2009 Booth Space Rental Information Now Available

Applications for booth space rental for the 2009 Irvington Halloween Festival can be accessed by clicking here

2009 Poster Design Contest Information

Calling all Artists: Enter our 3rd annual Halloween Festival Poster design contest. Entries due by July 31st. See rules and entry forms by clicking here

2009 Booth Rental Information

Booth rental information will be released shortly. To ensure you're on our contact list when we release the information, please Contact Us

2008 Festival Merchandise Still Available

If you missed the Halloween Festival on Saturday, don't worry, you can still pick up sweatshirts, t-shirts and posters from this year's event at: The Sleepy Hollow Bookstore @ 5535 E. Washington St. Sleepy Hollow is open 7 days a week.

And don't forget that they also have all of the old merchandise at spooky low prices.

But hurry, merchandise will only be available until Saturday, November 8th.

2008 Window Painting Winners

Congrats to all of our window painting winners this year.

Pre-Kindergarten
1st Place: Benton @ Voguls (Graveyard Scene)
2nd Place: Armstrong @ Breadladies (Pumpkin & Dragon)
3rd Place: Mays @ Midwest Scooter (Princess)

Kindergarten-1st Grade
1st Place: Liam Wright
2nd Place: Alexandra Pitts
3rd Place: Aurie Plukih

2nd-3rd Grade
1st Place: Henry Eagan
2nd Place: Dalaney Nidiffer
3rd Place: Adam Warner

4th-5th Grade
1st Place: Corrine Maue
2nd Place: Lucy Marcum
3rd Place: Dennl Rilley

6th-8th Grade
1st Place: Belle Rodgers
2nd Place: Colin Everitt
3rd Place: Jessica Ryan

High School
1st Place: Morgan Hauth
2nd Place: Candace Kirk
3rd Place: Leeann Sausser


Adult
1st Place: Nicolai Nickson
2nd Place: Steve Peters
3rd Place: Kristin Ldesch

2008 House Decorating Contest Winnners

The 2008 Irvington Haunted House Decorating Contest winners are listed below.

The BEST ROOKIE ENTRY award winner was the Adams Family entry (no pun intended) located at 935 N. Irvington

• This is eerie at its finest. The scary cemetery, skeleton in the bush and the upstairs window pumpkin will scare everyone.

The BIG SCARE- LOW BUDGET award went to the Sponsel family located at 5451 University

• This house is actually painted in a shade of pumpkin. The ghost ring of dancers was most unique. The skeleton in the attic window is very scary. This entry also features a cemetery.

The JUDGES' FAVORITE award went to the Conway family located at 409 S. Sheridan.

• This house probably was one of the most decorated. The scary teeter tooter featuring Sausage and Pepperoni was very unique. The Wicked Witch of the West's emergence was cute, too.

The BEST USE OF SPECIAL EFFECTS award was given to the Mc Near family of 6052 Dewey.

• The real pumpkin was a real treat and carved intricately with the words, "Happy Halloween." An RIP inflatable with the ghost popping in and out was also fun.

The BEST CHILDREN's APPEAL award was once again given to Robert Wilson of 5812 Lowell.

• This is total delight for all children as the entire front yard is filled with inflatables. Frankenstein and a Purple Spider greet you as the porch features skulls and a scary wind chime.

The SPOOKIEST award went to the Havlin family located at 5718 University.

• The judges felt like they were intruding as the Bat's Motel had "No Vacancy". A part of the yard showed a skeleton trying to dig himself out. The sign, "Spells Removed Here," and the Private Hook were also very spooky.

Honorable Mentions

• 6015 BONNA - Many inflatables including a Colts player. Hmm - is this season "scary" or what! A witch was also splattered on the door. A cute sign is also in the yard, "Free Broom Rides Here." Many inflatables and huge yard.
• 5955 OAK - This entry is very simply done, yet one of the scariest. An actual portion of the yard has been dug for a gravesite. The casket was also unique and the cemetery was filled up more this year.
  

Special Thanks to:

• Donato's (10th and Arlington); MCL (10th and Arlington); Dairy Queen (Irvington Plaza); Screamers Haunted House (46th and Post Rd) and the Monster Factory (Franklin and Washington Sts) for their generous prize donations.
• All of the judges for this year's event

Thank You for Another Fantastic Festival!

