The Chronicle presents the 2021
HALLOWEEN GUIDE Featuring event guides and more for Halloween in St. Helens
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Page 2
Halloween Guide 2021
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
Celebrating the spirit of Halloween RICK SCHOLL
Chronicle Guest Column
Happy October! Fall is a special time in St. Helens. It’s when our city transforms into the Spirit of Halloweentown and we see a steady stream of visitors coming to discover a little of the magic that makes our city so special. Celebrations for the Spirit of Halloweentown have grown and changed over the years, recently adapting during the pandemic. It was important to keep the pumpkin lit last year. It gave us a small reminder of something normal and became a symbol of resilience through dark times. In the face of the pandemic during 2020, we made a difficult decision and changed the format of the event. With the celebration’s overwhelming rise in popularity since 2015, we knew that visitors would come regardless of COVID-19 restrictions, so we
went ahead cautiously and deliberately, planning for the people that we knew would be here. We proactively took steps and made a plan to keep people safe while visiting. Of course, changes can be uncomfortable. We understand this, and we asked our residents to give extra grace and shine as the wonderful, welcoming community that we are. As the pandemic continues and responses change, we are adapting this year while keeping health and safety central in the event’s production. One example of this is the cancellation of the big Halloween parade in 2021. While this event has been a huge success the last few years thanks to the community partners who plan and put this event on, there was no way that we could safely plan for the huge crowds that always show up for the parade. The important part to me is that we continue to bring people together and offer a chance for people of
Courtesy from the City of St. Helens
St. Helens Mayor Rick Scholl poses with the big pumpkin, a centerpiece of the city’s Halloween celebration, at Courthouse Plaza Square.
all ages and backgrounds to discover our wonderful community. As locals, we sometimes forget about one of our biggest assets: the Columbia River. I am someone who uses the river often; you can find me fishing every spring
and fall. But many people who live in St. Helens forget about how lucky we are to have the river. We are reminded of that when visitors come to our city and see our riverfront. They comment about how beautiful it is and how amazing it
must be to live in St. Helens with the river right on our doorstep. The same is true of Spirit of Halloweentown. While there may be residents and community members who don’t like the event, there are people from all over our region, the state, and even the country and internationally that love Halloween. They happily make the long trip for a unique experience that only we can offer. Spirit of Halloweentown is an asset that we are lucky enough to have in our own backyard, and the visitors who come from all over to experience a little bit of that magic remind us of that. I was walking around the Riverfront District during Spirit of Halloweentown a couple years ago and met a group of three adults and two children outside the haunted house. They were from Florida and asked me about places to eat. While we have a lot of great restaurants on our riverfront, since they were a family with kids, I encouraged
them to visit Sunshine Pizza near the highway so they could see a different part of our city. It’s interactions like this that show the real benefits that are possible for St. Helens businesses and the community because of Spirit of Halloweentown. We now welcome visitors every year from across the country and the world. They see our community groups and non-profits involved as vendors and volunteers during Spirit of Halloweentown. They see the beauty of our riverfront. They go into our shops and eat at our restaurants. They are thrilled to be visiting a place that we are lucky enough to call home. October is our community’s chance to show the amazing potential of our city and the magic of our community members who make St. Helens a great place to live. Rick Scholl is the mayor of St. Helens. He may be reached at www.sthelensoregon.gov.
Celebrating with a children’s parade KELLI NICHOLSON
it last year. The best part is seeing how excited all the kids are to be there and seeing how much fun they have showing off their costumes. It is a fantastic event for the children, but the adults have their fun too. We are lucky to have events like these in our community.
Chronicle Guest Column
When I first moved to Columbia County in 2016, I had never seen the movie Halloweentown, let alone heard of all the festivities that St. Helens had to offer during October. I had two young children and we decided to watch the movie after hearing about the Spirit of Halloweentown. My daughter and her friend really liked the movie and wanted to go see where it was filmed, so we decided to take a trip down to St. Helens and visit Halloweentown. We were able to see the pumpkin and walk in the same places that the actors walked. One of their favorite things
Little Trick or Treaters Chronicle photo
The annual Little Trick-or-Treaters Costume Parade attracts hundreds of children and their families and often stretches for blocks.
to see was the yellow taxicab with a skeleton driver. They recognized the courthouse from the movie, and honestly, they may have felt like they were in the movie in that moment. That was also the first year
that we attended the Children’s Parade sponsored by The Chronicle. When we arrived to line up for the parade, the line stretched all the way up to the John Gumm School and beyond. I was surprised to see so many children with
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their families. The kids were giddy with excitement. As we stood in line, a gentleman came up to us and handed us a bag with some candy in it to get us ready to trick-or-treat at the businesses downtown after the parade.
