Blinky Man Halloween Report

Continuing the energy of the Blinky Man Summer Solstice event, Carson City’s costumed night time bike ride with lights was at it again this Halloween. At least 30 riders participated in the first ever Blinky Man Halloween event. As fun as the Blinky Man ride is all on its own, the craziness of Halloween made it even better. “Blinky Man promotes not only the accessibility of Carson City for bikes, but also the unique Halloween activities that the Westside provides,” event promoter Kyle Horvath said. “Carson City offers an amazing Halloween experience, and we’re excited to be part of it.”

Staging for the ride at Jimmy G’s Cigar Bar
The ride was staged at Jimmy G’s Cigar Bar on Main Street. Participants quickly raced home from work, got into costume, and got their decorated bikes to the starting point.

A robber making a withdrawal

Daylight fading, bike lights getting stronger
The daylight began to fade as the ride got underway. The darker the sky got, the brighter the bike lights got. One rider was towing a trailer with a generator and nice stereo system, and provided the theme music for the ride.

Pirates at Foodies Bystro
The first stop was at the Brewery Arts Center and Foodies Bystro. The BAC had lots of fun activities and displays, and Foodies had great food and drink for a quick dinner.

In front of the Governor’s Haunted Mansion
By the time we were done with the first stop, it had become fully dark out. The blinkers then headed north to the Governor’s “Haunted” Mansion where the trick or treating madness was already in progress. The streets were packed with people in costumes, and fire dancers were performing in the mansion driveway. All the blinking bikes were right at home parked out front. A giant glowing praying mantis slowly walked through the crowd.

The Governor’s Haunted Mansion

Some questionable characters…

Giant Praying Mantis!

The Blinky House!
We left the Governor’s Mansion and arrived at the secret Blinky Man House, a fully decorated house complete with hundreds of blinking lights, a DJ, and a taco bar provided by Mia’s Grill. We all hung out and enjoyed the sensory overload.

Lots of lights at the Blinky House

Ready to spend some loot at the Tap Shack
All the fun was making us thirsty. Thankfully the next stop was the Tap Shack over on Rice Street! The front of the bar was lit up with blinking bikes, and the inside was full of pirates, bank robbers, and skeletons looking for something to drink.

Skeletons are good listeners

Cocktails and tales of plunder at the Tap Shack

Steampunk at the Tap Shack

Glowing bikes at the Tap Shack

Haunted Back Alley Party at the Horseshoe Club
The finale for the ride was the Haunted Back Alley Party behind the Horseshoe Club. The alley was fully decorated with cobwebs and colorful lights, and felt more like a street at Disneyland than in Carson City.

Haunted Back Alley Party at the Horseshoe Club

A ride home from a friendly cowboy
As much fun as we were having, there was a small memory of reality in my head reminding me that this was a work and school night. We left the festivities of downtown, and headed for home, meeting up with a friendly cowboy along the way. Carson City really does Halloween right!  Blinky Man is turning into a great bike event, and I really see this growing in 2014.  I wonder what the next theme will be?
A few more photos from the ride HERE.