CLEVELAND, Ohio — Public Square is the heart of downtown Cleveland, a place where Northeast Ohioans gather to watch the annual Christmas tree lighting, where ice skating takes place or where Christmas lights are on throughout the season.

But before that happens, Downtown Cleveland Inc. made sure there was fall fun with its Fall Fun Day at Public Square, following a successful first Fall Fun Day event at North Coast Harbor’s Voinovich Park in early October.

Activities included mini pumpkin painting, crafts, hands-on activities, bubbles and more. Plus, you can’t forget the snacks and treats, including funnel cake and kettle corn, to get you into the fall and Halloween spirit.

For a bit of a Halloween twist, the Cleveland Ghostbusters even made an appearance at Fall Fun Days with the Ectomobile. The crew took pictures with the participants and took care of the mobile.

Downtown Cleveland Inc. is always trying to provide fun family experiences for people in Public Square, and for that matter anywhere in the city, for residents, their families and visitors, said Ian Meadows, social media and project manager for Downtown Cleveland Inc.

With the leaves changing colors on the trees in the square, it certainly set the tone for a fun afternoon.

Trequann Simpson, 28, of Cleveland, brought his son to Public Square because it’s always nice to see his son outside and not trapped inside. It is also good for him to be able to interact socially with other children.

“I try my best to get it out as much as I can,” he said as his son painted a mini pumpkin. “To be honest, Public Square was never like this back in the day. It remained dull and boring. A few years ago, that’s when they (the organizations) started bringing festivities (in the Public Square).”

It’s incredibly important to keep Public Square alive with events so residents and visitors from near and far can see the kinds of things Cleveland can do, Meadows said.

“Public Square is really Central Park in downtown Cleveland,” he said. “It’s really the hub from which the whole downtown and the rest of the city radiates. It is the transit core, a hub for a lot of residents; it’s kind of the front yard for a lot of these residential buildings that have opened up all over there.”

It’s the heartbeat of downtown, Meadows said, and Downtown Cleveland Inc. will ensure it remains a fun, safe and vibrant place for everyone to enjoy. He added that it’s important for residents to feel a sense of ownership when they come to the Public Square.

“Even though we (Downtown Cleveland Inc.) are the ones managing it, programming it, you know it’s Public Square. It’s the people’s park,” Meadows said.

The first iteration of Downtown Cleveland Inc. hosting a fall-type festival started last year at Voinovich Park, where the first days of fall fun were held. October 5 of this year.

After seeing its success and now that Downtown Cleveland Inc. took over Public Square’s leadership and programming, the organization though was the perfect opportunity to build on last year’s programming.

Samantha Wayne, 24, of Cleveland, likes to take her two kids outside, especially if it’s other kids. She especially likes the holiday events that are held in the Public Square for her to bring the kids.

The space is amazing, she said, and she just wants her and the kids to be safe doing something fun.

“I love Cleveland,” she said with a giggle.

If you weren’t able to make it to Fall Fun Days on Saturday, Meadows encourages those who do to walk around the public square or go to Tower City Center, where it has its spooky town, until Saturday at 7 p.m. and from noon to 5 p.m. :00 Sunday.

Kaylee Remington is a shopping and entertainment reporter and metro reporter for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Read his work online.