In 2025, Morley held Halloween on two different nights. The big community event came on the Saturday before. Trick-or-treating stayed on Oct. 31, which was a Friday. This year Halloween falls on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Aetna Township's calendar lists three Morley events for that same day: Truck or Treat at Celebration Acres, a Scarecrow Showdown downtown, and Halloween at the Station at the fire department.
So everything that was spread over a week last year is listed for one evening in 2026. The township hasn't posted times for any of the three events yet, so a family planning the night has to work from how 2025 ran.
How Last Year's Halloween Was Spread Out
The 2025 version started early. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the Village of Morley Events Committee held a Community Scarecrow Building Competition with pumpkin decorating stations at the Morley Community Center, 151 7th St., from 1 to 3 p.m. Entry cost $20, or $15 if you pre-registered by Oct. 10. The village supplied the posts, the clothes and the straw for stuffing, and entrants brought their own props.
Prizes went to three categories:
- Funny Farmer for the funniest
- Quite the Character for the best fictional or animated character
- Morley Monster for the scariest
The finished scarecrows stood outside the Community Center, in the Community Garden, for the week before the main event.
The main event was "Morley's Monster Mashup" on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. It filled an afternoon and evening across three locations around town.
| 2025 Monster Mashup piece | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Family Fall Festival with games, prizes and a bake sale | 3:30 to 5 p.m. | Morley Community Center |
| Trunk or Treat with a trunk-decorating competition | 5 to 7 p.m. | Celebration Acres |
| Halloween dance and kids' costume contest | 7:30 to 9 p.m. | Morley American Legion Post 554, 2560 Northland Dr. |
Winners of the scarecrow and costume contests were announced at 8:30 p.m. at the Legion. Trunk hosts could start getting into Celebration Acres at 4 p.m. and were asked to arrive by 4:30 p.m. to set up. The newsletter thanked the Village of Morley Events Committee, the Morley Community Center, Morley Celebration on the Pond, Morley American Legion Post 554 and volunteers for putting it on together.
Six days after the Mashup came Halloween itself. The village newsletter put it plainly:
"As always the Village will have trick-or-treating on Halloween from 5pm-7pm."
That same evening, Deerfield Bible Church held its yearly festivities at the Kinney Park Gazebo and handed out hot food and hot drinks. The Big Rapids Daily News Halloween roundup listed Halloween at the Station at the Morley Area Fire Station from 6 to 8 p.m., with trick-or-treating, cotton candy and a haunted room.
In 2025, then, Celebration Acres hosted trunks on one Saturday, and the fire station and the neighborhood porches had their turn the next Friday.
What the 2026 Calendar Shows So Far
Aetna Township's 2026 listing names the same places, with all three events on Oct. 31:
- Truck or Treat at Celebration Acres, 555 Webster Street, listed as a trick-or-treating event.
- Scarecrow Showdown / Halloween Activities, credited to the downtown Morley Events Committee.
- Halloween at the Station, a trick-or-treating event at the Morley Area Fire Department, 620 3rd Street.
Celebration Acres has a 2025 address in the village newsletter that doesn't match the 2026 one. The newsletter lists it at 555 8th St., and the township's 2026 listing says 555 Webster Street. Aetna Township's links page connects Celebration Acres to the Morley Celebration on the Pond Facebook page. The village has noted heavy traffic leaving the grounds during Celebration on the Pond events. It's the same place where families pulled in for trunks last October.
The 2026 listing calls it "Truck or Treat," while last year's flyer said "Trunk or Treat." The township doesn't say whether that's a format change or just a different spelling, so the trunk-decorating contest shouldn't be assumed in either direction until organizers post details.
The Scarecrow Showdown title signals that scarecrows are back. The listing is credited to the downtown Morley Events Committee, while last year's scarecrows stood in the Community Garden by the Community Center. The 2026 listing doesn't give a build date, entry fee or display spot yet.
Why the Times Matter More This Year
Last year, the Celebration Acres trunks and the village's own trick-or-treat hours happened to share the same window, 5 to 7 p.m., but a week apart. With Halloween on a Saturday, any events that keep those windows would now run at the same time on the same night. Halloween at the Station ran from 6 to 8 p.m. last year, which already overlapped the second half of village trick-or-treating.
None of that is settled for 2026. As of today, Oct. 3, the village website's October calendar shows just one event, the Village Board meeting on Monday, Oct. 12, from 7 to 8 p.m. The most recent minutes posted are from Aug. 18, and at that meeting the Events Report was tabled until September. The village's newsletter archive lists only January and April issues for 2026. So there's no official 2026 trick-or-treat window posted yet, and no 2026 Monster Mashup date either. Saying it was dropped would be guessing just as much as saying it's happening.
For a sense of scale, the village's proposed 2026–2027 budget puts $5,350 toward Events and Festivals. That breaks down to $4,000 for supplies, $1,000 for contracted services, $200 for printing and $150 for publishing. The budget doesn't say how much of that goes to Halloween.
Until 2026 times are posted, here's a working plan based on last year's clock:
- Plan around 5 to 7 p.m. for neighborhood trick-or-treating, the village's 2025 window.
- Pencil in the fire station for 6 to 8 p.m., its 2025 time.
- If you're hosting a truck or trunk at Celebration Acres, expect to arrive before 5 p.m., since 2025 hosts had to be in place by 4:30.
- Check the Village of Morley Events Facebook page, which the 2025 newsletter named as the place for event updates, before Oct. 31.
The Rest of October in and Around Morley
Halloween is a single night this year, but there's plenty to do before it.
Tuesday, Oct. 6: Euchre Night
The Mecosta County Visitors Bureau lists Euchre Night at the Morley Community Center, 151 7th St., from 6 to 8 p.m., with a $5 donation. It's in the same building that hosted last year's scarecrow build and Family Fall Festival.
Saturday, Oct. 17: Fort Faith Fall Fest
Fort Faith Camp holds its sixth annual Fort Faith Fall Fest from 3 to 7 p.m. at 5005 210th Ave. in Morley. Planned activities include games, hay-wagon rides and a pumpkin patch. Admission is free. It's two Saturdays before Halloween, which makes it the obvious place to pick a pumpkin to carve for Oct. 31.
Monday, Oct. 12: Village Board Meeting
The board meets from 7 to 8 p.m. It's the only Morley event on the village's October calendar so far.
The Morning After
Halloween night ends at midnight on Nov. 1, and that's the date the village's winter parking rule starts. From Nov. 1 to April 1, no parking is allowed on any village street from 2 to 6 a.m. so the plows can get through, and cars left there are towed at the owner's expense. If you have family staying over after Saturday's trick-or-treating, their cars need to be off the street by 2 a.m. Sunday.
At Laura Veersma, we keep an eye on Morley's calendar the same way our neighbors do, from the scarecrows to the first snowplow. If you need help sorting out Halloween times as they're posted, or have a question about life in Morley as the season changes, please reach out. Contact Us.
