Truro Mall to host ghosts, ghouls and monsters
Treats and prizes will be given out to kids of all ages at a local shopping centre during Halloween.
The Truro Mall will be holding its fifth annual Trick-Or-Treat event on Tuesday, Oct. 31, giving kids a chance to stop by each of its stores for a tasty treat and to show off their Halloween costumes.
“Our goal with these Halloween activities is to offer a safe, fun community event,” said Jaclyn Johnston, marketing manager of the Truro Mall.
“We usually get around 500 people each year, and it is mostly toddlers and little kids. It is usually quite busy, but it is also a lot of fun and you get to see everyone’s costumes in a good light.”
New to this year’s event is a costume contest, where participants can submit a photo of themselves dressed up for a chance to win a prize.
“We will also have a photo wall so people can come and take their own photos. If people submit their photos with the #TruroMallHalloween hashtag on Instagram or Facebook, they will be entered into the costume contest,” said Johnston.
The photos submitted for the contest will be judged by the mall’s marketing board, and the winners will receive gift cards for use at the mall.
With crowds reaching over 500 people, the mall takes steps each year to make the event not only fun, but safe as well.
“We hire extra security for the event and we also have a no mask policy to protect the staff and mall goers,” said Johnston.
“The first couple years were a little chaotic, but now it has been sorted out and we’re seeing a lot of the same people returning each year. Basically everyone joins into a line, and they stop at each store. It’s really quite amazing to see how organized it has become.”
The event will run from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Halloween day, and the mall will close at 5 p.m., to allow staff to participate in Halloween festivities.
The mall will also be holding a charity pumpkin-carving contest leading up to Halloween day, with all proceeds going to the Christmas Index Program.
“Each store in the shopping centre is given a pumpkin to decorate, which is then displayed in the centre of the mall. Customers can vote for their favourite pumpkin by putting a donation in an envelope with the store’s name on it,” said Johnston.
The contest will also have a social media hashtag as well, and for each use of the #TruroMallPumpkins hashtag, the mall will donate a dollar to the Christmas Index Program, up to $200.
The contest begins on Oct. 25, and mall goers can vote on the pumpkins when they are displayed at the centre of the mall until Oct. 31.