Grand Chute's Halloween weekend uses two wetlands on back-to-back nights. On Friday, Oct. 16, the Town's Parks & Recreation department holds Hoot in the Chute at Arrowhead Park. Admission is free, and the Town is paying for the boardwalk it takes place on with a state grant and borrowing. On Saturday, Oct. 17, Bubolz Nature Preserve holds its 33rd Annual Romp in the Swamp. Tickets are $10 each, and the money from them helps keep the preserve running. Both events use costumes, treats and trails, but they're funded very differently. Knowing that helps explain why Friday's event costs nothing, why Saturday's needs a reservation, and why the Arrowhead boardwalk the Town calls "brand new" still has one section to go.
Why Arrowhead Park Has a Boardwalk
Arrowhead Park, at 5000 W. Aster Lane, covers 13 acres. The Town's park map lists nearly a mile of wooded boardwalk trail, plus a pavilion, restrooms, grills, a playground, tennis and basketball courts, volleyball, a horseshoe pit, a tee-ball diamond and a small sledding hill for winter. Most of those features are standard for a town park. The boardwalk isn't, and the reason comes down to the ground under it.
When the Town Board took up the replacement in 2023, the record said the route couldn't be swapped for an ordinary trail because it runs through wetlands. The project discussed then was a $1.4 million job. Park Commission minutes from May 2023 show the Town had a $400,000 Knowles-Nelson grant and discussed putting the remaining balance of about $1 million on the tax roll. The 2023 bid schedule called for 2,716 feet of new boardwalk.
By March 2025, the Grand Chute Gazette was describing the boardwalk as "newly renovated" in a park profile that suggested a winter walk on it. The records don't give an exact date when the rebuilt sections reopened, but most of the new boardwalk was in place by then.
The Pond End Is Still Waiting
That spring, the replacement still wasn't done. At its May 2025 meeting, the Park Commission listed "reconstructing the remaining 765 feet of boardwalk at Arrowhead Park" among the items for the Town's 2026–2030 capital plan. The same list included a splash pad at Patriot Park and an ADA kayak launch at Prairie Hill Park.
The Town's capital project entry describes that last piece as the "southernmost 765 ft portion (pond portion)." It gives this reason for replacing it:
"The final segment of the Arrowhead Park Boardwalk requires replacement due to advanced structural degradation similar to portions that were reconstructed previously. Material deterioration has resulted in emerging safety hazards and many hours of maintenance."
The schedule for the work is short:
- 2023: The Town bids 2,716 feet of new boardwalk through the wetlands, backed by a $400,000 Knowles-Nelson grant.
- By March 2025: The rebuilt boardwalk is described in print as newly renovated.
- 2026: $45,000 is budgeted for the pond section.
- 2027: $474,000 is budgeted for construction of that section, bringing its total to $519,000, funded through general-obligation debt.
So when the Town's calendar invites families to celebrate "on our brand new boardwalk," that's accurate for most of the walk. The south end, beside the pond, is the last original piece still standing, and its replacement is on the books for next year.
Friday on the Boardwalk
Hoot in the Chute runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16. Grand Chute Parks & Recreation lists the evening as free and family-friendly, with:
- Halloween trivia for kids and adults
- Tricks and treats along the boardwalk
- Spooky music
- A costume showcase, where the Town says a good costume "might even win a treat"
The calendar listing doesn't mention registration or parking. On the address, the Town's park records and the Gazette's park profile both use 5000 W. Aster Lane, while one October events roundup lists N. Association Drive. Use W. Aster Lane in your map app.
This is the Town putting its new infrastructure to use. The event costs families nothing because the boardwalk was already paid for through a grant and public financing. The Friday crowd will mostly be walking the rebuilt sections from 2023, and the pond section budgeted for 2027 will still be there in the dark.
Saturday Pays Its Own Way
Bubolz Nature Preserve works on a different model, and Romp in the Swamp shows it. The 33rd annual event, presented by Essity, takes place Saturday, Oct. 17, in two sessions, 2 to 4 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. It includes hay wagon rides, s'mores, trick-or-treat stations, a prairie maze, a costume contest, games, and a family movie with popcorn. Tickets are $10 per person, and advance registration is required. If any are left, they cost $12 at the door. The preserve says all proceeds support "Bubolz Nature Preserve's mission of education, recreation, and conservation."
The Town's park map counts Bubolz among Grand Chute's outdoor spaces and lists more than 700 acres and over 8.5 miles of trails. The preserve's mailing address is 4815 N Lynndale Dr, Appleton. Its trails are open daily from dawn to dusk. The Environmental Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. It's closed Mondays.
The event page says the Romp "sells out every year." As of Oct. 4, the Zeffy ticket page still showed both sessions available, so there's still time to book before the weekend.
The Two Nights Side by Side
| Hoot in the Chute | Romp in the Swamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, Oct. 16 | Saturday, Oct. 17 |
| Time | 6–8 p.m. | 2–4 p.m. or 5–7 p.m. |
| Host | Grand Chute Parks & Recreation | Bubolz Nature Preserve, presented by Essity |
| Where | Arrowhead Park, 5000 W. Aster Lane | 4815 N Lynndale Dr |
| Cost | Free | $10 in advance, $12 at the door if available |
| Registration | None listed | Required in advance |
| Who pays for the trails | Town, through a Knowles-Nelson grant and borrowing | Preserve, with event proceeds supporting its mission |
Free events and ticketed events can draw differently. Arrowhead's open-door format lets families stop by for half an hour. At Bubolz, a family picks a two-hour session ahead of time and plans the rest of Saturday around it.
Getting Around Both Nights
Highway work on the north side affects both trips. As of WisDOT's Oct. 2 update, the WIS 47/Richmond Street bridge over I-41 is closed through fall 2026. So are the northbound I-41 on- and off-ramps at Richmond Street and the northbound I-41 on-ramp from WIS 96/Wisconsin Avenue.
WIS 96 is also being resurfaced. The $7.375 million, two-mile project runs from Casaloma Drive to North Badger Avenue and is scheduled through Oct. 31. WisDOT's Sept. 25 update listed inside and outside lane closures from Casaloma to Lynndale between 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. That window overlaps with Friday's event and Saturday's evening session, and the Lynndale end is where you'd turn toward Bubolz. The full closure of WIS 96 at the Badger Avenue railroad crossing was scheduled to end Sept. 28. Check the project page before you leave, since the schedule may have changed.
For dinner nearby, Hot Biddy's opened its first restaurant on Aug. 21 at 5120 W. Michaels Drive in Grand Chute. It started as a food truck and serves Nashville-style hot chicken, appetizers and beer on tap. It's a good fit before the 5–7 p.m. Romp session or after the costumes come off on Friday.
On Friday, the pond section at Arrowhead's south end will still be the original boardwalk, with $474,000 of construction scheduled for it in 2027.
If you'd like to know more about Grand Chute's parks, trails and plans for the coming year, the team at CENTURY 21 Ace Realty follows these local projects closely and is happy to talk about them. Contact Us any time.
