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Abigail Gentry, 9 months, and Elijah Gentry, 2, came as Superman and Supergirl to the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. They're pictured with their father, Adam Gentry, who called himself Superdad.
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Carly Chandler and her father, Dustin Chandler, of Hoover, Alabama, were among an estimated 18,000 people at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Caleb Champion, 3, of Irondale, Alabama, makes his way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy and other goodies at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Noah Khader of Hoover, Alabama, picks out some candy as he makes his way through the "candy tent" at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Tracy Anderson and Brooklyn Boyd of Birmingham, Alabama, make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy and other goodies at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. However, at this table, Pediatric and Adolescent Dentistry gave away new toothbrushes.
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People make their way through the tent where businesses and other organizations gave away candy at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Naomi Shadeed, 2, of Hoover, Alabama, came as a mermaid to the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Ella Thompson, 3, of Sterrett, Alabama, came as a "wicked witch" to the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Caleb Matherson, 6, of Hoover, Alabama, checks out his face paint design in a mirror at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Luke Matherson, 3, of Hoover, Alabama, got his face painted at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Luke Matherson, 3, of Hoover, Alabama, got his face painted at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Children watch as balloons are twisted into fun shapes for them at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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A balloon twister creates a ghost balloon at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Sanaria, Carlos and India Brown of Birmingham, Alabama, were at the balloon twisting station at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People rest for a moment at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Friends from Chelsea, Alabama, came to the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. The girls, from left, are Katie Spencer, Kirsten Kerr, Abigale Fowler and Addison Fowler. The boys in front, from left, are Will Spencer and Matthew Kerr.
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A hayride tractor driver dons a mask at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Noah Welbourne, 5, of Hoover, Alabama spreads his teradactyl wings at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Ethan Welbourne, 3, of Hoover, Alabama, checks out his candy at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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Sarah Bradford, 9, of Helena, Alabama, poses for a photo at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People load up for a hayride at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People move up in the hayride line at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
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People wait in the hayride line at the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night at Veterans Park in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016.
Veterans Park in Hoover was invaded by hordes of princesses, superheroes, witches and even a headless monster tonight, but most of them were under 4 feet tall.
An estimated 18,000 people showed up for the 2016 Hoover Hayride and Family Night, said Erin Colbaugh, the city of Hoover’s events coordinator. That’s the highest attendance they’ve ever had, she said.
People were lined up for the event and waiting a little after 4 p.m., even though it didn’t start until 5, Colbaugh said. There were still a lot of people waiting in line for hayrides when the event was scheduled to close at 8, but the tractors kept rolling until everybody in line got a ride, she said.
Lines were long for the hayrides and to get into the exhibitor tent, where more than 70 businesses and organizations organized by the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce gave out candy as people filed through.
There also was face painting, balloon twisting, airbrush tattoos, movies on a projection screen, a disc jockey and games. Concessionaires included Chick-fil-A, Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ, McDonald’s, The Fishin’ Pig (BBQ and catfish), Urban Pops, Kono Ice, Repicci’s Italian Ice and Neighborhood Brew (coffee, lattes, etc.).
Renee Kerr was with a group of three families from Chelsea who brought six kids with them to the event. “A friend of mine came last year and said it was fun, so we all decided to come out here,” Kerr said.
Rachel Matherson of Hoover brought her children for the first time. She has heard about it for years but always had something conflicting on her schedule, she said. But this year, her 6-year-old, Caleb, has been talking about it every day since he brought home a Hoover Hayride bookmark he received at Greystone Elementary School, she said.
“He wouldn’t let us forget when it was or where it was or what time is was,” she said.
The hayrides left an impression on her 3-year-old, Luke. “There were creepy things and mean things, skeletons and witches,” he said.
