For almost a year now, Johnny Maxx has been planning the first Lane County Halloween Festival, and in the final two weekends of October, his vision will become a reality. Inspired by work he did with disabled children in China, and in Eugene at the Adaptive Recreation Center, Maxx realized that, “I gotta do something for the community.” And now, he has created the “biggest Halloween event in Lane County” for people of all ages and all backgrounds to enjoy.
Maxx and volunteers’ prime goal for the festival is to generate a large amount of proceeds for four charities: Adaptive Recreation Center, Tamarack Wellness, Head Start and Children Not Forgotten. In one way or another, each charity provides services for children with disabilities. As a way to repay his community, Maxx wants to generate some extra money for the charities and “publicly present [them] with their proceeds.”
“Halloween is only once a year, and we’re giving everyone a chance to celebrate it for seven days in a row,” said Isabell Zhu, University of Oregon alum and volunteer coordinator for the festival. And for that reason, they are still recruiting volunteers. “We don’t just want volunteers for the manual labor, we really want to see you as our partners, as our friends,” said Zhu. “Help out people, help out children with disabilities, help with a fun spirit.”
Yiqian Fan, junior education studies major at UO, is volunteering at the Halloween festival. Even though she has a full schedule, she has found a different way to contribute. “I decided to be a volunteer on campus,” said Fan. “I could hand out flyers, spread the word and get more volunteers. I’m the link between campus and the event.”
Zhu doesn’t want volunteers to feel burdened. “I’ll work my best to fix up a schedule with them that will allow them to come worry-free,” Zhu said. Both Maxx and Zhu said that simply donating a bag of candy or a pumpkin will go a long way.
The Lane County Halloween Festival will be held in Springfield on the corner of Mohawk and Centennial. A 50,000 square foot indoor complex will be filled with 5,000 pumpkins. A raffle will include an Xbox One, a BMX bike and a snowboard, among other prizes. Trick-or-treating with foods from different cultures, a zombie hunt with paintball guns and live music will be offered in this seven-day festival. Prices vary for each event, but tickets range from $5 for a one-night pass to $50 for a five-night pass. Go out and enjoy Halloween while at the same time contributing to charities that do incredible outreach for children with disabilities.