A spooky celebration that’s drawing people to downtown. That’s what the first annual Norwich Halloween Strut brought to the city.
The city of Norwich turned into Halloweentown saturday and it’s bringing a big draw to the downtown area, which is bringing much needed business.
As witches danced around their cauldron, creatures, both small and big, came out to Norwich for a spooky trot.
The city transformed into a haunted paradise, with businesses handing out candy to kids as families came out.
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“The weather’s been great. We’re very busy tonight. You see those two roads closed down, you see people walking around,” Bill Nielson, owner of Latin Quarters at Pie Hops, tells us.
Bill Nielson is pleased with the turnout, saying events like these is good for business.
“Whatever the reason is, vendors, carnivals, pub crawl, anything to bring out people is great for downtown Norwich,” stated Nelson.
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The city planner, Deanna Rhodes, dressed as the “Nor-witch”, saying that’s exactly what she hoped to see.
“Everyone’s looking like they’re having a great time, all ages so this is exactly what we wanted,” Rhodes noted.
More than a thousand people responded on Facebook for the Halloween Strut event. Rhodes says it’s been a success.
“It’s just another opportunity to bring people down here and really see what kind of city they have,” said Rhodes.
A city that hopes to capture the essence of the spooky season.
“We are now the Halloween capital of Connecticut. We are Norwich, so we’re stealing that to be the Halloween capital,” Rhodes added.
City officials say once Halloween ends, they’re going to focus their energy on the Winter festivities.