Thanks to all of you who came out to help us celebrate the Halloween Festival yesterday. We had a great time and we hope you did too. The rain stayed away but unfortunately so did the sun for most of the day.

Thanks to our sponsors for this years festival, especially our title sponsor Navistar.

Please help us thank our sponsors:
Navistar
Reverie Estates
Senator Pat Miller
Chris Swatts for State Representative
KEMBA Credit Union
Mosaic Church
Indianapolis Marion County Library
Ace Hardware
Irvington Pet Clinic

And our Pleasant Run Run sponsors
Community East Hospital
Liberty Tax
Panera Bread
Klein Water

Thanks to those of you who donated items to the festival. And thanks to all of our vendors. We hope you had a great day and we hope to see you next year.

And last but certainly not least.....thanks to all of our volunteers. Our volunteers work hard year round to make this event a success and it shows. You put on a great show this week and we really appreciate your hard work. I hope you were able to enjoy the festival as much as everyone else did. You did a fantastic job.

Next year's festival will be on Saturday October 31st.

The 2008 Historic Irvington Halloween Festival Has Begun

What are you doing reading this? You should be here by now.

Need directions? Click Here.

Scary Skates Tonight @ Ellenberger Park Ice Rink

Why not don your Halloween Costume a bit early and come out to Ellenberger Park Ice Rink for a good old fashioned ice skating party.

While you're there, be sure to stop by and see Madame Gwendolyn for a free fortune telling session. Perhaps she'll be able to look into the future and tell you if you'll win the costume contest on Saturday.

The event starts on Friday the 24th @ 6:30 and the cost of the event $3 for youth, $4 for adults, and $2 for skate rental.

2008 Halloween Festival merchandise will be on sale at the event. Get your sweatshirts in time for Saturday. You'll want to wear them.

Don't forget your costume!

Cool Weather Forcasted for Saturday

Saturday looks like its going to be a bit chilly.

If you're looking for something warm to wear, why not try on a 2008 Halloween Festival Sweatshirt.

They'll be on sale at the event tonight and tomorrow night. See the following post for details.

Festival Merchandise Update

Halloween Festival posters, sweatshirts and t-shirts are in and they look fantastic!

Merchandise will be sale at the following events this week:

• Spooky Stories @ Irving Circle Park at 6:30pm Thursday
• Scary Skates @ Ellenberger Park Ice Rink at 6:30 Friday
• Community Council Booth (in front of Dufour's) on Saturday during the festival
  

Check out the schedule for details on each of these events.

On October 25th, you'll be able to purchase merchandise from the Irvington Community Council Booth which will be located in front of DuFour's Restaurant on the corner of Audubon and East Washington Street

Looking for merchandise from previous years?
Sleepy Hollow is selling all of the previous year's posters and sweatshirts and it is selling fast! (and cheap!). For more info on the sale prices, click here.

Come See the Monster House

Join us Wednesday @ 6:30pm, at the Irvington Branch Library. Free hot dogs and refreshments will be served.



For more info on this event Click Here

What a Great First Night!

The 62nd Annual Halloween Festival got off to a great start last night with two outstanding events.

The slightly Haunted Puppet Show
Roughly 200 parents and children attended the Haunted Puppet show at the Irvington United Methodist Church. If you missed the show, you can still catch the Melchior Marionettes in action by checking their upcoming shows here. If you have any photos from the event, email us a good one at info@irvingtoncouncil.com and we'll post it here.

Live Art Auction / Wine Tasting @ The Legend
About 60 participants including several of the Festival sponsors attended our second annual art auction last night at the legend. Included in the auction were the original artwork submissions of the top three prize winners in this year's poster contest.

Auctioneer Dawn Briggs did a fantastic job of helping attendees open up their wallets and checkbooks in order to raise money

Photo courtesy of Rudy Gonzalez

When the event concluded, we raised nearly $2,800 dollars for several Irvington non-profit organizations.

