With the annual "Thriller" dance at the Town Lift Plaza that will take place this Saturday, Oct. 27, to the trick-or-treating at Main Street merchants and the Howl-O-Ween parade on Oct. 31, the town is known to celebrate fun and safe Halloween events.
This year, there will be a new addition the first annual Main St. Halloween Extravaganza at Treasure Mountain Inn.
Saturday, Oct. 27, from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. and on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m., the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main St., will host events that will include a haunted house, games and activities, live entertainment and food.
The extravaganza is a benefit for the Christian Center of Park City.
Lilly Campos, a volunteer at the Christian Center of Park City and events manager at the Treasure Mountain Inn, conceived the idea.
"I thought about doing this because I did something like this when I lived in Los Angeles," Campos told The Park Record. "I was part of the neighborhood council in Atwater Village, and we did these things all the time."
Campos said the extravaganza will start in the Treasure Mountain Inn lobby and utilize the hotel's three banquet halls.
"People will come into the main doors of the hotel to begin the adventure," she said. From there they will walk into the first room that will be decked out like a haunted house by items donated by local businesses.
"We're going to have a layout of different scary scenes and you won't know which of the characters are real and which are life-sized dolls," Campos said. "The best looking donations will win a prize."
The path will then lead the people into the second banquet hall that will be set up with games and other activities.
"We're planning on having face painting, balloon popping and things like that," Campos said. "I'm also setting aside some space for mask-making."
The third hall is the venue for the costume contests and live entertainment.
"The prizes for the costume contests include donations from various businesses," Campos said. "Nike and Sports Authority has donated some great things to us to hand out, and the Treasure Mountain Inn will give some gift cards."
The live entertainment will be provided by a DJ and by the children who come to the event.
"They will have some time to learn some dances to the songs that will be spun by the DJ," Campos explained. "We'll have the elementary-school kids do a dance and then the middle school kids will do one and then the older people, including adults, can do something as well.
"The DJ knows to start with kid-oriented music and then eventually start playing music that teens and adults will like," she said.
Not only will the Halloween Extravaganza take over the inn, but will spill into the adjacent Blue Iguana Restaurant as well.
"The people will exit from the entertainment room into the restaurant where we plan to have a buffet set up for more fun," Campos said. "The food will be fun food and will include quesadillas, taquitos and other finger food that people won't have to sit down and use a fork and a knife for. Of course, we'll have candy, other treats and nonalcoholic drinks as well."
Throughout the evening, Campos and her staff of volunteers will hold opportunity drawings for other prizes.
"I couldn't have done this without the cooperation of Thea (Leonard), who is the co-owner of the Treasure Mountain Inn," Campos said. "She is the biggest donor of all."
Tickets are available at the Christian Center and any Park City businesses that display a Halloween Extravaganza poster, Campos said.
The money raised through ticket sales will benefit the Christian Center and its programs including counseling services, the food pantry, thrift store and bookstore, the Hike for Hunger and the Goshute Initiative, she said.
"When I first came to Park City, I was part of huge ministry in Los Angeles, called Vertical Leap," Campos said. "I picked Park City to finish raising my five children, and I wanted to see if this town had something that I wanted to be part of, and I found it in the Christian Center.
"It does a lot of good in the community and I wanted to do something for it by providing a fun and safe activity for the local population," she said. "I wanted to create something extravagant and it's rewarding to see all these businesses coming together to support this event."
While Campos has the help of the Treasure Mountain Inn and Blue Iguana staff to prepare for the extravaganza, she is still seeking additional help for the actual events.
"Because the inn and restaurant staff can't continually work during those times, I need volunteers," she said. "I would especially like it if high-school aged students could come and volunteer. That way they can become part of something and they will get free tickets.
If all goes well this year, Campos will start planning the next event.
"We are planning to hold this event every year, and hopefully spread to the other holidays," she said. "This is something where we all can get together,"
The first annual Main Street Halloween Extravaganza will be held Saturday, Oct. 27, from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. and on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main St. Tickets cost a suggested donation of $20 and available at the Christian Center of Park City, 1283 Deer Valley Dr., or various businesses throughout Park City. For more information, or to volunteer, call Lilly at (435) 655-5331.
Font Resize
