News release from the Downtown Improvement District:
Fright Night Downtown 2015
(September 24, 2015) – Fort Wayne’s most anticipated Halloween event full of frightful family fun is back! The 8th annual Fright Night Downtown is Saturday, October 17th. With over 25 fangtastic activities for people to enjoy throughout the day and evening, Fright Night has something for everyone!
Events begin at 9:00am with “Fright Night Photo Op” and “Fright Night Button Making” at the Allen County Public Library and ShadowCon 2015 presented by the FWSC ParaSisters at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. At 10:00am the “Pumpkin Zone” at the Botanical Conservatory gets rolling, “Amazing Maize” opens at Science Central, and at noon “Not Too Frightening Fun” starts at the ACPL.
Things really get brewing in the afternoon with kid-friendly activities at the Community Center starting at 1:00pm, including a “Halloween Haunt” with special performance of “Which Witch” by Fort Wayne Youtheatre at 2:00pm. And, the first of three menacing movies begins at the Embassy at 3:30pm starting with “Scooby-Doo meets Batman”, then “Beetlejuice” at 6:30pm, and finally “The Shining” at 11:00pm.
If you’re planning on joining the ranks of the undead in the “Zombie Walk” at 5:30pm don’t forget to check out the pre-parade activities starting on the ACPL plaza at 2:00pm. You can get “zombified” in the “Zombie Machine,” donate blood to the American Red Cross, get snacks from food trucks, and enjoy performances by local performance groups, including a Halloween-themed band. Also check out Fire Guy – a fire and laser performing skate boarder. And, at 5:30pm we kick off the Zombie Walk—a chance to be part of the biggest zombie parade around as it weaves through Downtown Fort Wayne.
Beware sundown—the activities only get more bewitching. When the clock strikes 5:00 “A Night in the Old City Jail” opens at the History Center and the “Car Show Spooktacular” revs up at the Community Center. At 6pm dance away the dread at the “Ghostly Gala” at the Grand Wayne Convention Center and whip up some “Zombie Snot” provided by Science Central. Take a “Lantern Tour” and beware the Headless Horseman at the Old Fort or enjoy Fright Dogs and Blood Soup at the Courtyard by Marriott’s “Bonfire at the Courtyard.” ARCH’s “Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem” bus and walking tours both begin at 6:00pm and leave from the Indiana Hotel Lobby. Or check out the hair-raising thrills at the “Braineater’s Ball” in conjunction with the Sitges Film Festival at the Cinema Center.
At 7:00pm the first performance by the Fort Wayne Dance Collective of “Urban Screams” will have you guessing what that bump in the night is and at 9:15pm you can lay out under the stars to watch “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Botanical Conservatory. End the night at 11:00pm with an adults only showing of “The Shining” at the Embassy Theatre including a “Here’s Johnny” photo booth featuring an original door from the Indiana Hotel prior to the movie.
New This Year:
Shadow Con: A FWSC ParaSister Event in partnership with Destination America, A Paranormal Conference for all genre’s Includes: Ghost Hunting, UFO’s, Bigfoot, Psychics, Demonology, Ancient History, Paranormal Investigators, Metaphysical Gifts, Vendors, Paranormal Authors, Screenings, Zombie Kids Zone, Evidence Review Room, WorkShops, Scooby Doo & The Mystery Machine, Paranormal Speakers, Giveaways and more. A portion of ticket sales, as well as a silent auction, to benefit The Lost Limbs Foundation, a foundation to help children with lost limbs to buy prosthetics.
Zombie Walk Activities: New activities on the ACPL plaza prior to the start of the Zombie Walk include the opportunity to watch Fire Guy – a juggling, fire-breathing skateboarder. Check out various dance groups, including Raq the Rivers, as they perform on the stage and be sure to catch The Snarks as they perform Halloween themed music at 5:00pm. The ballerinas from Fort Wayne Ballet will be joining us for the Zombie Walk, as will the winners from the Miss Fort Wayne scholarship contest, and all will be led down the streets of Fort Wayne by Fire Guy.