Little did I know, that two years later, I would be working at The Chronicle and I would be the one handing out the bags of candy to ghosts, princesses, jedi’s and more. I love being at this event every year and definitely missed
Join us for the Little Trickor-Treaters Parade on Sat., Oct. 30, 2021 at 1st Street and St. Helens Street. Assembly begins at 4 p.m. and the parade starts at 4:30 p.m. Map on page 3. Kelli Nicholson is the office manager at The Chronicle. She can be reached at 503-397-0116.
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
Halloween Guide 2021
Page 3
The Chronicle presents the Little Trick-or-Treaters Costume Parade JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The Chronicle is proud to sponsor the annual Little Trick-or-Treaters Costume Parade 2021 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 30 in the city’s Riverfront District. We have partnered with the Grocery Outlet Stores in St. Helens, Scappoose and Rainier for the familyfriendly event. In past years, the family and dog friendly event has attracted thousands of children and their families, dressed in the spirit of the season with a variety of halloween costumes. Princesses, super heroes, ghouls and zombies all march down 1st Street at during the parade with other community members and visitors lining the sidewalks to watch. Human-powered floats, wagons and decorated bicycles are also welcomed. Motorized vehicles such as ATVs, go-carts or motorized
Chronicle photo
This photo is a look back at a previous Children’s Halloween Parade in St. Helens.
skateboards are prohibited. Parade participants should plan to assemble at the starting point near South First Street and St. Helens Street at 4 p.m. The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. and travels down 1st. Street to Cowlitz Street. The children have the opportunity to trick-or-treat at local businesses along the parade route. The parade ends on
Cowlitz Street. Judging of the children’s costumes takes place during the parade. Prizes will be awarded at the gazebo in Riverview Park. Limited amount of bags and candy will be handed out to children at the start of the event. This parade will closely follow state and local pandemic protocols for the health and safety of all.
This is the route for the Little Trick-or-Treaters Costume Parade.
Traditional event to connect community JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The annual Big Halloween Parade held in St. Helens each October was cancelled last year and again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but a local group hopes they have found a traditional way to continue the Spirit of Halloween with a safer event. The Columbia Boulevard Trick-or-Treat is set for Friday, Oct. 29 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. To find out about this event, The Chronicle contacted key organizer Betsy Stephens of the Heather Epperly’s American Family Insurance in St. Helens. The Chronicle: Why do you believe this sort of event is a positive approach in celebrating Halloween? Betsy Stephens: Several of our team members make
up the committee that plans, sponsors and runs The Big Halloween Parade. We very much wanted to hold the traditional parade this year and while things are not as closed down as they were last year at this time, we were having a very hard time sorting a way to keep all of the amazing supporters of the parade safe and socially distanced. We thought it best for our community to hold off one more year. That being said, we are a group that thoroughly enjoys Halloween and working with other businesses so we wanted to find a way to still keep some of that going this year. A lot of towns do or have done business trick-or-treat events, and so we reached out to our neighboring small businesses to put this together. We felt this event would help twofold: a great trick-or-treating opportunity for our local kids of all ages as well as to help support our fellow local small businesses.
encouraged them to decorate their businesses. Our office is going with a Disney villains theme for both our decorations as well as our costumes. We have heard some great ideas from some of the participating businesses, but don’t want to spoil any surprises. The Chronicle: Due to the current pandemic, what health and safety steps are you asking participants to follow?
