During the month of October, there are many activities that people can take part in to celebrate the fall time as well as Halloween. From hayrides, to haunted houses, haunted mazes (or just corn mazes in general) and pumpkin patches, there are so many things to do. However, there is one more place you can add to your list of October/Halloween activities that is sure to add some nostalgia to your life: visit Halloween Town, aka from Halloweentown the Disney Movie.
You can admit it, you would get super excited about the Disney Halloween movie marathons that would happen all month, and Halloweentown is your favorite Halloween movie (don't worry, your secret is safe with me). You probably also cringed when more and more of them kept coming out and they kept getting worse and took away from the original.
But don't worry, your childhood dreams are about to come true! Now you can visit the location where the movie was filmed in St. Helens, OR, which gets re-created every year.
Halloweentown, better known as the 'Spirit of Halloweentown,' has been a reoccurring event since the filming of Halloweentown every October in St. Helens, OR. Social media has been blowing up about the news of this event since it's finally come to light that an actual Halloweentown does exist.
Fun fact: Halloweentown was originally filmed in Oregon, and St. Helens loved the setup so much they recreate it each year for everyone to visit!
The town features fan favorites such as the big pumpkin and city hall; however, some of the characters make their appearance in the decorations also.
The 'Spirit of Halloweentown' also features various events throughout the month to keep the spirit of Halloween alive. To start the festivities off, the town lights the 'Great Pumpkin.' In addition, they have costume contests, scarecrow building contents among many of the stores in the area, pet costume contents and just various events throughout the month that individuals can take part in.
One cool event they have is the 'Haunted Hot Rod Cruise-in & Hearse Rally,' where participants can bring out their spookiest/coolest cars, hearses and hot-rods for a chance to win a cash prize.
This year offers an even more unique aspect to the 'Spirit of Halloweentown.' Kimberly J. Brown, who played Marnie Piper in the film, is going to be attending the festival and those in attendance will be able to meet her.
According to Brown's Instagram, she stated, "Hard to believe it's already a month until I'm hosting the @spiritofhalloweentown festivities in St. Helens, Oregon, where the 1st #Halloweentown was filmed!"
While you may not be able to rent and fly a broomstick like Marnie was able to, St. Helens, OR, will take you back to your favorite place.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the movie Halloweentown, it first aired on Disney Channel in October of 1998. The movie focuses on Marnie Piper as she and her siblings find their way to Halloweentown with the help of their witchy grandmother, who is played by Debbie Reynolds. As Marnie begins to experiment with her powers as a witch, the townspeople of Halloweentown start disappearing, and it's up to the Cromwell clan to save the day.
Three additional movies have come out: Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004) and Return to Halloweentown (2006). But the original will always hold a special place in my heart.
You can now officially add Halloweentown to your list of Halloween centered places to visit to get you in the Halloween spirit. Maybe whenever you get the chance to go, you'll be able to see some of the movie's stars! I would be in childhood heaven if I was able to go to St. Helens, OR. Who knows, maybe one year I will get to go and visit (hopefully).
To find out more information about the 'Spirit of Halloweentown,' visit their Facebook page.
