Table Meeting is coming up THIS Monday, April 20, at 5:30 PM at 245 Howard Blvd, Newport, NC. This is our chance to gather the key players who make the Hootenanny happen and start laying the groundwork for another incredible event. We'll cover volunteer opportunities, logistics, and how YOU can help keep this beloved Newport tradition strong.

Here are the details:
Date: Monday, April 20
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: 245 Howard Blvd, Newport, NC
More Info: newportrotary.blogspot.com

Your involvement makes all the difference — we hope to see you there! Feel free to bring along anyone else who might want to get involved. If you have any questions or need to reach out before the meeting, please contact us at NewportNCRotary@gmail.com.  

For more information see the Hootenanny website at https://newport-hootenanny.blogspot.com/ or Newport NC Rotary's Facebook page.  

Tammy Blizzard, President, Newport Rotary  

2025 Hootenanny Sees the Highest Attendance Ever

Throngs of Newport area faithful flocked to the Newport Little League Field and Town Park on Halloween night to enjoy the Newport Halloween Hootenanny's free carnival, food, and assorted seasonal haunts and activities. Over 5,000 participants passed entry gate checkpoints during the evening. 

The crowd participated joyously in the costume contests & parade, DJ-led line dancing, parachute fun, toy-laden hay bale, haunted house, and hayride. Over 20 carnival games were manned by our great Hootenanny volunteers. Participants enjoyed free hotdogs (sponsored by the Newport Pig Cooking Contest) and free chicken strips, hushpuppies, etc. (sponsored by Jeremy Cannon & Fat Fella's), soft drinks, water, sno-cones, ice cream bars and candy and prizes galore. 

The event is kept free to the public due to the generous donations of local business and civic sponsors, the Town of Newport & employees, with leadership and coordination provided by Newport Rotary Club. If you want to participate next year or want to learn more about Rotary, use the "Send us a Hoot (Message)" messaging at the top right side of the website or email NewportNCRotary@gmail.com. We need more hands to keep the event alive!!   Bevin Wall, Hootenanny Chair 2025, Newport Rotary        

Facebook update- We are working on the best Newport Halloween Hootenanny Ever!

Posted from the Newport Rotary Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NewportNCRotary Photos credit: Bevin Wall, Collage by Tammy Blizzard

Fantastic Weather for Halloween Hootenanny Forecasted

 Credit: Google Weather

The Best Candy to Hand Out to Trick-or-Treaters, According to Kids...

The Best Candy to Hand Out to Trick-or-Treaters, According to Kids... Gummies are a yes, raisins are a no... click here for the article. 

Attributed to Amy McCarthy and Lesley Suter at Eater.com

Pumpkin: A favorite sign of fall, with a bit of shady history

Pumpkins are the bookends of autumn. Headlines about the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes signal summer's end. And soon after the last bites of pumpkin pie at the Thanksgiving table, we turn to plans for winter holidays. In between, jack-o'-lanterns are the stars of Halloween. For more click here... 

 Attribution: Bill Chappell, @ NPR.org