On Sunday, October 29 we welcomed over 100 neighbors and community members to the Owen Brown Interfaith Center parking lot for the annual Owen Brown Community Halloween Party full of spooky surprises and ominous activities.
With the support of DOZENS of congregants from UUCC and Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC, our co-owners and partners in the interfaith center), the party was a fun and welcoming space for all.
Special thanks to the following groups and people who made it possible!
Jenny Afkinich and Emily Murphy served as our party planners, representing UUCC and CUMC, respectively. After weeks of planning and a full day of setup, the party was ready to go at 6PM on the dot!
Jen Hayashi, Mary Rodgers, and Phil Webster ran the popcorn machine until we were completely out of popcorn.
Kevin Swanson (CUMC) set up a whimsical photo booth.
Rev. Angela Wells (CUMC) ran a tattoo station, and Fynn Sorensen offered Halloween face painting. The tattoos and face painting were huge hits!
Alex Cauthen-Zach, with Tara Zach and Cameron Zach, provided a creative station where partygoers of all ages could make a guided Halloween craft.
UUCC’s Middle School Youth Group organized and led a costume parade and costume contest with over 40 entries! Every participant in the contest walked away with a prize. Thank you to Lucas Bonilla, Sebastian Bonilla, Mitch Eaton, Abby Gibson, Vicki Volckman, and Kelli Danaker.
UUCC’s High School Youth Group spent all day setting up, planning, and rehearsing a haunted cemetery tour offering spooky, lighthearted fun for all ages. UUCC’s Halloween party tradition started decades ago as the youth group’s haunted house, and our teens were excited to continue to offer this attraction even as the party has evolved through the years. Thank you to Lily Bonilla, Lucas Bonilla, B Kayes, Zoey Garra, Khylei Shelor, Amelia Sorensen, and Rose Spezio.
Sarah Basehart, Christina Gibson, Jen Myers, and Christy Volckman spent the evening helping wherever they could, even providing crowd control for the haunted tour line. Jenny Afkinich, Michael Bonilla, Lucas Bonilla, Sebastian Bonilla, Tim Lyons, Emily Murphy, Elsa Spezio, and Joe Spezio helped with cleanup to the very end and were the last people to leave.
And a humongous THANK YOU to all of you who donated candy to help bring this party to life for our neighbors. We gave away every. single. piece. of donated candy.
We are counting down the days to next year’s community Halloween party! Planning will begin in August 2024, and we can’t wait to partner with YOU to make next year’s party even better.
One Comment
Ann Wing
Sounds like it was a lot of fun and brought in the neighborhood folks. Thanks to all of you who put it together! BRAVO!!!!!