Fright Night Festival Guides: New sponsor Fort Wayne Newspapers will include the new, expanded Fright Night Festival Guide in the Thursday, October 15th editions of the Journal Gazette and News Sentinel. Your festival guide includes the essential Survival Map showing the locations of the activities taking place around Downtown throughout the day, expanded event information, parking and ATM information, and restaurant coupons. Be sure to grab your copy in the newspaper or at participating organizations beginning October 8th.
Fright Night is brought to you by the Downtown Improvement District, Fort Wayne Newspapers, Majic 95.1/Fun 101.7, Old National Bank, Catalyst Marketing, WFFT Local, Do It Best, Hanning & Bean Enterprises, TAG Art, , Club Car Limousine and Trolley, and the Allen County Public Library.
Complete Fright Night Activities List:
(X) – Indicates May Not be Suitable for All AgesFright Night Photo OP
Allen County Public Library
900 Library Plaza
9:00am-5:00pm
FREEBring your camera to Young Adults’ Services and celebrate Fright Night with fun photo ops. A spooky (but not so terrifying) backdrop will be available as well as the green screen. With the green screen, you can take a photo and then composite yourself into the spooky or frightful background of your choice.
260-421-1200 www.acpl.com
Fright Night Button Making
Allen County Public Library
900 Library Plaza
9:00am-5:00pm
FREEMake frightening pin-type buttons. Limit 2 per person.
260-421-1200 www.acpl.com
ShadowCon 2015
FWSC ParaSisters
Grand Wayne Convention Center
120 W. Jefferson Blvd.
9:00am-9:00pm
$10.00 adult 1 day general admission (Includes access to vendors and speakers but not workshops)
$5.00 children 12 and under; children under 12 are free with adult ticket purchase from 1:00pm-9:00pmA FWSC ParaSister Event in partnership with Destination America, A Paranormal Conference for all genre’s Includes: Ghost Hunting, UFO’s, Bigfoot, Psychics, Demonology, Ancient History, Paranormal Investigators, Metaphysical Gifts, Vendors, Paranormal Authors, Screenings, Zombie Kids Zone, Evidence Review Room, WorkShops, Scooby Doo & The Mystery Machine, Paranormal Speakers, Giveaways and more. A portion of ticket sales, as well as a silent auction, to benefit The Lost Limbs Foundation, a foundation to help children with lost limbs to buy prosthetics.
260-416-8387 www.shadowcon2015.com
Amazing Maize
Science Central
1950 N. Clinton St.
10:00am-5:00pm
Ages 3 & up $8.00, Under 2 is FreeAmazing Maize explores the science of how maize has evolved over thousands of years to become one of our most significant crops, and why it continues to surprise us today. What is maize? Why is it important? How has it changed? Visitors will learn the answers to these questions, and also explore some of the newest discoveries in modern science.
260-424-2400 www.sciencecentral.org
Pumpkin Zone
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
1100 S. Calhoun St.
10:00am-3:00pm
2 years and under are free, $3.00 3-17 years, $5.00 AdultDoes a pumpkin float? How many seeds does a pumpkin have? Play pumpkin putt-putt and other games, make fall crafts and taste pumpkin seeds. Friends from the Allen County Farm Bureau will be helping us provide pumpkin facts and fun, and children can color their very own gourd pumpkin to take home. Pumpkin Zone is included in Conservatory admission. Regular Conservatory admission applies.
260-427-6440 www.botanicalconservatory.org
Not Too Frightening Fun
Allen County Public Library
900 Library Plaza
12:00pm-4:00pm
FREEJoin us in Children’s Services for some “Not Too Spooky Fun”! We will have all day activities throughout the department and will have crafts from 12:00pm-4:00pm. This will be a Zombie Free area of the library as many young children are easily frightened. We encourage heavily made up zombies to enjoy the other zombie activities are the library.
260-421-1200 www.acpl.com
Halloween Haunt
Krooz In’ Calendar
Community Center
233 W. Main St.
1:00pm-4:00pm
FREE with nominal fee for gamesDowntown Fort Wayne becomes a haven for monsters, ghosts, vampires and zombies on this Saturday afternoon. Bring your little goblins to the Community Center for an afternoon of frightful fun. There will be a minimal charge for games for kids and the whole family. You will be able to enjoy free face painting and activities. Fort Wayne Youtheatre will perform “Which Witch” at 2:00pm. Concessions will be available for sale.