The Columbia Boulevard Trick-or-Treat is set for Friday, Oct. 29 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
The Chronicle: What do you hope those participating take away from this event? Stephens: Our hope is that we will be another great opportunity for parents and
kids to get out and enjoy some Halloween fun as well as see some of the businesses on the upper boulevard and have a great time celebrating. The Chronicle: Describe how this event will work and what you are suggesting the participating businesses have ready to give to the children. Stephens: We have a route established starting at our office, Heather Epperly’s American Family Insurance, and working the way up the boulevard. Sunshine Pizza and Mailboxes Northwest will be the last stop on the climb up the boulevard and the route
Courtesy photo
then crosses over to Christina’s Chest and heads back down Columbia Boulevard. Currently we have 14 businesses who are participating, in addition to our office we have: Family Vision Clinic, Route 30 Liquidators, Ryan Moore’s Farmers Insurance Mailboxes Northwest, Sunshine Pizza, Christina’s Chest, Bertucci’s Chocolates, Richardson’s Furniture, Wiggle Butz Pet Bakery, John L Scott, Rock-itSalon, Diana’s Formal Affair, The Amani Center and The Chronicle. We have asked each business to be ready to hand out family friendly items for trickor-treaters of all ages and we
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Stephens: Our community is still working to find ways to celebrate with all the changes COVID-19 has brought to our world. We will be encouraging participants to stay in their household group and to leave at least six feet between themselves and others. The Chronicle: What are you suggesting to businesses who decide not to take part in the event to help the trick or treaters not approach the shop? Stephens: While we would love to have every business along the route participate, we understand that is not practical or possible for everyone. We have been speaking to most of the businesses along the route, those who are not able to participate are aware of the event. We will be marking the route with signs in the participating businesses windows as well as considering some larger markers for the day of. We will be handing out a small map with a list of the participating businesses at the first stop as well. We also are looking into having a volunteer(s) at the cross walk at N 21st Street to help ensure the trick-or-treaters have a safe opportunity to cross the boulevard. We hope that both the participating businesses as well as the trick-or-treaters have a great time. Stephens added more information about the Boulevard Trick-or-treat can be found on Facebook Trick-or-Treat the Boulevard | Facebook, text/call her office at 503-397-2033, or email rstephen@amfam.com.
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Halloween Guide 2021
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
2021 Halloween
EVENT GUIDE The following information is from the City of St. Helens Halloweentown webpage and is subject to change. For additional details, visit https://spiritofhalloweentown.com.
Photo Ops - Photo ops are within the Plaza Square (home of the movie Halloweentown). Enjoy recreations and inspirations of the movie and of course it is home of the Big Pumpkins and all their friends! Haunted Hotel (Haunted House) - Family-friendly with a few thrills along the way. Lots of new additions. Included in general admission tickets on weekends. Museum of Peculiarities and Oddities - Event organizers have been scouring the planet for our new additions and personalities. The Alien Exhibit - We’ve had some visitors to St. Helens, OR and we may not meet eye to eye. Check out the new atmosphere - it’s out of this world! The Pumpkin King - It’s a magical tunnel of glowing orbs and lights that guides you to the huge Pumpkin King. Wauna Credit Union Stage Performances - From around the world and the best of the best will delight all. Check our schedule below for more information on performers and weekend times.
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Whispers in the Woods - You’ll get to hop aboard the Halloween Shuttle and join a scavenger hunt to find the tree whisperers. The trees have hidden faces that you may not have known about and during Halloween they sometimes show themselves. Find them all as you walk along the trail and get a cool achievement sticker. Shuttle leaves from end of 1st Street. Catch the shuttle by just waiting by the sign at the south end of the street. Costume Contest Entry 11:45 a.m. - You’ll get a chance to claim victory for your costume creation. Includes treats for the kids. Spirit of Halloweentown ticket holders are automatically entered into our Keep Your Distance Costume Competition. Anyone wearing a costume can participate while our judges decide the winners vying for the $100, $50 and $25 third place prizes. Categories are children, adult and family. Judging takes place on courthouse steps at 11:45 a.m. Extra points for original and handmade costumes. Dance at a Distance Noon - If you Dare (learn a cool line dance) – Wear a costume and dance with our resident vampire immediately following our Costume Competition