The Facebook campaign to resurrect Boulder's Mall Crawl

Today, former Westword fellow Melanie Asmar, now writing for the Colorado Daily, brings us a story whose time has come -- an attempt to bring back the Boulder Mall Crawl, a Halloween bash on the city's Pearl Street Mall that proudly celebrated revelry and goofiness until being shut down in...

By Michael Roberts

September 23, 2009

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Today, former Westword fellow Melanie Asmar, now writing for the Colorado Daily, brings us a story whose time has come -- an attempt to bring back the Boulder Mall Crawl, a Halloween bash on the city's Pearl Street Mall that proudly celebrated revelry and goofiness until being shut down in 1991. A line Asmar quotes from a 1986 Daily Camera story about the event -- "An 8-foot-tall green Gumby chats with a yellow and black bumble bee, and two underworld psychedelic reptiles sneer at a Heineken Beer umbrella as snow dampens the ground" -- tells you all you need to know about why it's past time for a Mall Crawl return.

The men behind the notion are Jonathan Sackheim and Ryan Van Duzer, who share their vision on a Facebook page that invites visitors to pledge their support. Look below to read their manifesto of fun:

Bring back the Boulder Mall Crawl!

Just for Fun -- Outlandish Statements

Let's bring back the biggest baddest most awesomist Halloween celebration this side of the Mississippi!

RSVP Here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134045985977

Have you ever heard of the Mall Crawl? It was a giant Halloween party on Boulder's Pearl St. Mall that peaked at 40,000 people in 1990. But it was killed-off (Booo!) by the City of Boulder due to its rowdiness.

Should we let this fabled Boulder event fade away and be lost to history? No! No! No! Boulder needs a fun, free, crazy, expressive public event so we can all be merry on Halloween -- an event that brings back a Boulder tradition.

Now is the time to restart the Mall Crawl and to make it even better! We just need to behave... just a little, and we'll be fine. Let's use the enthusiasm for Halloween 2008 to grow this group and reignite the Mall Crawl for Halloween 2009!

Join our group and tell your friends. Once we get the core group formed, we'll convene a meeting for interested organizers and make this happen in one short year!

Until then, let's jump-start the movement this Halloween by telling those you meet: I'm helping to bring back the Mall Crawl in 2009!

Life is too short to sit inside on Halloween and watch re-runs of Friday the 13th, we need to take to the streets and show our love for this great holiday!

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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