HOT SPRINGS – With Halloween falling on a Friday this year the town of Hot Springs is gearing up for a busy ghost walk in downtown Hot Springs on the evening of October 31.

The annual event will provide area kids a chance to stroll Main Street and enjoy the annual evening of festivities.

“The businesses on Main Street dress up and hand out candy to the kids,” Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce President Leslee Smith said.

At this month’s chamber meeting Smith urged individuals at local businesses to dress up, get into the spirit of the day and take part in the festivities from 6 to 8 p.m.

There will also be a kiddy costume contest held at 7:30 p.m. on Halloween.

The contest will take place at the Senior Center on Main Street in town.

The costume ball will be on Friday night and is currently slated to go until midnight.

There will also be prizes handed out during the evening at the costume ball.

In the run up to the town’s ghost walk portions of town will be decorated to suit the festivities and provide a proper backdrop for the annual ghost walk.

“We usually decorate Main Street a little bit for the ghost walk,” Smith said.

Smith said orange and black garlands, representing the colors of Halloween, spider webs and ghostly decorations on trees will be some of the decorations used to transform the town for the activity filled evening.

During last week’s chamber meeting discussions on the ghost walk generated substantial excitement and the town should be ready to go for the event by the end of the month.

Whatever the local weather conditions local youth will be sure to hit the streets in search of candy.