Uptown Westerville is a Place for Madness in the News, Part 2

Check out Midnight Madness details in the Westerville News & Public Opinion:

Midnight Madness branching out in new, smashing ways

By BRET LIEBENDORFER

Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 12:06 PM EDT

If you're too old for trick or treating, Westerville still has plenty to offer this Halloween.Westerville's annual Midnight Madness will transform Uptown into a Halloween destination from 7 p.m. until midnight Friday, Oct. 30."We see Uptown Westerville as a great place to shop, work, live, eat, meet and play, and this is a center stage opportunity to do just that," said Linda Foor, event organizer.

The tradition, which originally began in the mid-1970s as a one-night, extended-hours sale for Uptown merchants, has since grown to be a community event. Think of it as a spooky Fourth Friday, organizers said.

Planning began in January and with nearly a year of preparations, the event has expanded from the decorating contests held between merchants who will still be offering special promotions and attractions."We divided the evening into kid-friendly event features (lasting from 7 to 8:30 p.m.) and the rest of the evening for shopping and grown-ups," Foor said.

One goal was to create new traditions.

They will include a four-story pumpkin drop and the Twisted Taste of Westerville, which features food and drink specials from local merchants.

"Some ideas became reality, some ideas had to be put on the back burner for other years, and some feature ideas sort of popped up organically," Foor said.

Hoping to extend Midnight Madness from its typical winding down around 10:30 p.m., Foor said one new idea they hope will prolong the event is the first Midnight Madness Chiller Classic movie for adults. This year will feature Alfred Hitchcok's 1960 classic Psycho on the third floor of Old Bag of Nails, 24 N. State St.

"There is something magical about Halloween and this time of year that so many people find festive and fun," Foor said.

For more information on Midnight Madness, visit the Web sites twitter.com/uptownmadness and shopuptownwesterville.com/MidnightMadness.html.

The schedule of Friday's Midnight Madness events includes:

5 to 7 p.m. -- community pumpkin display at the Rotary Park, near N. State Street and E. Home Avenue, prizes awarded

6 and 7:30 p.m. -- performances by Generations Performing Arts Center, 11 W. College Ave.

7 to 8:30 p.m. -- face painting, 39 N. State Street

7 to 8:30 p.m. -- horse-drawn hay wagon rides departing from Rotary Park at Home and State streets.

7 to 8:30 p.m. -- costume contest at the Municipal Building courtyard, 21 S. State St., prizes awarded for different categories including best dog

7 to 8:30 p.m. -- Mad Science! experiments from Otterbein College's American Chemical Society at 46 N. State St.

7 to 9 p.m. -- library stories inside Amish Originals Furniture Co. North, 38 N. State St.

9 p.m. -- Pumpkin Drop at the Church of the Messiah, 51 N. State St.

Midnight -- Midnight Madness Classic Chiller Movie at the Old Bag of Nails Pub, 24 N. State St.

Haunted Trail at Heritage Park: Also getting in on the frights is the Westerville Parks and Recreation Department, which is sponsoring a Haunted Trail from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30 at Heritage Park, 60 N. Cleveland Ave.Creepy thrills and crawly chills are guaranteed for those older than middle school age at a cost of $5 per person

Read Bret Leibendorfer's story in Westerville News and Public Opinion online, click here.

Blog Editor's Note: Pumpkin Display entry drop off is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pumpkin Display is 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The 9 p.m. Pumpkin Drop is in the Church of the Messiah parking lot at Home and State, across from the church. The street address is 62 N. State. The Midnight Madness Classic Chiller begins at 10 p.m. at the Old Bag of Nails Pub, 24 N. State, 3rd floor, Access to the third floor opens at 9 p.m. Ticket access only. There is limited seating for this event (100 seats), free tickets are available after 7 p.m. at Amish Originals Furniture Co., 8 N. State (the old State Theatre) at the customer service desk. Limit 2 per person, 18 years and older.