A special thanks to those that helped make this event possible:

• John and Kim @ The Legend (for opening their doors during their day off)
• Carroll Company (for donating all the delicious wine and beer for the tasting)
• Irvington's own The Frame Shop for donating the framing of the artwork this year
  
• Dawn Briggs (for agreeing to be the armtwister....I mean auctioneer again this year)
• All of our sponsors who attended the event and who helped make the event possible
• All of the artists, organizations, and merchants who donated items to the auction
• All of the volunteers who helped make the event run smoothly
  
• And last but not least, all of the guests who attended and generously contributed last night
  

It was a great event. All of the organizations that benefited are very grateful and we can't wait until next year.

Frankenstein Returns!

Join us Tuesday 7pm, at the Irvington Branch Library



For more info on this event Click Here

Let The Festivities Begin!

Our first two events start tonight:

6:30pm - The Haunted Puppet Show @ Irvington United Methodist Church - FREE! - Click Here

7:00pm - The Live Art Auction & Wine Tasting @ The Legend - Tickets $20 @ the door - Click Here


FOR A PRINTABLE CALENDAR OF EVENTS CLICK HERE

2008 Posters Now Available

2008 Irvington Halloween Festival Posters are now available at a few select Irvington locations. Don't wait until the day of the festival to get yours.

The cost of the poster is $10 and they can be purchased at:

The Sleepy Hollow Book Store: 5535 E. Washington St
Snips Salon: 5612 E Washington St
Irvington Insurance: 5624 East Washington St
Antique Mall by Jack & Jill: 5501 East Washington St.

Looking for old posters or shirts? CLICK HERE

If you would like to frame your poster, contact Irvington's own The Frame Shop at 317-504-7937

Halloween Festival Calendar of Events

UPDATE: For a Printable Calendar of Events CLICK HERE

To view the events for each day:

1. Click on the event on the calendar day (To see all the events scheduled for a particular day click the + more link)
   
2. On the menu that appears, click the event you are interested in.
   
3. A larger menu will appear with a summary of the event . For additional details, click more details

Live Auction @ The Legend

Join us Monday night October 20th at 7pm @ The Legend for a fundraising event to benefit Irvington charities.

Auction items include:

• The original submitted artwork from the top 3 finalists to this year's poster contest including the winning entry by Joe Swan (seen below), second place finisher Jenny Elkins, and third place entry by Wayne Kimmell (last year's winner)
• Additional art and pottery donated by local artisits and vendors
• Bottles of wine
• A basket of Irvington area gift certificates including two tickets to the Haunted Ghost Tours on Halloween Night
  

Irvington's own Dawn Briggs will return as our auctioneer this year and there will be wine and beer tasting, hors d'oerves, and live jazz.

Tickets to the event are $20 and available at The Legend and at the door. Space is limited so don't wait. The Legend is closed on Sunday and Monday afternoon so pick up your tickets today!

Merchandise Clearance!

We've got waaaaaaay too much old Halloween Festival merchandise so we're putting it on Super Ultra Mega Clearance!

That's no joke!

Posters are just $4
T-shirts start at $6
Long Sleeve T-shirts are only $8
Sweatshirts start at $12

All of our previous year's merchandise is now on sale at The Sleepy Hollow Bookstore: 5535 E. Washington St

Hurry! At these prices, this merchandise won't last long. And when it's gone, its gone!

Ghost Tour Reminder

Just a reminder that the Haunted Ghost Tours start tonight! For information on the tours and schedule click here

The Library Becomes a Wild Animal Habitat

During the festival this year, the Irvington library will have its hands full.....of animals!

Joel of Animalia and Tigris the Owl

3 different live animal demonstrations will be taking place throughout the course of the day.

10:30am Animalia
12:00pm Indiana Jim's Reptile Experience
1:30pm Silly Safaris

If you love animals or if you'd like to see some "scary" animals up close, then check out the library on October 25th.

Indiana Jim and a creepy looking lizard

Window Painting Contest Info

If you grew up as a kid in Irvington, then chances are you at some point painted windows for the Halloween Festival.

Now that some of us are older, we have the same opportunity to pass along this tradition to our children.

And for those adults who still enjoy painting the windows, don't worry, we've got an adult category too.

For rules and registration information about the Window Painting Contest, click here

House Decorating Contest

The House Decorating contest is back this year and our goal is to get 30 entries in the contest.

Do you think you have what it takes to out-spook your neighbors with your Halloween decorations? If so prove it!

