12 UCW OCTOBER 21-27, 2020
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
EVENT
Downtown Fayetteville offers events in the spirit of Halloween
by KEYURI PARAB
e Downtown Alliance and Cool Springs Downtown
District are partnering with Downtown Fayetteville
Tours and local businesses to host events this Hallow-
een season.
e Downtown Pumpkin Trail is a free self-guided
event open to the public on Oct. 23 and 24 from 11 a.m.
to 8 p.m. Participants will pick up a map at the check-in
table at Shops at 123 Hay St., and then look at the deco-
rated pumpkins placed in the windows of participating
businesses. Participants are asked to return to the table
to vote on their top three favorite pumpkins to receive a
raffle ticket to win gift cards to Fayetteville businesses.
"If you come, you're going to walk away with some-
thing, it could be a super fun date night, and activity for
grown-ups as well kids," said Betsy McElwee, the social
media marketing coordinator for Downtown Alliance.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the cancellation
of popular annual events like the Zombie Walk and
Trick-or-Treat, many businesses are using this as an
opportunity to celebrate by handing out candy, doing
photo-ops or giving out balloons, McElwee said. Many
businesses are going all out with decorative displays
and activities.
e goal is to encourage people to come downtown
and shop local as well as give a chance to children in
Cumberland County to get out of the house and enjoy
some Halloween events, she said.
"We do have a DJ coming out Friday night from 5-8
p.m. and a free photo-booth both nights," she said.
e events offer safe and socially distant activities
people can do at their own pace to avoid large gather-
ings and be in open air downtown, McElwee said.
Downtown Fayetteville Tours will be offering Ghost
Tours on the same evenings to give options for those in
the Halloween spirit, McElwee said.
e hour-and-a-half tour features 11 stories in eight
different locations about local and urban legends as
well as some cold cases, said Downtown Fayetteville
Tours co-owner Andy Iglesias.
"A couple of our patrons have caught an anomaly on
camera and it's funny watching people going on ghost
tours who have never been on one, who don't expect to
see something with their eyes and majority of the time
they might catch something on camera," Iglesias said.
Iglesias said Ghost Tours is offered all year round, as
well as historical tours about local heroes. For Hal-
loween, there is a discount of 25 percent off with code
'DTA2020' beginning Oct. 23 - Nov 1. e tickets to the
tour are $15 per adult and $12 for children ages 17
and under.
Tours are from 6-7 p.m. and meet at the corner of
Winslow St. and Hay St. e tour guides, dressed in
1900's clothing, tell stories while walking the tour. e
tour offers popular legends and researched stories and
no special effects or cheap tricks of someone jumping
out at you.
Due to COVID-19, groups will be smaller than usual
and require people to wear face masks, Iglesias said.
"People have to book in advance," Iglesias said. "If
someone calls last minute, based on availability we can
allow them to pay on location."
To sign up for Ghost Tour visit https://downtownfay-
tours.com/ghost or for more information call
910-444-0034.
For more information on the Downtown Pumpkin
Trail visit https://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/event/
downtown-pumpkin-trail/15623/
Both the Downtown Pumpkin Trail and Ghost Tours
are intended to provide Halloween activities while pro-
moting downtown businesses, McElwee said.
KEYURI PARAB, Editorial Assistant
COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin-
gweekly.com 910-484-6200.
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