Halloween is fast approaching, and various Bay-area organizations are hosting holiday-related fundraising events that will scare the scream out of you (or simply make you shiver a little).
The Tampa Museum of Art’s young professionals group, Avant Garde, hosts a monthly Art After Dark event to raise funds and awareness of TMA while promoting local artists. The theme for October’s soiree is “Fright Night.” Guests are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite ghost, goblin or other scary creature and take part in a costume contest for prizes. Other diversions include a display of artwork by area artists, live music by Everise, screenings by 1 Day Films, complimentary food and Starbucks coffee, a cash bar and plenty of tricks and treats.
Euclid/St. Paul Neighborhood Association invites families to visit St. Petersburg’s most paranormal locale this Saturday night and take part in its annual Haunted Hike. Costumed guides lead a one-mile walking tour down ESP’s eerie alleys and brick-paved streets by old homes and landmarks, and tell chilling stories with titles like “Gruesome Tales of Gangster Revenge,” “We’re Your Scream Girls!” and “BYOB — Bring Your Own Body.” Tours leave the intersection of 13th Street N. and 13th Avenue N. every 15 minutes; groups can shop at the Ghouly Goodies Bake Sale while waiting. Proceeds from the hike and bake sale benefit the ESP Neighborhood Association and Sallie House, a Salvation Army Emergence Children’s Shelter.
Tampa Theatre’s Restoration Society, in collaboration with artist T. Oliver Kopian and Creatures of Delight, presents Gargoyles and Ghosts, a family-friendly afternoon of Halloween shenanigans. Attendees are invited to take self-guided walks through spooky scenes scattered around the theater and created by Creatures of Delight, hear stories about Tampa Theatre history and haunts, participate in a gargoyle hunt and various craft activities, and view classic Halloween cartoons and a Halloween film while snacking on complimentary popcorn. Proceeds support the historic theater’s ongoing restoration.
Art After Dark, Fri., Oct. 19, 8-11 p.m., Tampa Museum of Art, 600 N. Ashley Drive, downtown Tampa, $10 admission general (free for museum members), 813-274-8534, TampaMuseum.com; Haunted Hike, Sat., Oct. 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Euclid/St. Paul Neighborhood, St. Petersburg, $5 adults/$1 children 12 and under, 727-823-0393, espna.org; and Gargoyles and Ghosts, Sun., Oct. 21, 2-5 p.m., Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., downtown Tampa, $5 per family, 813-274-5507, tampatheatre.org.
This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2007.
