26th Annual Festival at Bel Air Halloween Event a “Maleficent” Success

From MartinoBlum:

On Saturday, October 25, thousands of happy folks had GREAT TIME at the 26th Annual Festival at Bel Air Halloween Costume Contest and Parade Event!

Event coordinator Michael Blum says, “Our Free Halloween Costume Event and Parade and Trick-or-Treat is arguably the county’s largest and it might just be the STATE’S LARGEST. Think of the 100s of costumed kids and adults who showed up a full week before the actual date of Halloween!”

This year’s event was held in the parking lot at the Festival at Bel Air Shopping Center, between Rite Aid and Uptown Cheapskate. All kids in costumes got candy and trick-or-treat bags, plus coupons from Jake’s Wayback Burgers, Chung’s Martial Arts, Kids First Swim School and Costume Cabaret. The event promotors estimate that about 750 kids attended in all, plus adults and families.

“We were helped by beautiful weather,” says Blum. “We gave out over 750 trick-or-treat bags; the top 10 Finalists got prize bags with great gifts; the winners received gift certificates to Festival stores, with the GRAND PRIZE was $150 in gift certificates to Kohl’s and Chuck E. Cheese’s.”

After the contest, everyone was invited to “trick-or-treat” participating stores in the Festival until 2 pm!

The results of the contest were:

1st Place: Sophia MacKinnon from Bel Air as MALEFICENT (see attached photo).
2nd Place: Layla Gray from Bel Air as the Monster under the Bed.
3rd Place: Scott Turner and Tricia Hunter from Crumpton, MD, as Tree and Logger (see attached photo).

Other finalists were dressed as a Claw Vending Machine; a Box Troll; the Chef of Death; a Nasa Robot; a Double Claw Machine; Two Doctor Whos, a Grisly Heart Surgeon; a Zombie Nurse; and more!

There was also a SPECIAL APPEARANCE from BATMAN and CAT-WOMAN, who posed with the kids (many of whom were also dressed as Batman and Cat-woman! Mr. Chuck E. Cheese attended, as did the Jake’s Burger Man.

Says Blum, “Next year the event is scheduled to fall ON Halloween, so — everyone should put it on the calendar right now — SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2015!”