by the courthouse steps. Learn the witches dance - Instruction and demonstrations time Courthouse Plaza 1:15 p.m. Stories by The Scarecrow - Catch a story by our Scarecrow at the Bat House. Self-Guided Walking Tour - These tours highlight Halloweentown and Twilight movie locations and other areas that make up our haunted history. Maps of the tour are available in the message board at the courthouse plaza. Vendor Village - Visit our Spirited Shopping and Eating Area. Music, Photo Ops, Rings of Fire and the new amazing giant pumpkin totem, magical fairy tree and more. WEEKENDS ONLY Saturdays and Sundays 10-5 p.m. (Event closes when it is dark so as Halloween nears it will close earlier) Walk with Pumpkins and Sasquatch Seekers Club on Sand Island. • Not Included In General Admission Ticket For Spirit Of Halloweentown: Sand Island Campground and Marine Park Presents The Art Of Wade Lapp “Walk With Pumpkins” And Join the Sasquatch Seekers Club. • Take a water shuttle to Sand Island and follow the map to the Curated Carved Pumpkins By wood artist Wade Lapp. • General Admission Ticket holders receive deep discounts on this limited specialized activity. Simply show the “Spirit of Halloweentown Passport Card” which you receive upon checking in at Halloweentown and you can participate in this activity for $3 for every person. No reservations in advance. Tickets onsite only. Regular admission tickets $10 per person for this experience - includes safety gear and boat passage in both directions and commemorative sticker. Available onsite only and first-come firstserve. Shuttle leaves from city docks in front of County Courthouse by WAUNA Credit Union Stage. Whispers in the Woods 10-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Included in weekend general admission passes or buy just this ticket separately online. You’ll get to hop aboard the Halloween Shuttle and join a scavenger hunt to find the tree whisperers. The trees have hidden faces that you may not have known about before now. They show themselves during Halloween season. Find all the faces along the trail and receive a cool achievement sticker. Tickets available online. Sorry no cash onsite.
Eaton’s
TIRE & AUTO REPAIR LLC
Halloween Special Trunk or Treat Car Show To benefit St. Helens High School Automotive Program No Fee to enter, Cash Donations gladly accepted and appreciated. All donations go to SHHS automotive program. Hot Rods, Rat Rods, Classic Cars, Race Cars, Trucks and Family Cars are all welcome to participate and decorate your ride and hand out goodies to the kids. Trophy plaques will be handed out by our sponsors to their favorite decorated rides. Location: Eaton’s Tire & Auto Repair and Dari Delish on 17th Street between Columbia Blvd. and St.Helens Street, St. Helens OR 97051. Street will be closed for our event. Time: Saturday Oct. 30, Noon – 4 pm, Rain or Shine! For more info contact Jody.W.Turner@comcast.net
Serving Columbia County for 44 years! 1780 Columbia Blvd. at 18th, St. Helens, OR 97051 • 503-397-3145 8AM - 5PM, Monday-Friday. We accept credit cards
Happy Halloween from your friends at Hagan Hamilton
Tarot Card Readings 10-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Lisa Pollard has been a professional Tarot reader for the last 15 years. Tarot cards are a form of divination utilizing numerology and astrology. Lisa’s readings are compassionate and truthful, as a reading should be. Readings may help you see things clearer. Readings are $1 a minute. On average a reading is 10 to 20 minutes long. Kid friendly readings are also available. Text Message to 503-442-4144 only for appointment.
Please assemble at 4 p.m. on October 30 At St. Helens Street & First Street in St. Helens.
JOIN US AT THE
Little Trick Or Treaters Costume Parade
Open to all ghosts, goblins, superheroes, ballerinas, princes, and princesses. Show your most creative costume and Trick or Treat local businesses after the parade. Awards will be given out for the best costumes. Kids in costume, muscle powered floats, and wagons are welcome. Dogs must be on a leash. No motorized vehicles, ATVs, motorized skateboards, or scooters. No need to pre-register, just show up in costume!
Sponsored by
The Chronicle
St. Helens, Rainier & Scappoose
(503) 397-0123 HOME • AUTO • BUSINESS • EMPLOYEE BENEFITS • MEDICARE
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
Halloween Guide 2021
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Calling all creature characters and extras! Special guests from the movie Halloweentown will be coming to visit. Meet Harriet, the two headed man, the dentist, the aerobics instructor and others 1-3 p.m. both days.
Welcome Ashley Greene a.k.a. “Alice Cullen” from the legendary Twilight series.
OCT.
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Page 5
Welcome J.Paul Zimmerman and Phillip Van Dyke as Dylan and Luke return to Halloweentown 1-3 p.m. both days. Join him for a pizza lunch and Q & A (tickets coming soon) Rainbow Sun Productions Presents BOO A HALLOWEEN CONCERT: Are you afraid of ghosts? A group of students from Halloweentown’s Witch University have an unexpected guest at their Autumn concert and need one question answered: is this guest a friend or foe? 1:45 and 4 p.m.
