Union City to turn into Spookytown, U.S.A.
Spookytown, U.S.A.
Downtown Union City
Friday, October 31
5-11 p.m.
By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN
News-Gazette reporter
There will be plenty of activities for adults, teens and children Friday evening, October 31 as downtown Union City becomes Spookytown, U.S.A. There will be scary movies, a dance, food booths, games and more.
Normally the Lions Club holds a parade and costume contest on the Saturday closest to Halloween, but this year Halloween falls on Friday, so activities were moved to that evening and expanded to include all ages.
Hayrides conducted by the Union City Community High School FFA will take off from Downtown Park for a tour of the town's best-decorated homes. The hayrides will be offered from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost is $1, with all proceeds going to the UCCHS FFA.
Aukerman's Service is offering $100 of free gas for first prize in the home decorating contest. Second-and-third-place winners will receive $50 and $25 in cash. The deadline for the home decorating contest is October 20. Applications are available at The Corner Cupboard.
The Spookytown U.S.A. committee will be decorating downtown locations with various huge critters, including "Frank," as in Frankenstein. Some critters will be taking their places on rooftops. As part of the buildup to Spookytown, "Frank" will be residing at various locations downtown.
For those who want to decorate on a smaller scale, there will be a pumpkin contest that will bring prizes of $25, $15 and $10. The pumpkins may be carved, as in jack-o-lanterns, but carving isn't required. Pumpkins must be turned in at the stage by 4:30 p.m.
The stage will be located at Columbia and Oak streets, and the festivities will be mostly confined to that one block. All of the intersections will be open.
The Lions Club will continue with its traditional Halloween Parade, forming at the Coke plant, but the judging will be at the stage's new location instead of Broadway. In addition to special prizes, each participant will receive a candy bar and a helium-filled balloon.
For the grownups, there will be a wine-and-cheese party at the Community Room, 103 N. Columbia Street from 8 to 11 p.m. There is no charge to attend the adults-only party, which is taking the place of the traditional First Friday in November. Hosted by the Preservation Society, the party will thus become a Last Friday (in October) event instead of a First Friday.
Adults are encouraged to come in costume, and at 10:30 p.m., cash prizes will be awarded.
The Daystar Grace Brethren Church will be running a corn hole contest, double elimination, with the winner taking half of the evening's proceeds. The cost is $5 for each two-person entry. KISS-TV will also be sponsoring games, but those details aren't available yet.
On the stage, the Green River Boys will be singing at 7 p.m., followed by the Indianettes and the Ambassadors.
At the opposite end of Columbia Street, KISS-TV will be showing spooky movies, and there will be a dance for teens.
Picnic tables will be placed throughout the block for people to sit and eat, visit and watch the activities. There will also be straw bales scattered throughout the area for extra seating. Several local businesses will be staying open later than normal.
There is no charge for the entertainment, the dance or the movies. Food will be provided by Delia's Taqueria and the Sweet Shop, Sigma Phi Gamma (hot chicken sandwiches). Others will provide popcorn and cotton candy.
Anyone who wants to get in on the fun of transforming downtown Union City into Spookytown is welcome to call Shelly King at 964-6080, as there is still room for more booths and activities.
