Downtown Muskegon Blog

Behind the Scenes - Downtown for Halloween

Downtown businesses and event organizers love the seasons and Halloween is no different. This year there are no less than 10 Halloween themed events/promotions taking place downtown Muskegon. From pumpkin carving at the Library, to decked out symphony musicians, to a costume parade at the Farmer's Market, to Scarefest at the Harbor Theater; there is not shortage of opportunities to get spooked downtown this Halloween. One event that is sure to spill into the streets is the Monster Pub Crawl, organized by Clear Channel station WMRR. We caught up with Andy O'Riley to get the scoop on this event, so you can make plans to show off your costume downtown this Halloween.

MS: Who’s participating in the crawl this weekend?

AO: Racquet’s, The MAC, Tipsy Toad, Mike's Inn and the Holiday Inn. It is a great collaboration of all the downtown business owners. I think they all agree that events like this will lead to the long-term success of downtown, plus they all get a chance to one-up each other on special events all night.

MS: What promotions are in store for costumed crawlers this weekend?

AO: There will be costume contests all evening long. We try to stagger them out so every spot gets their time to shine with events. Plus, WMRR is offering a $250 prize to participants that complete the "crawl". There are no set start times or places, every bar will have punch cards and when they complete the stops, they can drop them off at the last one with their name and number on it. I gotta tell you too, the costumes last year were outstanding. The great thing too is that every bar offers a little different atmosphere....there is something for everyone. A nice thing too, is the special rate the Holiday Inn is offering to help people stay safe out there and not drink and drive.

MS: This is not the first downtown pub-crawl. What other crawls have been held downtown and what makes downtown a great place for a crawl?

AO: We got the idea rolling on St Patrick's Day a few years ago. We added Halloween and a pre Bike Time event too. We want to make sure these events stay special. The turnout is usually great, and I would hate to see it become the status quo and get lost in the infinite list of things for folks to do. What makes downtown so great? Easy! Location is great. We have a group of merchants that work together to make it successful and best of all, everything is within walking distance, so designate a driver and be a part of it.

MS: Clear Channel has brought other events downtown as well. Let our readers know which events you are a part of and if there are any new exciting concepts on the way.

AO: One of the best events we have been able to bring to downtown is Moosefest for our sister station WMUS. It has grown over the years from an acoustic deal to a full day of top country acts. It is just great to see them have such a nice event. WMRR loves to be a part of the Lumberjacks...we have a pretty good hand in the Warren Miller Film event at the Frauenthal every year and keep your eyes open for MMA action on the night before Thanksgiving at the Walker Arena. King of the Cage returns, and I think we might have been able to adjust the concession prices a little for the difficult times.....cheap beer!! I should remember too Star 108 and their "Work Aholic Women’s Wednesdays". I have seen the Port City Princess having some mighty fine times over the last few years.

MS: Well, thanks for your part in bringing vitality downtown Muskegon!

AO: It is our pleasure! Thanks to Monster Energy drink, all of the downtown bars and restaurants and most of all our listeners that come out to support all of the nightlife downtown. We hope that this year is the best yet for the MONSTER Pub Crawl

Check it out on the web

WMRR Website Crawl Page

Labels: Downtown Muskegon E-News

posted by Dan & Sarah @ 8:36 AM