When more than 200 little ghosts and ghouls visit a small Cedar Avenue shop on a Saturday, that’s a scary good day.
“It was so awesome,” says Carmen McGregor from Comfort Shoes, located on a block that is usually quiet for foot traffic. “We thought we’d never get rid of all the candy we bought, but we sure did. The amount of kids was incredible, and their costumes were so out of this world” she added.
“Moms came in, saying, ‘Wow look at this, I didn’t know you were here, I’ll be back.’ We were so impressed, it was great advertising for us.”
That is the general insight from the downtown business community after the city’s Spooktacular event drew in so many families who weaved in and out of stores as they made their way down to the main event near the Riverfront Centre.
“Spooktacular drew a huge costumed-crowd to downtown Trail this year,” says Andrea Jolly, events coordinator.
”It would be difficult to provide a number of attendees, but to give you an idea, Local 480 had to restock their hot dog supply twice, the Bailey Theatre was nearly full for the Teck-sponsored free magic show, the downtown shops had ‘trick or treaters’ lined up for candy, and some folks had to park in East Trail and walk over the Columbia River Skywalk to join us on the Esplanade.”
This was Jolly’s sixth year coordinating the pre-Halloween event, and this past Saturday was definitely the busiest.
“The fabulous weather no doubt contributed to the success,” Jolly said. “But so did the amazing support of the community organizations and businesses who participated by offering free games, activities and crafts for the kids.”
The flow and connectivity of the event was also well thought out with activities taking place at the Bailey Theatre, the VISAC Gallery, inside the Riverfront Centre, along the Esplanade, at the Royal Theatre, throughout downtown, and at the Kids Rink in the Trail Memorial Centre.
“The food and market vendors had a great day and many have expressed that they will be back for next year,” said Jolly. “The Mystic Dreams dancing witches were a huge crowd-pleaser, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with for the next Spooktacular. Lastly, thank you to everyone who attended and participated. It was wonderful to see everyone having a great time with their family and friends. “