This year’s categories are as follows:

ROOKIE ENTRY: This category includes entrants who have never participated in the House Decorating Contest.

BIG SCARE – LOW BUDGET: Entries will be judged on using basic, low-budget ideas to create a scary atmosphere.

JUDGES’ FAVORITE: This category is decided by judges.

BEST USE OF SPECIAL EFFECTS: Entries will be judged for originality, sound, lighting, motion and interaction.

BIG SCARE – CHILDREN’S APPEAL: This category will be judged on animation and scare effect to small Irvingtonians.

SPOOKIEST: Entries will be judged for quantity, quality and variety of decorations, surprise elements and overall degree of fright.

To enter the competition, please print out the registration form located here and get decorating!

Update On Booth Space

As of yesterday, the Halloween festival has filled all of our available booth spaces for the 2008 festival. If you'd like to be first on our consideration for next year's festival, please send us an email to info@irvingtoncouncil.com

Thanks to those vendors who will be attending this year. It's going to be a great event!

Frequently Asked Questions About The Halloween Festival

1. Are you doing Ghost Tours this year and if so, where can I find info about them? Click Here for the answer


2. Where do I sign up for window painting? Click Here for the answer


3. How can I enter the house decorating contest? Click Here for the answer
   


4. What time does the parade start and can I walk my dog in the parade? Click Here for the answer
   


5. Are there going to be posters and shirts this year and if so, what will they look like? Click Here for the answer
   


6. When and where can I buy festival merchandise? Click Here for the answer


7. What movies are they showing at the Library this year? Click Here for the answer


8. What time does Spooky Stories on the Circle start? Click Here for the answer


9. Will the puppet show be back this year? Click Here for the answer


10. What streets will be closed off during the festival? Click Here for the answer
    


11. Where can I find info about the Pleasant Run Run? Click Here for the answer

Have something you think we should add to this list? Contact us at info@irvingtoncouncil.com

Parade Information

The Halloween Festival Parade is one of the most anticipated events of the festival. This year's parade will include several new participants as well as a few surprises.

As always, kids are encouraged to dress up in costume and take part in the parade. A costume contest will take place at 3:30 just before the start of this year's parade.

If you would like to enter your child in the costume contest and participate in the parade, please bring your child to S. Audubon in front of the library at 3:30. Judging will take place at 3:45.

The parade will begin at 4pm and proceed down East Washington Street and then down Johnson Ave in front of Lazy Daze.

And, by popular demand, we have include a pet section in the parade this year. You are welcome to include your pet in the parade. However, pets will need to walk separately at the back of the parade, away from the children. If your pet does not play well with other animals, please DO NOT PARTICIPATE. We need to ensure that all of our participants remain safe during the parade. If we see signs of aggression, we reserve the right to remove you and your pet from the parade.

If you'd like to enter your pet in a costume contest, For The Love of Dogs, A Dog Bakery will be hosting a Pet Costume Contest at 3pm. The entry fee is $5 and the proceeds will be donated to the Kentuckiana Pug Rescue. For more information, stop in to fill out a registration form. The pet costume contest will begin at 3pm at For the Love of Dogs.

The Slightly Haunted Puppet Show Featuring the Melchior Marionettes

A ghoulish cast of traditional Halloween characters. ..a Juggling Scarecrow, Dancing Skeleton & Ghost, Alien, The Flying Purple People Eater, a Kitchen Witch, Concert Pianist & Dracula...all will amaze you with their trickery while they perform on a charming Halloween set.

Since 1952, the Melchior Marionettes have been performing throughout the US Midwest, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Most recently, they performed in Shanghai, China, at Century Park for their National Day Celebration. Beautiful hand crafted and costumed marionettes are performed in full view of the audience.

Where: Irvington United Methodist Church - 30 North Audubon
When: Mon Oct 20 6:30pm – 7pm

More Info:http://www.melchiormarionettes.com/

Spooky Stories @ Irving Circle Park

Back by popular demand.....

Join us for a night of spooky storytelling with Irvington's favorite Poe enthusiast, John Richard Luther II.

John will be reading 5 different Poe short stores including: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, Eldorado, and Dream within a Dream

If you're lucky, you may even spot a famous ghost. Warming up for John will be Jan Riley and Kids on Guitar.

Get there early to get a good seat!