260-427-6460 www.fortwayneparks.org
Zombie Walk
Downtown Improvement District
Allen County Public Library
900 Library Plaza
2:00pm-5:30pm
FREEJoin us on the ACPL Plaza once again to get your Zombie on! As always, Zombie Machine will be turning you into the undead. While you wait to lurch down the streets at 5:30pm for the annual Zombie Walk grab food from a food truck, donate blood to the American Red Cross (all donors will receive a free admission voucher to either Hysterium or the Haunted Hotel), check out the sponsor booth activities, and enjoy the entertainment from various performing arts groups and a Halloween-themed band. New this year is Fire Guy—a fire eating, juggling skate boarder!
260-420-3266 www.downtownfrightnight.com
Which Witch?
Youtheatre
Community Center
233 W. Main St.
2:00pm
FREE“Which Witch?” – Some of literature’s most popular witches are getting together for a reunion! Meet Witch Hazel, Glinda the Good, Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo, Ursula the Sea Witch, and Professor McGonagall! Chant, cackle, and cheer along with the finest alumni of Miss Cackle’s Academy of Witches – you’re bound to have a “scary” good time!
260-427-6460 www.fortwayneyoutheatre.org
Three Halloween features on the big screen!
Embassy Theatre
Indiana Hotel Lobby
125 W. Jefferson Blvd.3:30pm Scooby-Doo meets Batman – $3.00 general admission
6:30pm Beetlejuice $8.00 adults; $3.00 children 12 and under
11:00pm The Shining – $8.00 adults (X). Includes a “Here’s Johnny” photo booth featuring an original door from the Indiana Hotel in the lobby prior to the movie.
The Scary Teller will also be telling spooky stories in the Indiana Hotel Lobby from 7:00pm-9:00pm.
260-424-5665 www.fwembassytheatre.org
A Night in the Old City Jail
The History Center
302 E. Berry St.
5:00pm-9:00pm
$3.00 per personTake a trip through the darker side of history with a visit to the History Center’s Old City Jail. Get goose bumps touring the iron cells that housed generations of inmates until 1971 and discover the artifacts of those who broke and upheld the law of historic Fort Wayne.
260-426-2882 www.fwhistorycenter.com
Car Show Spooktacular
Krooz In’ Calendar
Community Center
233 W. Main St.
5:00pm-8:00pm
FREECheck out the spooky rides! A $10.00 entry fee per car and Dash Plaques for the first 50 entries. The top 6 Best Decorated Vehicles receive awards. A Costume Contest for Adults (13 and up) and Child (12 and under). Enjoy Truck or Treating, Pumpkin Decorating Contest, tunes from DJ Fast Eddie, games and contests. This frightfully fun evening is brought to you by Krooz In’ Calendar.
260-273-1447 www.kroozincalendar.com
Scavenger Hunt
Fort Wayne TinCaps
Parkview Field
1301 Ewing St.
5:30-7:30pm
FREEOn the night of October 17, ghosts and pumpkins, large and small, will be hidden all around Parkview Field! Attendees will take as much time as they need during the hours of 5:30 to 7:30 pm to count up how many total ghosts, and how many total pumpkins are hidden around the ballpark. The fan who guesses the correct number, or closest to that, will win a special prize pack from the TinCaps!
260-482-6400 Box Score / www.parkviewfield.comGhostly Gala
The Grand Wayne Center
120 W. Jefferson St., The Harrison Room
6:00pm-8:00pm
FREEA not-too-scary family-friendly costume dance and parade. DJ La-La keeps the little monsters grooving and Science Central whips up Zombie Snot. Enjoy $1.00 Hilton Hotel treats and T.A.G Art face painting.
260-426-4100 www.grandwayne.com
Zombie Snot
Science Central
Grand Wayne Center
120 W. Jefferson St., The Harrison Room
6:00-8:00pm
FREEKids can make their own disgustingly gross batch of Zombie Snot! This activity is free, while supplies last at the Grand Wayne Ghostly Gala.
