Spooky setting
Cars crept along with their headlights darkened while the radio told stories of woe and wonder to transfix the terrified children in the back seat. Fresh horrors awaited drivers at every turn as families climbed higher and higher through a maze of spine-tingling attractions. Finally, the cars emerged into the open air of the rooftop, where lit characters bid adieu to the thrill seekers.
The source of these Halloween horrors was Shadows at Sixth, a drive-thru event at the parking deck at Sixth and Scott streets. Susan Altrui, director of the Little Rock Zoo, worked with the Downtown Little Rock Partnership to organize the celebration, which was modeled after drive-thru events that zoos across the country created in response to social-distancing guidelines necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The events offered families a safe way to enjoy Halloween from the comfort of their cars, and I knew we had an opportunity to provide something truly unique if we worked together,” she said. “The zoo had all our decorations from Boo at the Zoo to offer, and the Downtown Little Rock Partnership had the perfect venue at the parking deck.”
The location was ideal for housing a variety of family-friendly displays that included brilliant lights and spooky characters, such as skeletons and ghouls, she added.
“The parking deck offered several stories of open space where we could design haunted attractions and provide enough room for a great Halloween light show,” she said. “The levels allowed us to build up and around and gave us lots of room to tell ghost stories.”
Visitors tuned in to a specific radio station, where a local actor recounted ghostly Arkansas legends such as the mysterious Gurdon Light, the haunted history of the Crescent Hotel and more.
“There was plenty to see and lots of lights,” Altrui added. “One of our favorite pieces was a massive lighted tree with a tree trunk that spanned each floor of the parking deck and topped out on the roof. It would change colors and was a beautiful sight. We enjoyed lighting up the night sky with something dramatic for the Halloween holiday.”
An array of sponsors, including Simmons Bank, the Arkansas Zoological Foundation, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and others provided funding for the event, she said, adding that it took about a month for teams of workers from the zoo, CWP Productions, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the DLRP and other organizations to set up the parking deck.
“This is one of the few events where we had very few problems putting it on,” she said. “Our community came together quickly to support our efforts to provide a safe Halloween-event alternative, and that gave us the funding we needed to successfully execute a great event. Little Rock is an amazing community, and we are proud to be a part of this city.”
She added that the organizers were glad to have the opportunity to put smiles on children’s faces by providing local families with a spell-binding Halloween activity.
“Shadows brought thousands of people to downtown Little Rock for a fun, safe and exciting event that was desperately needed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “We were able to entertain families in a unique way and keep them safe in the process. That’s something we are hugely proud of.”