Kindred Post organizes largest downtown Halloween community celebration ever
Kindred Post organizes largest downtown Halloween community celebration ever
Record 71 businesses participating this year
Merchants in downtown Juneau for the fourth year will welcome trick-or-treaters on Halloween, and a record 71 businesses will participate.
The businesses will give away treats and a few will offer alternate or additional items: Shoe Fly will give away shoe laces or candy; Capital Copy will give away Play Doh; Sketch Studio will offer one-minute art activities; Aurora Projekt will give away stickers; and Kindred Post will give away spooky coloring postcards and candy, to name only a few.
Kindred Post owner, artist and activist Christy NaMee Eriksen first organized the event in 2014, and since then, the number of participating businesses and organizations has more than doubled. Eriksen conceived of the event as a way to bring the community together.
“I’m inspired by the way neighborhoods come together to celebrate Halloween, and I wondered why we didn’t do that in the downtown core,” Eriksen said. “For me it was never just about handing out treats, it was about inviting people into our neighborhood. We want to send the message that everyone is welcome here.”
The event also provides a fun, easy way for kids and families to enjoy Halloween, said Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt.
“It’s a great way for the community to get together and enjoy the central business district,” Watt said. “Plus, I love seeing so many kids in their costumes.”
Downtown has become a more vibrant space for local residents in recent years, said Rosita Worl, president of Sealaska Heritage Institute, a participating organization.
“We applaud Christy of Kindred Post for initiating this event because it makes downtown a destination for locals. We want downtown Juneau to serve as a community center,” Worl said.
The event is scheduled from 2-6 pm on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Participating businesses will have orange balloons and door signs reading “trick-or-treating here.”
Participating Businesses
Seward Street
Art Sutch Photography
Capital Copy
CBJ City Hall
(Parks & Rec Office, City Manager Office, Cash Office, and the Clerk's Office)
Downtown Dames
Downtown Wells Fargo
GCI
Hi Tech Systems
Key Bank
Nana's Attic
NorthWind Architects
Pie In The Sky
Pretty Please
Rainy Retreat Books
Sealaska
Shattuck & Grummett Insurance
Shoefly
The Canvas at REACH
The Rookery Cafe
The Urban Eskimo
V's Cellar Door
Front Street
Alaska Robotics
Annie Kaill's
Asiana Garden
Ben Franklin General Store
Bustin' Out Boutique
Gross-Alaska Theatres
Hearthside Books
Heritage Coffee
Juneau Drug
Northern Tea Alley
Sealaska Heritage Store
SEARHC Front Street Clinic
Sketch Studio
Trickster Company
Franklin Street
Alaska Cache Liquor
Alaskan Brewing Depot
Alaskan Fudge Company
Amalga Distillery
Aurora Projekt
Boheme
Devil's Club Brewing
El Sombrero
Foggy Mountain Shop
Franklin Street Barber
Grumpy's Deli
Harbor Tea & Spice
High Tide Tattoo
Juneau Artists Gallery
Juneau's Imagination Station
Kindred Post
Mt. Juneau Trading Post
Northrim Bank
Poki Poki
Red Dog Mercantile
Saffron
The Bear's Lair
The Triangle Club
Treetop Tees
The Narrows
Westmark Baranof Hotel
2nd Street
Bauer/Clifton Interiors
Lemon Tree Cafe
Silverbow Inn
3rd Street
SEACC
4th Street
Rainbow Foods
Marine Way
Juneau Public Library
The Tacqueria
Egan Drive
McGivney's at Four Points Sheraton
Pel’meni
Wings Airways