Scream Till You Shop
This year’s Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration features some innovative marketing twists to help battle the really scary economy
By Carl Kozlowski 10/29/2009
The nation’s economy may seem terrifying these days to local retailers, so they in turn want to scare people off their couches and into area stores. That’s why the Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration is offering something for everyone on Saturday.
More than 75 Old Pasadena stores and restaurants will be hosting trick and treat for the kiddies, providing lots of free candy and other tasty treats for little ones from 4 to 7 p.m. And they’ll be offering specials and giveaways that should keep their parents happy too.
Kids can pose for free haunted photos among hundreds of pumpkins and assorted Halloween characters strolling around at the One Colorado Courtyard. In addition, yoga-inspired store Lulemon Athletica (110 W. Colorado Blvd.) will feature free face-painting from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. to help kids get into the “spirit” of the occasion.
The Old Town Haunt (20 N. Raymond Ave.) — Old Pasadena’s award-winning house of horrors — is pulling double duty that day, opening from noon to 4 p.m. for brightly lit, kid-friendly tours of the demented domicile. It will then reopen from 7 p.m. to midnight for those who dare to enter its corrupted confines after dark.
Its home in the basement of the richly historic Union Savings Bank building, where mysterious incidents are rumored to have occurred throughout its 107-year history, is the perfect place for visitors to get their own ghoulish grooves on.
“We have added some additional activities to the day,” says Steve Mulheim, president and CEO of Old Pasadena Management District. “A lot of stores are offering promotions to come back at another time, so parents go home with some treats as well. We’re hoping that as we have more residents moving into downtown, they’ll take advantage of what’s in their backyard.”
The Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration runs from noon to midnight Saturday in the Old Pasadena shopping district. All events are free. Call (626) 356-9725 or visit oldpasadena.org. For the Old Town Haunt at night, admission is $15. Visit oldtownhaunt.com.
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