Costumes and candy: Get a jump on trick-or-treating downtown Friday night

LACONIA — Have kids itching to get into their costumes and collect candy? NH Vintage Vinyl is hosting its first downtown Creepy Crawl trick-or-treating event from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20. Roughly 30 businesses will stay open later to hand out candy.

While the event is aimed at giving children an early Halloween experience, an added benefit is bringing more exposure to the many downtown businesses.

“It is a way to try and get more people downtown,” said Daniel McLaughlin, owner  of NH Vintage Vinyl. “We want to get more involvement down here for sure, and I think this is a good way to do it."

Some of the other businesses participating are the Colonial Theatre, Citizens Bank, Main Street Social Club, GoodNatured Juice and Smoothie Bar, The Escape Room Experience, MC Cycle & Sport, The Potting Shop, New Leaf, The Studio, Catchpenny, Scentapy, Polished & Proper Barbershop & Shave Parlor, Trillium Farm to Table, Piedmont Print & Frame, The CAKE Theatre, Penny Pitou Travel, Defiant Records & Craft Beer, Spyglass Eyewear, RE/MAX Bayside, Empire Beauty School, Daub's Cobbler Shop, Innisfree Bookshop, Prescott's Florist, Wayfarer Coffee Roasters, The Galleria Salon, Dorado Beauty Club, Laconia Housing and Laconia Village Bakery, which will be handing out candy brownies. 

McLaughlin is hopeful about the event’s success, and wants to continue this tradition in the years to come. “If it’s something that works out, we’ll do it every year.”