❓ Frequently Asked Questions

A lake-side spin on trick-or-treating — kids, their friends, and parents cruise by boat to decorated docks around Smith Lake, where hosts hand out candy and treats along the way. It's grown into the largest single gathering Alabama Lakewide Charities puts on each year.

Spook the Lake is held every October on Smith Lake, Alabama — usually on the second Saturday. This year's event was postponed one week because of the weather, so it now runs from to on .

After trick-or-treating wraps up, everyone's invited to the AfterSpook Party at Trident Marina from to — music, a bounce house, and other activities for the whole family. Boat docking at Trident is limited, so driving over is recommended instead. The AfterSpook Party is the family celebration at Trident Marina after trick-or-treating wraps up — music, a bounce house, and other activities for the whole family. Boat docking at Trident is limited, so driving over is recommended instead.

Yes — completely free for Spookers to join, made possible by the generosity of host docks and business partners who volunteer their time, their docks, and their treats every year.

Bring your boat out on Smith Lake on event day and visit the decorated docks shown on the live map — each one hands out candy and treats to boats that stop by.

Yes — head to Spooker Sign-Up to register your crew. It only takes a minute, and it helps host docks know how many Spookers (and dogs!) to expect, and where.

Every dock is volunteer-run, and hosts are encouraged to have extra hands on deck to help guide boats in and out safely. As with any time on the water, make sure life vests are worn by anyone near the water's edge, and keep an eye on little ones around the docks.

Head to the homepage and tap "Register Your Dock" — it takes just a couple of minutes, and your dock will appear on the live map once approved.

Candy or treats to hand out, and a decorated dock if you're up for it! Past hosts recommend having a couple of extra hands to help guide boats in and out, a long-handled net nearby in case anything drifts, and a few treats for the dogs — they come by boat too.

Yes — local businesses can sponsor a dock to help offset the cost of candy, treats, and decorations, or support the event more generally without tying it to a specific dock. See the Partner With Us page for tier details and donation options, or the dock photo and sponsor logo upload pages if you're already confirmed.

Five prizes in total: Best Dock is awarded separately in each of the three counties around the lake (Walker, Winston, and Cullman), plus Best Group Costume and Best Individual Costume. Dock voting happens right on the live map; costume voting happens on the Vote page. Either way, voting is open to everyone, not just dock hosts.

Head to the Enter Contest page and upload a photo — entries open on event day and close a few days afterward.

For costumes: anyone can vote on the Vote page during the voting window. For docks: Spookers vote right on the live map while they're out on the water. Either way, results stay private until the organizer publishes them, at which point winners appear on the Hall of Fame page.

Spook the Lake is put on by Alabama Lakewide Charities (ALC), a Smith Lake area-based 501(c)(3) non-profit. Every dollar raised goes straight back into supporting the charity's work on the lake.

ALC was established to acquire, maintain, and train first responders on search and recovery equipment that stays on Smith Lake for emergency drowning incidents, and to support other local non-profits that share that mission.

Beyond Spook the Lake and the Poor Man Poker Run (ALC's other major annual fundraiser), ALC has helped fund local fire and rescue departments, Wake the World Smith Lake, Cast for Kids Smith Lake Park, Kids Loving Kids, and other community efforts.

Donations are tax-deductible and can be made anytime at lakewide.org/donate. For anything else, visit lakewide.org/contact-us.