Pathway Baptist Church sits at 229 W. 5th Avenue. St. Pius X sits at 777 E. 5th Avenue, and Calvert City Hall is a short way up at 861 E. 5th. On Saturday, Oct. 31, all three are stops on the Calvert City Treat Trail, and all three face the one road the city's Halloween guidance tells golf carts to use only for crossing.
The city's Oct. 14 Halloween article says residents make the rounds "by golf cart, car, hayride, or bike." The same article says golf carts should use the multi-use trail and side roads, and use Fifth Avenue only to cross. So the stops face Fifth Avenue, and the carts are steered to the paved path that runs behind it. Taken together, the event depends on the Calvert City Greenway about as much as it depends on the churches and businesses handing out candy.
The Stops and Their Hours
The Treat Trail runs Saturday evening, and the city has set a 10 p.m. curfew. Here is the stop list from the city's Oct. 14 article. It is the most complete version the city has posted.
| Stop | Location | Hours on Oct. 31 |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Baptist Church | 229 W. 5th Avenue | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Calvert City First Baptist Church | 85 South Ash Street | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| St. Pius Catholic Church | 777 E. 5th Avenue | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Calvert City Hall, with the Calvert City Fire Department and First Financial Bank | 861 E. 5th | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, at the City Hall stop | 861 E. 5th | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Basketcase Florist and Gifts | Check with the shop | 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Truth & Light Covenant Church | Check with the church | 5 to 7 p.m. |
Two things stand out in the table. First, most stops close at 7 p.m. Only Pathway Baptist and City Hall stay open until 7:30. Second, City Hall carries the most stops, with the fire department, a bank and a tax office all set up at one address. The city's separate event listing shows the whole trail as 5 to 7 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chamber and gives a shorter stop list. If you plan your evening around a late finish, the article's per-stop hours are the ones to go by.
The list could also still change. The city has invited businesses and organizations that want to join to email [email protected].
The Path Behind City Hall
The multi-use path the city points carts toward is laid out in Ordinance 2017-08. It runs from the intersection of 5th Avenue and Hickory Street to the intersection of Lone Valley Road and Kentucky Highway 62. The City Council placed it to give access to the parks, the Calvert City Country Club and the Ford Square commercial area.
City Hall is where the path and the Treat Trail meet. The city's Residents page says the multi-use trail can be reached by parking behind City Hall. Doctors Park Sports Complex also sits behind City Hall and the Calvert City Civic Center, north of East 5th Avenue. That makes the busiest stop on the trail the one that backs directly onto the cart path.
The Greenway's own history explains why it can carry an event like this. The city describes it as a project under construction in phases since 2016. It began as a way to link the three city parks with a multi-use trail that gives pedestrians a safe way to stay active. A later phase was planned to connect the heart of Calvert City with Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, and the city says it is working with Grand Rivers on a third phase. Doctors Park has a paved, lighted one-mile loop that connects to the Greenway. Memorial Park has a lighted half-mile loop that does the same.
What the City's Rules Say
Two city sources speak to golf carts, and they are written at different levels of detail.
The Residents page has a section called "Golf Cart Friendly City." It says you can ride a golf cart anywhere within the city limits, says rules are in place, and links to the ordinance. The ordinance itself, Ordinance 2017-08, passed on second reading on Dec. 11, 2017. It deals with the multi-use path specifically and sets these conditions:
- Golf carts may be operated on the path during daylight hours, between the point where it meets Hickory Street and the point where it meets Kentucky Highway 62.
- Drivers must hold a Kentucky driver's license.
- Carts must yield at all times to pedestrians and to any other vehicle legally using the path and the public areas around it.
The ordinance also defines a golf cart. It has at least four wheels, is designed to go no faster than 25 miles per hour, and is designed to carry no more than six people, driver included.
Next to those rules sits the city's guidance for Halloween night:
Golf carts should use the multi-use trail and side roads. Use Fifth Avenue only to cross.
The ordinance limits carts on the path to daylight hours. The Treat Trail runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The city's Halloween article does not say how those two fit together. Questions about cart use that evening are best sent to City Hall at [email protected]. This post is general information, not legal advice. Anyone unsure what a city ordinance allows should confirm with the city or a qualified professional.
The article's other safety reminders apply to everyone, cart or not. Leave the porch light on if you welcome trick-or-treaters. Drivers should watch for pedestrians at crosswalks and drive slowly through neighborhoods. Walkers should carry a flashlight or glow stick, or wear reflective tape.
The Yards Between the Stops
Front yards are part of the trail too. The city's Spooky Yard of the Season contest took entries through Oct. 23, the same day the Fall Decorating Contest was judged. The winner gets a $50 gift card to Holly Nursery, the garden center at 4095 US Hwy 62. The city had not posted winners as of mid-October, so the Treat Trail may be the first time many people see the winning yard in person.
The Same Path on Nov. 1
The Greenway is just as useful once Halloween is over. Behind City Hall, the multi-use trail leads to the Moneymaker Single Track Trail, a 5.08-mile beginner trail for hiking, running and mountain biking on 25 acres in the middle of town. To find the trailhead, park behind City Hall, take the multi-use trail to the left, and watch for the Moneymaker Trail sign. Doctors Park also has the Chris Bynum Skate Park, located right off the Greenway and the Doctors Park loop, plus a four-court pickleball area next to the skate park.
November indoors centers on the Calvert City Branch of the Marshall County Public Library. Its November calendar lists Story Hour from 10 to 11 a.m. on Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Breakfast and Bingo runs from 9 to 10 a.m. on Nov. 19, and Jigsaws and Java runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.
For more on how the city's parks fill and empty through the seasons, see our earlier post on the Doctor's Park cleanup and the return to Memorial Park, and our Calvert City neighborhood page.
At Sirk & Company Real Estate, we pay attention to how a town's streets, trails and parks connect, because those connections affect how a property gets used and what it's worth. If you own or are considering a property near Fifth Avenue or the Greenway and want an appraiser's read on how that access affects its value, Contact Us.
