BARNESVILLE — Ghosts and goblins of all ages haunted Barnesville’s business district on Thursday evening, seeking out treats and a fun time.

Barnesville Police Department dispatcher Derek Deal said that each year the event continues to grow, and he again deemed this year’s event a success.

In past years the spooktacular and the residential trick or treat events ran simultaneously, but this year event organizers decided to separate the two activities to help ensure that children were able to receive as many treats as possible. The traditional trick-or-treating in residential neighborhoods took place on Wednesday, while the downtown Spooktacular took place on Thursday, which was Halloween.

“We did it all in one day (in past years), and what we saw was that a lot of kids don’t go door to door — they just come downtown,” Deal said.

He added that the decision to separate the traditional trick or treat and the spooktacular came down to the organizers wanting the children to still participate in going door to door and coming through the downtown, not just one or the other.

“It seems like it’s been successful. Everybody had great reviews for yesterday. I know that some residents handed out over 200 treats,” Deal said.

The main attraction of the night Thursday seemed to be the Barnesville Municipal Building, where children of all ages gathered at it as a hub of sorts. Officials add to the building’s appearance each year, and this year featured a “spooky jail” where organizers placed decorations in a jail cell with strobe lights and music playing.

Deal said that each year he, Barnesville Fiscal Officer Jeannie Hannahs, Assistant Fiscal Officer Chris Mellinger and the village cemetery staff all come together to decorate the municipal building.

“We started decorating at 8 a.m. and finished around 2 p.m. and then we’ll tear it all down tomorrow (Friday),” he said.

Barnesville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Jill Hissom said the idea for the spooktacular originally arose because the municipal building would always be decorated extravagantly for Halloween and provide a trunk or treat event for the community. She added that as the trunk or treat grew former mayor Dale Bunting asked the chamber if it would be interested in expanding the event by contacting local businesses to get involved with the event. She said the response she received was incredibly supportive, and a small activity that snowballed to become the spooktacular has grown exponentially each year.

“The last few years the business participation has just been incredible,” she said. “We have businesses that don’t have storefronts and they still come down and set up tables.”

She added that each year the event has at least 600 children show up to participate.

The event had a plethora of stops Thursday, with Hissom saying that over 30 local businesses participated as well as Barnesville residents who may not receive trick-or-treaters in their neighborhoods. She said that if residents don’t have any trick-or-treaters in their area, they come to the spooktacular and participate in the trunk or treat with their vehicle or set up a table on Main Street and hand out candy to the hundreds of children in attendance.

The event stretched from East Main Street to West Main Street through the downtown area of Barnesville with the road being blocked off in front of the municipal building, allowing for a safe experience to Barnesville residents of all ages.