More than a thousand people came to Ridge & Remedy Apothecary’s first Witches Night in the Ridge event on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Samantha Siebe, event organizer and owner of the apothecary, said the evening’s activities were “amazing.” She planned the event along with her co-worker, Deanna Wenner.
More than 30 local vendors lined the parking lot of the apothecary and handed out candy to children between 4 and 5 p.m. Later in the evening, a special lantern lighting ceremony and costume contests were held.
Proceeds from a 50/50 raffle and silent auction benefited BackStoppers of Jefferson County, a nonprofit organization that supports families of first responders living in Missouri and Illinois who were severely injured or died in the line of duty. Siebe said the amount raised for BackStoppers was not available in time for the Leader’s deadline for publication.
“It’s all kind of a whirlwind,” Siebe said. “Everyone coming out dressed up, the kiddos participating in the trick-or-treat, all of that was fantastic, and it was just awesome.”
Jamie Guinn, chief at the North Jefferson County Ambulance District and president of the Jefferson County BackStoppers, said he was “speechless” by the showing of support for the nonprofit.
“It’s been really busy here,” Guinn said while manning the BackStoppers booth at the event. The nonprofit had numerous gift baskets to raffle off, including tickets to St. Louis-area events and local goodies. “We can’t do (the fundraising for BackStoppers) without this community. It’s just the best community there is.”
Pam Zemann, Wenner’s mother, said she was impressed by all the local vendors who set up at the event. Vendors sold a variety of handcrafted items, including candles, cookies, cotton candy and crocheted stuffed animals. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, North Jefferson County Ambulance District and the High Ridge Fire Protection District also came to the event.
“It’s very important to give these local businesses a big boost, instead of having all these big chain stores,” Zemann said. “This is a good way to do that.”
Daphanee Rhodes owns Crafted Crumb Co. in High Ridge, a cottage business specializing in custom-decorated sugar cookies. Her booth at the event was full of meticulously decorated Halloween-themed cookies, along with other crowd-favorite sweet treats.
Rhodes said her caramel apple cookies were a big hit during the evening.
“I’m really surprised and happy with the turnout,” she said.
Madi Bonney of Festus came early in the evening to “trick or treat” at the vendor booths with her daughters, Amelia, 3, and Chevy, 2. Bonney came dressed as Olaf, with Amelia coming as Princess Elsa and Chevy as Princess Anna from the movie “Frozen.”
“It’s been going really well,” Bonney said. “It seems like a really good turnout, and it’s nice and spacious. We were at (another local trunk or treat), and people were flying through their parking lot with the kids still around. This is nice, because it’s blocked off, and there’s plenty of space for the kiddos to run and get lots of goodies.”
Siebe said she and Wenner would not have been able to pull off the event without local support, especially from Paula Aleto, who owns Paula’s Sweet Treats.
“She was really phenomenal,” Siebe said. “She was here from start to finish on planning it, guiding us and giving input.”
Siebe has already set her sights on next year’s Witches Night in the Ridge.
“Save the date: Oct. 16, 2027,” she said. “Right now, we’re talking with our vendors and talking with the local businesses that were in the plaza, getting some feedback and seeing where changes need to occur, trying to make improvements.”