When: Thu Oct 23 6:30pm – 8pm

Where: Irving Circle Park - S Audubon Rd @ University Ave

Free refreshments will be provided by the Friends of Irving Circle

Haunted Movie Nights at the Library

As part of the 2008 Halloween Festival, the Irvington Branch Library will be showing two FREE Halloween themed movies this year.

On Tuesday October 21st @ 7pm

Frankenstein (1931) (Not Rated)
Watch the trailer here




















On Wednesday October 22nd @ 6:30pm - Free Hot Dog Night!

Monster House (Animated, Rated PG, 2006)
Watch the trailer here



















Get to these events early. Seating is extremely limited.

The Irvington library is located at 5625 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN

Street Closing Map

For a guide as to which streets will be closed during the Halloween Festival, please click here

The Pleasant Run RUN is Back!

The 27th Annual Pleasant Run RUN will take place on October 25th this year.

The race, which takes place in Historic Irvington, Indianapolis, includes offers two options: A 5 mile run and a 3 mile Family Walk

The 5 Mile Run
The race and race walk course is composed of scenic, moderately rolling terrain through Historic Irvington, Pleasant Run Golf Course & Parkway, and Ellenberger Park.

3 Mile Family Walk
The non-competitive walk course is composed of scenic terrain through Historic Irvington, Pleasant Run Parkway, and now around Ellenberger Park.

Awards
Cash prizes will be awarded to the overall top three male and female runners as follows: $100 first, $75 second, $50 third. Commemorative plaques will be awarded to the top finishers in both the run and race walk. Attractive awards will be presented to the top finishers in all age groups.

Volunteers Needed
Course volunteers will receive a continental breakfast and a long sleeve race T-shirt, Call Tuxedo Brothers at (317) 733-3300 to volunteer.

To register for the Pleasant Run RUN or to learn more about the event, visit the run website here: http://hiprr.org/

2008 Ghost Tour Info

Ghosts and Infamous Places of Historic Irvington Haunted Tours


2008 Schedule:

Friday October 17th - 7:00 pm & 9:00pm
Saturday October 18th - 7:00 pm & 9:00pm

Friday October 24th - 7:00 pm & 9:00pm
Saturday October 25th - 6:00 pm, 8:00 pm & 10:00pm

Friday October 31st - 7:00 pm & 9:00pm
Saturday November 1st - 7:00 pm & 9:00pm


Ticket information & pricing:

Tickets: $15.00 (Adults 13 & older)

Tickets include a copy of the book Irvington Haunts I or Irvington Haunts II as well as a limited edition Irvington haunts tour button and Irvington merchant coupon book sponsored by the Association of Irvington Merchants

Tickets are available at Lazy Daze Coffee House located at 10 Johnson Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46219 (Click below for directions)


View Larger Map

New This Year

We will offer a special FREE children's tour of Irvington at 1pm on the day of the Halloween Festival (Oct. 25th). This special tour will depart from Lazy Daze Coffee House. Tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis and will be available at Lazy Daze beginning on Oct 20th. The tour will be LIMITED to 30 children, ages 7 to 12 and one adult. Children MUST be accompanied by an adult. We encourage you to dress your child in costume for this tour. The children's tour will include kid friendly stories, most of which are not featured on the Ghosts and Infamous places of Haunted Irvington tour.

For more information on H.I.T., the organization that conducts these tours Click Here

Poster Contest Winner Revealed

The votes are in and the winner of this year's Irvington Halloween Festival Poster Contest is Joe Swan. Congratulations Joe!

Here is Joe's submission:



















Joe's artwork will be featured on the posters and other merchandise for this year's festival.

Here is the complete list of finalists:

• First Place - Joe Swan - Wins $300
  
• Second Place - Jenny Elkins - Wins $200
  
• Third Place - Wayne Kimmell - Wins $100 (Wayne was also last year's winning artist)

The top three finalist's artwork will be auctioned off at The Legend on Monday October 2oth. Look for more information on that event in the coming weeks.

Thanks to all of those who entered this year's contest. All of the submissions were outstanding this year which made the judge's job that much more difficult.

We'd like to thank our panel of judges for their assistance and extend a special thanks to Heidi Pearson-Shackleford for helping organize the contest.

Images