Last year the downtown Candy Crawl ran on a Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m., so it was squeezed in between work, school pickup and dinner. What happens to it when Halloween falls on a Saturday?
This year's Montrose Daily Press Halloween roundup has the answer. The Downtown Montrose Candy Crawl runs Saturday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 5 p.m., one hour shorter than in 2025. It falls on a day when nobody is rushing from an office. More than 50 downtown businesses will hand out candy, and Montrose High School is bringing its Trunk-or-Treat downtown to join them. Because of the Saturday date, the rest of the evening lines up neatly behind those two hours, and the week before is mostly prep for that afternoon.
Two hours, more than 50 storefronts, one decal to look for
The participating businesses mark themselves with a pumpkin decal in the window, so that's the sign to look for walking down Main. In 2025, the Montrose Lifestyle call for partners counted more than 60 participating businesses and named DART, the Downtown Area Revitalization Team, as the group behind the event. This year's count is "more than 50," the event is an hour shorter, and Montrose High School's Trunk-or-Treat is part of the same downtown footprint.
So the crowd is packed into a shorter window, on a day when families can arrive at 3 instead of 4:30. Plan on parking a few blocks out and walking in.
Monday at 400 E. Main is where the afternoon gets built
On Monday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Montrose DART is holding the Great Candy Stuffing at 400 E. Main and needs volunteers to stuff 60,000 pieces of candy into bags. There are a few other prep jobs for the Candy Crawl, too. Lunch is provided, and the Around Town listing in the Montrose Daily Press points volunteers to a sign-up form at tinyurl.com/VolunteerCandyCrawl.
The prep for Saturday afternoon happens in a two-hour lunch shift on East Main five days before the Candy Crawl.
East Main gets loud a week early
While the bags get stuffed, Main Street is already busy on weeknights. The anchor is a newer one. Pruf Pizza moved into its own storefront at 512 E. Main this year, and the owners have made the space a live-music venue as well as a pizza counter. The Montrose Daily Press reported that Pruf now hosts shows nearly every week, each with a lineup of several bands.
On Oct. 23, the bill is Drug School, a Montrose band some of Pruf's owners play in, plus three more Western Slope acts. Edging for Brownies and Soft Teeth come from Grand Junction, and Ashes and Philth is a rock trio from Cedaredge. Pruf usually closes at 9 p.m. but stays open later on concert nights, serving pizza until the music ends. Slices start around $5, according to the paper's earlier story on the move.
The new order to try is the "stashbox." It looks like a Detroit-style cheese pizza, but the inside is stuffed with a ricotta blend you can customize, tossed into a deep dough and covered with a top layer of cheese. Emory Wilkerson, bassist and vocalist for Soft Teeth, told the Daily Press it's the perfect meal with a side of punk rock:
"Pizza and punk go together like peanut butter and jelly."
Other weeknights that land in the same stretch:
- Thursday, Oct. 22, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Association at 39 W. Main teams up with Curiouser Books for a Boozy Book Fair, with book-themed cocktails, mocktails, and food from the other vendors in the hall.
- Thursdays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 7 to 11:55 p.m. Line Fest at The Temple, 511 E. Main, where DJ Coyote Cody mixes old-school country and western classics with hip hop.
- Thursdays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Crafternoon at Montrose Regional Library, 320 S. Second St., for yarn projects at any skill level.
The weekend before is a warm-up that spreads out of town
Saturday, Oct. 24 mixes daytime harvest events with evening music, and it's the first Saturday where the after-dark haunts are part of the picture.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Montrose Farmers Market, which runs year-round.
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Fall Festival at End of Trail Horse Rescue, 5814 U.S. 50 in Olathe. Admission is free, with hayrides, face-painting, a scavenger hunt, caramel apples, cider, and a chance to meet the horses. Costumes are encouraged.
- 5 to 8 p.m. Richie Castro plays The Association, 39 W. Main, no cover.
- 6:30 p.m. Altrusa International of Montrose Trivia Night at the Elks Lodge, 801 S. Hillcrest. It's $30 a person, up to eight per team, with appetizers and dessert bars included; register at altrusamontrose.org.
On Sunday, Oct. 25, the Valley Symphony Orchestra performs "Anthems of Autumn" at the Montrose Pavilion from 3 to 5 p.m.
Skellington Manor Haunted House and Pirate Shipwreck, at 799 6530 Road, is open both weekends, Oct. 23 and 24 and Oct. 30 and 31, from 6 to 10 p.m. The shipwreck costs $7, and the haunted house costs $20 for adults and $12 for kids. Both include a bag of popcorn, and they take cash, Venmo or Zelle.
Friday the 30th covers the younger and older ends of the day
The day before Halloween has its own events. From 2 to 4 p.m., The Homestead at Montrose, 1819 Pavilion Drive, invites little trick-or-treaters to spend the afternoon with its residents and staff.
At 7 p.m., the Montrose Road & Gun Club starts Cosmic Trap at its outdoor range, 72001 U.S. 50. Shooters break fluorescent clays under blacklights. A 25-target round costs $7 for members and $9 for nonmembers, and breaking a green target wins $5. All skill levels are welcome. Bring your own shotgun, ammo, and eye and hearing protection; the club provides the targets.
Saturday, Oct. 31, in the order it happens
On a weeknight Halloween, the candy, the haunts and dinner all compete for the same few hours. On a Saturday, the candy comes first and the haunts follow after dark:
- 3 to 5 p.m. The Downtown Montrose Candy Crawl, with more than 50 businesses showing the pumpkin decal and Montrose High School's Trunk-or-Treat set up downtown.
- 6 to 10 p.m. Skellington Manor, out on 6530 Road, open for its second Halloween-weekend night.
- 8 to 10 p.m. The Haunted Hotel at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 1391 N. Townsend Ave. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids ages 5 to 12, and kids under 5 get in free. Every ticket helps Feed the Children.
The Haunted Hotel's listing says its doors open after the city's trick-or-treat festivities end, which fits the day's order. That leaves a gap between 5 and 6 p.m., right after the Candy Crawl ends, for dinner before the haunts.
What stays up on Main after the candy is gone
Some of Halloween week carries into November. The Montrose Center for the Arts at 205 E. Main is showing "Spooky, Eerie, Creepy, Strange," a Samhain and Halloween-themed exhibit by its member artists, through Nov. 6. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Two doors down, Amazing Glaze at 209 E. Main has bowls for Art Partners Youth Mentoring's 18th Annual Chili Bowl Fest. Paint one through Nov. 23 and mention it's for the Chili Bowl to get a discount. On Nov. 28 at The Temple, 511 E. Main, ticket holders pick out a donated bowl and fill it with all-you-can-eat chili. The fest runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The rest of the fall calendar:
- Thursday, Nov. 5. Pruf's next show, with Texas-based Dednamez and Grand Junction's Interval and Burnt Out.
- Nov. 6 to 8. The Holiday Crafts & Bazaar, running 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
- Nov. 27, 5:30 p.m. The free Tree Lighting Ceremony, followed by Santa's Cabin from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Our office at Colorado Land Home & Ranch is out on Highway 550, but we spend plenty of Saturdays on Main Street like everyone else. If you're downtown for the Candy Crawl and want to talk about a parcel, a cabin or a rental you've been thinking about, Schedule a Consultation and we'll set aside a time that doesn't conflict with trick-or-treating.
