Dinosaurs will be taking over Haddonfield, NJ

“Haddyween” will be taking over Haddonfield in the days leading up to Halloween. The celebration, now in its second year, features dinosaurs roaming the town, contests, giveaways, and a window decorating contest.

Why dinosaurs? Because Haddonfield was the location of the discovery of a dinosaur skeleton that was named for the town, Hadrosaurus foklii. The prehistoric creature was believed to be about 10 feet tall and weighed 7 to 8 tons.

It was unearthed in 1858 and was the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever discovered at the time. It is the official State Dinosaur of New Jersey.

There is a statue of the dinosaur in town nicknamed “Haddy,” which is where the festival gets its name.

According to New Jersey Isn’t Boring, “This October marks 163 years since the Hadrosaurus skeleton was discovered here in Haddonfield,” says Bob Hochgertel, an Open South Jersey partner and owner of King’s Road Brewing Company, who helped create Haddyween.

The event runs through Oct. 31 and includes Haddonfield’s Halloween parade on the 30th. The public is invited to vote on the window decorating contest. Voting gives you the chance to win a gift card from participating businesses.

On Halloween night, voting closes for the window decorating contest, and two winners will be announced: the winner of the window decorating contest and the winner of the gift card drawing.

There is also a Haunted Haddonfield Walking Tour on the 29th and 30th and a Halloween scavenger hunt. You can visit the event’s website here.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.