Bristow Elementary School fourth grader Ella McCallister compares magic wands with "Professor Graybeard" of Science Guys of Nashville during Friday evening's Harvest Fest in Circus Square Park.

On a night when the undead were roaming the streets of downtown Bowling Green, Circus Square Park was a lively place.

Zombies mixed with pumpkins, a magician wowed children with science-themed tricks and music and a movie filled the rain-dampened air at Bowling Green’s inaugural Harvest Fest.

Some 300 local residents (most of them of the living variety) filled Circus Square Park for the event that combined the Warren County Public Library’s Pumpkin Palooza and the Kiwanis Club’s Zombie Walk and mixed in a bit of live music at the SoKY Marketplace from Western Kentucky University’s Lost River Sessions.

More, in this case, seemed to be better.

“We came to Pumpkin Palooza last year, but it didn’t have the extended activities,” said Bowling Green resident Shelly Decker, who was there with her husband and 7-year-old child. “They have activities this year for kids and adults.”

Warren County Public Library Marketing and Communications Manager Rob Hankins welcomed the opportunity to be part of a larger event. He said Pumpkin Palooza had given children and their parents a chance to read a poem together and then get a pumpkin and decorate it.

The library was still offering those same activities Friday, only as part of a larger event.

“This was an opportunity to come together with several different groups in one location,” Hankins said.

Harvest Fest came together almost by accident, said Karen Foley, the city of Bowling Green’s neighborhood services coordinator.

“Our parks and recreation department had done Pumpkin Palooza with the public library,” she said. “Then Courtney McBaen with SoKY Marketplace said they were thinking about doing a Harvest Festival, so we thought we could join with them.

“Then we remembered that the Kiwanis Club was doing the Zombie Walk. We had the idea of bringing it all together in one spot. It came together quickly.”

Kiwanis Club representative Danette Idlett is glad that it did. On hand Friday as club members worked on face-painting zombies, Idlett said being part of Harvest Fest can only make the Zombie Walk fundraiser bigger and better.

“We started the Zombie Walk six years ago as an event to support Kiwanis International,” Idlett said. “That project came to a close, but we started partnering with local nonprofits and continued the event.”

Idlett said the Kiwanis Club selects a different nonprofit to support each year, raising money by charging $10 to dress as a zombie and participate in the walk. This year’s walk is benefiting VSA Kentucky, which provides arts education and inclusion programs for children and adults with disabilities.

“Potentially, there are now a lot more people who could participate in the Zombie Walk,” Idlett said. “If they don’t come zombified, we can decorate them.”

Many families, zombified or not, turned out for this combined event and seemed happy with the format.

“It’s my first time to come out for one of these events,” said Bowling Green resident Ali McAllister, who was there with her 4-year-old son, Elijah. “I happened to drive by La Gala and saw the sign advertising the event, so we decided to come.

“I like it. There are a lot of activities, and Elijah has enjoyed himself. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.”