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Little Trick or Treaters Costume Parade presented by St. Helens Chronicle. It’s kids, costumes, and a whole lot of fun. Prizes and fun for all. Assemble at 4 p.m. at 1st. and St. Helens Streets. Parade begins at 4:30 p.m. Sponsored by The Chronicle in partnership with the Grocery Outlet Stores in St. Helens, Scappoose and Rainier.
WAUNA CREDIT UNION STAGE PERFORMANCES INCLUDED IN ADMISSION TICKETS
14 BEERS on tap.
Oct. 16 Stefano Iobani 11 and 2:30 p.m. Izohnny 1:15 and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17 Tera Zarra 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. A Little Bit Off 1:15 and 3:30 p.m.
NEW Fall Drink Menu is here. Stop by for a drink!
Oct. 23 Tera Zarra 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Rhys Thomas 1:15 and Circus Luminescence 3:30 p.m.
Open everyday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. 298 S. 1st Street St. Helens, Oregon • 503-396-5108
Oct. 24 Circus Luminescence 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Izohnny 1:15 and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 30 Unicycle Unicorn 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. A Little Bit Off 1:15 and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 31 Unicycle Unicorn 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Izohnny 1:16 and Rhys Thomas 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
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One entry per artist. Entries must be dropped off at 2Cs Vendor Mall, 215 S 1st Street in Saint Helens, and received no later than close of business on October 29, 2021. Artists may choose their tools: acrylics, water color, crayon, chalk, charcoal, pencil, marker, paint pen, egg shell, macaroni, and the like - if you can art with it, you can use it for this contest! Remember, the pumpkin outline is just the beginning! You can enlarge the image, apply it to foam board, cut it up and rearrange it, or ??? Let your creative self go wild! Name: ____________________________________ Phone Number: __________________ Age Category: Toddler to Kindergarten
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Donate candy to small businesses
The Chronicle is asking local residents to donate Halloween candy to local businesses for the Little Trick or Treaters Costume Parade on Oct. 31 Drop off donations at: The Chronicle office, 1805 Columbia Blvd.
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Sweet Relief St. Helens
1809 Columbia Blvd, St. Helens OR 97051 • 503-369-5382 Monday-Saturday 9AM-9:45PM & Sunday 9AM-9PM
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Halloween Guide 2021
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
St. Helens celebrates the season JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The Spirit of Halloweentown is the city’s signature fall event. The 2021 version began Sept. 18 and continues through Oct. 31. See the scheduled in this special section. Tina Curry, the city’s contractor for the event, said the Spirit of Halloweentown 2021 offers a range of traditional and new events. “Whispers in the Woods at Nob Hill Park, Walking With Pumpkins on Sand Island and The Pumpkin King on the Riverfront are all new,” she said. “We want to utilize the facilities we have and encourage our guests to come by and visit by experiencing more than one street. We are looking forward to the many activities and welcoming all of our special guests who are joining us again like “Sophie, Dylan and Luke” from Halloweentown and “Alice Cullen” from Twilight.” The Spirit of Halloweentown ends the season with a special parade for children. Parents, guardians, and children are encouraged to dress in their best Halloween costumes and join in the Little Trick or Treaters Costume Parade. The event is free and includes prize opportunities and a chance for kids to parade along the city’s main downtown street in full costume. The Chronicle and our partners at the St. Helens, Scappoose and Rainier Grocery Outlet Sores will join the fun by sponsoring the annual Little
Trick-or-Treat Costume Parade. The parade is a family-friendly event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct. 30 at the city’s Riverfront District. Ticket information General admission tickets to Halloweentown weekend events are $35 and include a number of attractions. They must be purchased online ahead of time via www.spiritofhalloweentown.com. The festival will observe the latest COVID-19 restrictions as changes occur. Masks are currently required to be worn at the festival and we strongly encourage you to check the event website for any COVID-19 changes prior to your arrival. Parking Spirit of Halloweentown impacts parking in the downtown area, according City of St. Helens officials who have posted the following details on the city’s website. Paid parking is available at 471 Plymouth Street for $15, which is included in the cost of a general admission Spirit of Halloweentown ticket. If you make a $15 purchase at the Vendor Village during your visit, show your receipt at the gate and receive free parking. Street closures Street closures for Spirit of Halloweentown begin at 11:59 p.m. every Friday through 6 p.m. Sunday every weekend. The closures began the week-
