Popular Halloween event draws thousands of kids to Village of Arroyo Grande
The Village of Arroyo Grande was filled with superheroes, princesses, witches, pirates and other costumed kids on Monday all of them taking part in a popular local Halloween tradition.
For more than 10 years, the City has closed East Branch Street for the event now known as “Halloween in the Village.” It’s coordinated by the Arroyo Grande Village Improvement Association.
“It’s just a fun time being with the community and meeting all the shop owners and seeing all the town faces that you see all the time,” said parent Stephanie Utterback. “It’s safe and you can take your kids around and its small hometown fun.”
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The a two-hour event draws more than 2,000 kids annually. Most of the shop owners and merchants all take part handing out candy to trick-or-treating kids who arrive from around the Five Cities and beyond.
“It’s really fun,” said 12-year-old Gabby Glick. “I like dressing up and I like getting candy!”
While the children obviously have a good time, so do the parents and adults who also actively take part, many of whom also dress in costume.
“We absolutely love seeing all the costumes and they’re just so creative with them and original,” said Renee Westerhuis, owner of The Green Room hair salon. “Everything you can think of, we’re seeing, so it’s really cool!”
Many of the costumes were of the more traditional fare, such as policeman, fireman, animals, Disney characters and scary creatures.
However, 13-year-old Branden Clarn had one of the more original costumes seen during the event.
“I’m a news reporter,” said Clarn. “I was watching the news last night and I couldn’t think of a costume, so I thought of something real fast and went upstairs and I was ready to go.
Halloween in the Village was held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. During that time, traffic on Branch Street was closed between Traffic Way and Mason Street.
