By Jeremiah Taylor
The Halloween Cruise on the lower Provo River began Oct. 10, featuring an excursion boat ride with pirates, scary stories, music and more than 100 lighted pumpkins.
'Where in Utah can you take a boat ride,' said Benjamin Allen, owner of the boats. 'There''s at least 130 pumpkins lit up along the river and it''s just real pretty with the reflection in the water.'
Allen''s company, CLAS Ropes, has sponsored the cruise for four years now. According to Allen people could go on excursion boat rides on the Provo River and out to the lake 100 years ago; however, nothing like this has been available since that time.
'We started out with a pontoon boat where we could seat about a dozen people,' Allen said, 'But it got so busy, so many people came, that we bought this professional excursion boat four years ago.'
Now Allen has two professional excursion boats that seat up to 40 people. The ride is meant to entertain customers of all ages, Allen said.
'We have little tiny kids,' he added. 'There''s nothing gross or gory; it''s meant to be more like a Disneyland adventure rather than a haunted ride.'
The boats are similar to those you would see at Disneyland''s Jungle Cruise ride or at the river walk in San Antonio.
BYU student, Skyler Bell, said the cruise allows family home evening groups to enjoy Halloween -- a holiday that often appeals more to younger kids.
The boats are also available for rent year round. Dating groups can have candle-lit dinners while going down the river. One group watched 'Jaws' during the ride.
CLAS Ropes has also sponsored a Christmas cruise for the past seven years. Both holiday cruises attract about 2000 people each year, according to Allen.
CLAS Ropes is a ropes course company with an outdoor course in Provo and an indoor course in Orem. It develops courses for scout camps and other outings. Business, therapy, family reunion, school and youth conference groups also take advantage of the adventure.
The courses consist of activities such as the zip line, climbing tower, giant swing, or the balance beam 30 feet above the ground.
The boarding location for the Halloween Cruise is at the CLAS Ropes Course, 3606 W. Center in Provo. The round trip ride lasts about 25 minutes. The price is $15.00 per family or $5.00 per person. It will be open until October 31 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. weekdays, and 6:30-10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
More information is available at www.clasropes.net