end of September 18–19 and continue through the weekend of October 30–31. Street closures will include the area surrounding Plaza Square: • South 1st Street will be closed from 280 S. 1st Street to 231 S. 1st Street (the Masonic Building). • Strand Street will be closed from the Plaza Square to Cowlitz Street. Local residents and business owners in affected areas concerned about parking impacts should contact the City of St. Helens at 503-397-6272 or visit city hall during regular business hours. Halloweentown history In 1998, St. Helens served as a backdrop to the Disney Channel Halloween classic Halloweentown, and each year thereafter the city transforms the Riverfront District into the Spirit of Halloweentown, a celebration of all things spooky. The town becomes a monthlong event, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year and offering “family friendly” attractions. Occasionally, Halloweentown is host to special guests like the cast of the movie, which reunited in St. Helens for the event in 2017. The event has grown with each year, but in 2020, Halloweentown had to downscale a bit due to COVID-19. Economic impact Halloween has been a major
city celebration and centerpiece for decades and includes an annual children’s parade featuring costumed kids; trick-ortreating at the local businesses’ front doors and people making creative scarecrows and hanging their displays all around St. Helens. While Halloweentown is designed for fun and community engagement, it also provides a significant boost to the city’s economy, according to St. Helens City Administrator John Walsh who said in a previous published interview with The Chronicle that in many ways the event has transformed St. Helens from a fading mill town to a community recognized internationally as a top destination for Halloween activities. “Halloweentown has created a sense of community identity and brought an economic boost to the region,” Walsh said. “The event draws tens of thousands of visitors each year throughout the month of October which stay in hotels, eat at local restaurants, shop at local merchants and experience all that St. Helens has to offer.” Curry said Halloweentown generates well over a million dollars annually. “This is direct to businesses and merchant dollars,” Curry told The Chronicle in an August interview. In addition, the City of St. Helens and sponsors have received an estimated value of several million dollars in media reach through magazine, newspaper, radio and social media articles and tourism-related articles, according to Curry.
El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant welcomes you to come enjoy our Good Food and Drink Specialties Traditional Family Recipes Fresh Ingredients Daily Specials Take Out & Inside Dining Online Ordering Available Open 11:00-9:30 Fri & Sat 11:00-10:30 Video poker & patio dining available at both locations.
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Dear friends and neighbors, For the last few years, the Historic St. Helens Hotel Annex, locally known as “The Klondike,” has sat empty aside from the resident ghosts. We want to bring this whole building back to life! We know the Klondike Restaurant has strong history here, with many memories, many stories. We want to carry the name forward, but we’re hoping to expand and shift the vision to include both a restaurant and a hotel - The Klondike Hotel and Tavern. It’s going to take some work! We’re not big developers; we are artists who are clever at manifesting big ideas. For the time being, we’re opening the restaurant and patio during the weekends of the downtown Halloween festivities in October. Please join us! Enjoy beer, wine, cocktails and a mouth-watering menu from our food guru and collaborator, Eat at George’s food truck (our kitchen is being updated). The Klondike Restaurant and the Shoestring Players will present “St. Helens Haunted Stories: Discover the Paranormal at the Kondike” during the last two weekends of the month (tickets and details at sscptheater.org). Come by, have some food and drink, sing along with the piano, tell us your stories, hear about our plans, give us your ideas. We’d love to meet you. Sincerely, The Kondike Restaurant
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
Halloween Guide 2021
Page 7
Halloween 2021 in St. Helens
Photos by Zoe Gottlieb and Jeremy C. Ruark
You don’t have to look far to see that the City of St. Helens has embraced the spirit of Halloween. From bewitching scarecrows greeting customers at various downtown businesses, to a full front yard decked out in scary characters, to an art deco pig and tall pumpkin totem pole gracing the open space along the riverfront, it’s a community-wide celebration.
