Spirit of Halloweentown Returns to St. Helens, Oregon with "Halloweentown" Cromwell Family Reunion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 18, 2017

SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN RETURNS TO ST. HELENS, OREGON WITH “HALLOWEENTOWN” CROMWELL FAMILY REUNION

Spirit of Halloweentown 2017 season includes return visit of actress Kimberly J. Brown and her fellow cast members from Disney’s “Halloweentown” movie for a special tribute to onstage grandmother Debbie Reynolds

St. Helens, Ore. – Each year, a small city in northern Oregon embraces the Halloween spirit with a month-long celebration of spooky events and decorations geared toward entertaining crowds of families. The Riverfront District in St. Helens, Oregon served as the backdrop for the 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie “Halloweentown.” The St. Helens community pays homage to the movie each October with a month-long celebration.

The highlight of the 2017 season is the return of Kimberly J. Brown, the actress who played Marnie in “Halloweentown.” Marnie will be joined by some of her movie family, her brother Dylan (J. Paul Zimmerman) and her mom Gwen (Judith Hoag), for a special tribute to Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds, who played the beloved Cromwell family matriarch Aggie Cromwell in the “Halloweentown” series, passed away in December 2016. Marnie’s younger sister Sophie (Emily Roeske) is also trying to join the Cromwell family reunion scheduled for Saturday, October 14, 2017, in St. Helens, Oregon.

Events run all month long. In addition to the Cromwell Clan reunion, actress Diane Franklin from “Better Off Dead” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” will make an appearance on Saturday, October 21, 2017. Other activities during the month include a pumpkin lighting ceremony, tractor rides to an alien crash site, a walk through the underworld, scarecrows that come alive, a Monster Dash fun run, haunted houses and tours, a costume parade and contest, haunted hot rod and hearse car rally, pet costume contest, character actor appearances, and new additions such as a Spooks Shuttle to the Museum of Peculiarities and Oddities and a Spirit of Halloweentown collectors coin challenge at local retailers.

In 2015, the Spirit of Halloweentown festivities went viral on social media when Kimberly J. Brown announced her first return to the original filming location where she helped light the giant pumpkin amid thousands of fans. The celebration has since been featured on national media platforms such as MTV, Huffington Post, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, ABC News and Country Living Magazine.

The 2017 Spirit of Halloweentown agenda can be found online at www.discovercolumbiacounty.com. You can follow the Spirit of Halloweentown’s official social media accounts on Facebook (@Halloweentown.OR), Twitter (@HalloweentownOR), and Instagram (spiritofhalloweentown).

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For media inquiries regarding Spirit of Halloweentown, please contact City of St. Helens Communications Officer Crystal Farnsworth at crystalf@ci.st-helens.or.us or 503-366-8215.

High resolution photos and videos available upon request to City of St. Helens Communications Officer Crystal Farnsworth at crystalf@ci.st-helens.or.us or 503-366-8215.

Official social media accounts

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Halloweentown.OR/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HalloweentownOR

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiritofhalloweentown/

About the Community

St. Helens, Oregon is a Columbia River community rich with history and culture. On their expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1805, Lewis and Clark made a stop in what is now St. Helens. In 1850, Captain H.M. Knighton of New England founded the town, which was first named Plymouth before being rechristened within a year to St. Helens for the town’s magnificent view of Mount St. Helens. Originally established as a river port, St. Helens is located 30 miles northwest of Portland. As the county seat, it is the largest community in Columbia County with a population of about 13,000. Many of the city’s community events are held in the Riverfront District where visitors and residents enjoy an expansive view of the Columbia River, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens.

Originally settled by New England loggers, St. Helens’ basalt rock quarry was a major industry in the early 1900s. Because of the industrial operations occurring in St. Helens and its location on the Columbia River, it rivaled Portland as a competing port city. After an unfortunate fire burned the docks of Pacific Mail, a team of Portland businessmen persuaded Pacific Mail to locate in the new port town of Portland, establishing the port of Portland as the dominant port in the region.

The Riverfront District of St. Helens features a Nationally Registered Historic District encompassing 10 blocks, which includes residences and civic buildings dating back nearly a century. The town has also served as the backdrop to many popular films, most notably the Disney Channel television film Halloweentown, and the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's novel Twilight.