Strange noises could be heard on the beaches, the streets and in the buildings last week as Anna Maria became a haunted Island in time for Halloween.

Kids dressed up in costumes, many of them for more than one event, and their bags were full of goodies when the holiday ended.

The costumes ranged from simple sheet ghosts to elaborate Ghost Busters themed outfits put together by the Burgess family. There were spooky masks, black wigs, bright costumes and some ingenious homemade outfits including a young lady who came as breakfast.

The first opportunity for the kids to show off was at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Trail of Treats on Friday, Oct. 30. They assembled in the Chamber parking lot, where judges chose their favorites in the record heat of the day. A long-anticipated cold front didn’t come until Sunday, when it was all over.

The next morning, many of the same kids assembled in the same parking lot to be judged and then to parade down Gulf Drive to the Anna Maria Elementary School Fall Fest. Winners were named and then posed for pictures, while the other kids got out of their costumes in preparation for the fun and games all around the back yard of the school.

For many kids, the finale for their costumes came when they dressed up again Saturday night and went calling on their neighbors.