"My family loves Halloween, and we have all these skeletons in our garage that we decorate with every year," Jenny Starkey told the Littleton Independent. Starkey is the executive director of the Littleton Downtown Development Authority, and that garage gave her the idea for Bones About Town. It's a new program that put skeletons on the lampposts along Main Street on Oct. 1. They stay up through Oct. 31.
The skeletons are fun to look at, but they're built to bring you back more than once. That matters this month because the main routes into downtown changed at the same time. The City of Littleton started construction on Prince Street this fall. Englewood's City Ditch work is closing part of the Littleton Community Trail starting this week. Both projects run into spring 2027. Downtown is asking you to visit every week in October, and the trip there takes more planning than it did in September.
A Decoration Designed for Repeat Visits
Every skeleton wears a toe tag. Scan one and you're entered to win a gift card to the Downtown Littleton business of your choice. Each scan counts as an entry, and you can scan up to 25 different skeletons a week. The limit resets weekly, so one big walk on Oct. 3 doesn't cover the whole month.
The drawings are every Saturday:
- Oct. 10: $100 Downtown Littleton gift card
- Oct. 17: $100 gift card
- Oct. 24: $100 gift card
- Oct. 31: $100 gift card, plus a $250 grand prize for one more participant
Starkey says the goal is foot traffic all month long.
"Bones About Town felt like an endearing and playful way to celebrate the Halloween season while generating foot traffic throughout the district. At its heart, it's also a reminder that every local purchase helps keep your downtown 'alive'."
She also linked the idea to Reinke Brothers, which she called a mainstay of Downtown Littleton. We'll get to Reinke below, because it sits on the street that's under construction.
Saturday, Oct. 10 Has Three Events in One Day
The first drawing falls on the busiest Saturday of the month downtown.
The Littleton Museum's Harvest Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6028 S. Gallup Street. Admission is free. Pumpkins, wagon rides and 1890s carnival games cost extra.
Big Pride Littleton starts an hour later and runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. across Bega Park and Main Street. This is the third year for the event, which is organized by the nonprofit Littleton Q+. It began in 2024 in Bega Park and grew onto Main Street in its second year. This year it uses the same footprint, with more vendors. The day starts with yoga in Bega Park, and the Bega Park stage has live music from performers including Kate Mooney and Evie Valentine. The Main Stage on Main Street has drag performances and remarks from Mayor Kyle Schlachter and Englewood City Councilmember Rick Somerson. A mini-parade with a local marching band and members of Littleton Social Cycle will also go down Main Street. Grande Station and Cencalli will run bars during the event. Drag bingo at Denver Beer Co. kicks off the weekend on Friday, Oct. 9.
Main Street will have stages and a parade, and the museum festival runs at the same time across town. Expect the most foot traffic of the month that day, and more competition for parking than on a typical Saturday.
The Shops Worth a Second Lap
The weekly drawings work best when there's something new to stop for, and downtown has a few new spots this season.
Leaves on Main, an indoor-plant and gift shop, opened Sept. 5 at 2699 Main Street. It's the newest storefront downtown, and a good way to start a skeleton walk.
Lewis and Cluck, the chicken-feed and supply shop, moved back downtown from South Broadway to 5827 S. Rapp Street. The Littleton Independent's story on the move carries a July 16, 2026 update date.
iN-TEA and Spell Books on Main Street are running a joint Cozy Season promotion from September through November. October's theme is spooky season, inspired by "Goosebumps," with themed teas and discounts between the two shops. iN-TEA also hosts a poetry night on the third Friday of each month. The third Friday this month is Oct. 16, the night before the second drawing.
Outside downtown, Los Dos Potrillos at 10065 W. San Juan Way reopened July 9 after a fire closed it. If you missed it over the summer, it's a good dinner stop on the way home from a Saturday downtown.
The Routes Into Downtown Change Through Spring
The bigger of the two projects is the Prince Street Link. Construction started this fall on South Prince Street between West Lake Avenue and West Alamo Avenue, including a major rebuild of the Prince/Church intersection. The city lists spring 2027 for completion. A Sept. 18 city bulletin says construction should continue through February 2027. Either way, it runs past the holidays.
When it's finished, the project adds:
- Wider, more accessible sidewalks and ADA curb ramps
- Bike lanes in both directions
- New curb and gutter, plus concrete pavement north of the Prince Street Bridge
- Upgraded traffic signals that give pedestrians a head start at crosswalks, with room for future transit signal priority
The city says the corridor connects downtown with Arapahoe Community College, the Colorado Center for the Blind and the Downtown Littleton light-rail station. In the meantime, the bulletin warns of lane and intersection impacts, possible delays and changed traffic patterns through fall and winter, and asks downtown visitors to plan ahead. The city hasn't posted a lane-by-lane schedule. Littleton's Cone Zone map is updated weekly and is the best place to check current closures before you drive.
The second project affects people on foot or on bikes. Englewood began Reach 2 of its City Ditch Piping Project, which replaces parts of the open ditch with buried pipe. The work fully closes the Littleton Community Trail between Ridge Road and Lower Ridgewood Park. The posted detour uses West Euclid Avenue, South Prince Street and West Ridge Road. The Lee Gulch Trail in Lower Ridgewood Park will be partly closed while equipment moves through the park. The closures are expected to start the week of Oct. 5 and last until spring 2027. Englewood's contractor is Hudick Excavating Inc., and the city asks families to keep children and pets away from work areas and equipment.
The trail detour runs along South Prince Street, which is also where the road work is. If you normally walk or bike into downtown on the Community Trail, both projects will be on your route this month.
Reinke Brothers Is on Prince Street
Reinke Brothers Haunted Mansion is at 5663 S. Prince Street. Its official site says the haunt has been running for more than 50 years. Westword traced the business back to 1968, when brothers Greg and Chris opened a costume shop with a seasonal haunted house. The official site lists the 2026 season as Sept. 25 through Nov. 1.
Hours and prices from the official site:
- Monday to Thursday: 6 to 10 p.m.
- Friday: 6 p.m. to midnight
- Saturday: 3 p.m. to midnight
- Sunday: 3 to 10 p.m.
- Advance tickets: $22 Sunday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, $30 for regular admission or $40 for VIP.
A weeknight ticket costs $8 less than a regular weekend ticket. Weeknights also avoid the Saturday crowds when traffic is already slow around the Prince/Church work. For younger kids, Reinke runs lights-on tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 1, for $12 per person. On a Saturday, you could do a morning tour and still make it to Main Street to scan skeletons before the evening drawing.
How the Month Ends
After Oct. 10, the bigger events come in the last week. The Littleton Merchants Association's Goblin Giveout is Sunday, Oct. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. Kids in costume can trick-or-treat at participating downtown shops and restaurants. That's the day after the third drawing, so families at the Goblin Giveout can scan toe tags for the next week while they're there.
Hudson Gardens holds Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns on Friday, Oct. 30, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., with a trail lit by hand-carved pumpkins. The next day, Oct. 31, is the last drawing and the $250 grand prize. The skeletons come down after that. Prince Street construction and the Community Trail detour will stay in place into spring.
If you're watching how the Prince Street Link and the Community Trail closure affect your corner of Littleton, we're keeping an eye on it too. At Nichelle Phillips, we're glad to talk through what this construction season means for your street and your plans. When you want a number to go with that conversation, start with Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