260-424-2400 www.sciencecentral.orgLantern Tours
Historic Fort Wayne
The Old Fort
1201 Spy Run Ave
6:00pm-10:30pm
Tour Admission: $2.00, children under 12 freeAs you enter the front gate of the Old Fort you pass to another time when the Miami, Delaware, soldiers of the garrison, and Philip Ostrander, lived and died. Tour the Old Fort after dark, your way lit only by a candle and your guide. Interpreters answer your questions and present the Old Fort as it was in the early 1800s. Refreshments available at the Bake Sale in the Modern Building.
260-437-2836 www.oldfortwayne.org
Bonfire at the Courtyard
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Fort Wayne
1150 Harrison St.
6:00pm-9:00pm
FREEBonfire with Fright Dogs, Blood Soup, Cider & Hot Chocolate! All items $2.00 and proceeds to benefit “Back on My Feet”, a charity organization.
260-490-3629 www.marriott.com/fwadt
Murder, Mystery, Mayhem Haunted Bus Tour (x)
Arch, Inc.
Indiana Hotel Lobby
125 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Tours begin at 6:00pm, 8:00pm, and 10:00pm
Bus Tours: Adults – $15.00 Ages 6-17 – $10.00Our Murder Mystery Mayhem Tours will take you all over Fort Wayne. From Northside High School, through Downtown, out to the GE complex as well as many more strops, this is a tour filled with true stories of Fort Wayne’s darker side. Tours leave from the Indiana Hotel Lobby (next to the Embassy)
2620-426-5117 www.archfw.org
Murder, Mystery & Mayhem Haunted Walking Tour (X)
Arch, Inc.
Indiana Hotel Lobby
125 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Tours begin at 6:00pm, 7:00pm, 8:00pm, 9:00pm, and 10:00pm
Walking Tours: Adults – $10.00 Ages 6-17 – $5.00 Ages 5 and under – FreeARCH’s Murder Mystery Mayhem walking tours take you through Downtown Fort Wayne to various sites that have a darker story affiliated with them. Hear how Headwater’s Park used to be a popular gathering place as locals watched criminals be hanged. Visit the Embassy Theater and hear how the once longtime stage manager still can be heard backstage, years after his death. These are only a few of the mysterious and darker true stories that you will hear on these haunted tours. Filled with new true stories as well as some of our favorites from years past, you will not want to miss our Murder Mystery Mayhem Tours.
260-426-5117 www.archfw.org
Braineaters’ Ball
Cinema Center
437 E. Berry St.
6:00pm-9:00pm
Free, movie screenings are general admissionThis year the Braineaters’ Ball will be in conjunction with the Sitges Film Festival. Sitges is one of the most recognized film festivals held in Europe. It is considered the world’s foremost festival specializing in genre films. (i.e. fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc.) (Some of the films may not be suitable for all ages.)
260-426-3456 www.cinemacenter.org
Urban Screams
Fort Wayne Dance Collective
437 E. Berry St.
7:00pm and 9:00pm
$15.00 adults/$13.00 studentsAre there really ghosts floating down the hallways after all the dancers have gone home? Local choreographers have gathered some of the most terrifying urban legends as creative source material for this years’ Halloween show. Bloody Mary, slumber parties, Ouija boards…kind of gives you the creeps, yet? Come in costume, regular street clothes, or in your Sunday best, just don’t come ALONE!
260-424-6574 www.fwdc.org
Rocky Horror Picture Show (X)
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
1100 S. Calhoun St.
Doors 8:00pm, Movie 9:15pm
$1.00 3-17 years, $2.00 Adult, 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.Let’s do the time warp agaaaaain! As a part of the Downtown Improvement District’s Fright Night the Conservatory will once again spin the tale of Brad and Janet on a rainy night sheltered by the bizarre Dr. Frank N. Furter. This cult classic movie will be shown outside on the Terrace, weather permitting; please dress accordingly. Please do not bring outside food or beverage as there will be refreshments available for purchase. This movie is participatory in tradition and content may not be suitable for all/younger audiences. Rated R; children under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
260-427-6440 www.botanicalconservatory.org
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