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Page 8
Halloween Guide 2021
Oct. 13, 2021 – A Publication of The Chronicle
Halloween: Top picks for the 2021 season ZOE GOTTLIEB
chronicle2@countrymedia.net
The Spirit of Halloweentown, the famous month-long event in October that gave St. Helens its reputation, remains a cult classic. The Disney movie that gave St. Helens its signature event. ‘Halloweentown,’ is ranked in both a national television news network’s top 10 and the top five October Google searches. In a Sept. 28 CBS News ranking, these 10 classic Halloween films topped the list: 1. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) 2. Halloween (1978) 3. The Nightmare Before Christmas 4. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown 5. The Witches (1990) 6. It (2017)
7. The Blair Witch Project 8. The Exorcist (1973) 9. Halloweentown 10. Scream (1996) However, if you want to expand your Halloween film repertoire this season, we found out which Halloween films endure. Google Trends search data showed the top five searches within this month, with some overlap: 1. Halloween (1978) 2. Friday the 13th 3. Hocus Pocus 4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5. Halloweentown Halloween fundamentals consist of two elments: costumes, and candy. Without candy, there is no trickor-treating, and without trick-or-treating, there is no Halloween. CandyStore. com conducted research to
find out Halloween candy preferences by state. These are the top 10 national favorites, according to the Candy Store website: 1. Reese’s Cups 2. Skittles 3. M&M’s 4. Starburst 5. Hot Tamales 6. Sour Patch Kids 7. Hershey’s Kisses 8. Snickers 9. Tootsie Pops 10. Candy Corn The preferred Halloween candy for Oregonians is M&Ms, according to the CandyStore website, which breaks down the most popular Halloween candy by state-by-state. Halloween costumes, depending on pop culture, are ever-changing. A survey conducted by the National Retail Foundation shows that some costumes remain in rotation and
likewise never ‘fall’ out of fashion. Here are the top 10 most popular costumes Halloween 2021: 1. Spiderman 2. Princess 3. Batman 4. Superhero 5. Witch 6. Ghost 7. Pumpkin 8. Superman 9. Zombie 10. Avengers character Whether you spend this Halloween trick-or-treating outside or curled up at home with a bucket of candy, there are traditions and norms that make “All Hallows’ Eve” special for everyone. You can find out more about safe and familyfriendly Halloween activities at https://www. almanac.com/search/site/ halloween.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
The Columbia Theatre in St. Helens was a site for scenes in the movie Halloweentown.
Chronicle photo
Dressing up in costume is a tradition during the Halloween season.
The Road to Candy: Trunk-or-Treat Oct. 31 ZOE GOTTLIEB
chronicle2@countrymedia.net
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), in partnership with Columbia 911 Communications District, will be making changes to its Oct. 31 Trunk-or-Treat event in view of COVID safety recommendations. In years past, local businesses, organizations, and agencies would participate by setting up candy stations at car trunks for ‘trunk-ortreaters’ and their families to visit. Rather than walk from trunk to trunk, which risks COVID-19 exposure, trickor-treaters can now collect their candy in ‘drive-thru fashion,’ riding along to 58611 McNulty Way in St. Helens and stopping for candy at different storefronts.
Courtesy photo from CCSO
Sheriff Brian Pixley joins volunteers conducting a recent Trunk-or-Treat.
These businesses will put out car decorations or canopy displays to attract those participating and to restore the magic of trick-or-treating lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Support Services Clerk Malinda Du-
ran launched the program in 2017 while working at the St. Helens Police Department. According to Duran, though the St. Helens Police Department kept the program running for three years, the agency paused the event during the pan-
Courtesy photo from CCSO
Trick-or-treaters gather in front of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in celebration of a previous Trunk-or-Treat event.
demic. When she joined the CCSO, Duran took her idea to Sheriff Brian Pixley suggesting that the project include more of a health and safety focus. “We knew that the event could not be held in the same fashion as it previous-
ly had,” Duran said. “That is when we came up with the idea of making it a drivethru event.” Duran came across the idea in her work as a court clerk for the City of St. Helens. She was given permission by Tina Curry, the
planner of St. Helens annual Spirit of Halloweentown, to organize the event as a way for officers to relate with the community “in a casual and positive way.” Duran also said that the CCSO events are not limited to Halloween. The CCSO also hosts a National Night Out celebration, in which the community is invited to help pack boxes for its Hometown Heroes Program. Hometown Heroes is a program that honors local residents currently deployed, and is spearheaded by the CCSO. “We hope that the citizens of St. Helens, as well as Columbia County, will understand that we are part of the community and not just here to respond to calls and make arrests,” said Duran. “We care about them and their children and want to foster positive relationships.”
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