Malibu Jack's Glow-O-Ween: Oct 16 Indoor Halloween Night

Key Takeaways

• Malibu Jack's Glow-O-Ween is Friday, October 16, 6 to 10 PM, at Malibu Jack's in City Center, the former Towne Mall
• Tickets are $24.99, online at malibujacksetown.com or in store. The last glow night sold out
• It is an indoor trunk or treat: local businesses, schools, churches, clubs and organizations hand out candy at decorated booths, with a booth decorating contest
• Community partners can take a 10 by 10 booth for $50 (includes one ticket) or a 25 by 25 premium cabana for $200 (includes four tickets). Table and chairs are provided. Sam's goal is 25 partners. To sign up, email [email protected] or call 270-600-7585
• Hardin Local is giving away four tickets. Entries close Thursday, October 8 at 11:59 PM

Summary

Sam Sansone, Sales and Outreach Coordinator at Malibu Jack's Elizabethtown, came back to Hardin Local Weekly this week to talk about a first for the park: Glow-O-Ween, a Halloween night built around trick-or-treating, costume contests and a park that glows. Rachel Brantingham pointed out that Sam is the only guest Hardin Local has had back twice. She joined in three parts around the host segments.

It matters to families because it gives Hardin County an indoor Halloween night that does not depend on the weather, and it matters to local businesses and organizations because Sam is looking for 25 community partners who want a booth in front of a full building of families.

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Rachel changed the order of the show a little so Sam could go first. "My kids absolutely love Malibu Jack's," she said, and then handed it over.

"I'm excited to bring you the Malibu Jack's Glow-O-Ween event," Sam said. "So, this is our first time ever doing a Halloween event to this magnitude."

The idea

The name is a play on words, and Sam spelled it out for the audience: it is Mali-BOO Jack's, M-A-L-I, hyphen, B-O-O. "We're transforming Malibu Jack's into an indoor Halloween experience with trick-or-treating, costumes, entertainment, and tons of family fun," she said.

The event is Friday, October 16, from 6 to 10 PM, at the park in City Center. Sam said she wanted it to be the kickoff to the Halloween events across Hardin County. "I believe in going big or go home kind of mentality," she said. Malibu Jack's does its Christmas event early for the same reason: it gets everyone in the spirit.

The format is an indoor trunk or treat. Local businesses, schools, clubs and other groups set up booths and decorate them, and families walk the park collecting candy. The lights will be off and everything will glow. Costumes are highly encouraged for everybody.

Sam also teased a surprise. She is a big Michael Jackson fan, her kids love his music, and she said she will work something related to him into the night. She is keeping the details private for now.

Last time sold out

Malibu Jack's held a Glow Night earlier, and it sold out. "It exceeded all expectations," she said. She described over 400 families coming, from surrounding areas and Hardin County, and said the lights-off atmosphere made it a different experience.

She credited the people who made it work: DJ James Hummel, Eddie Milburn and Teresa Bird, whose glow entrance she called the staple of the whole event. She said all three are back. "Working with all three of them then and now to create even something bigger is super exciting."

Community partners wanted

This is the part Sam is working hardest on. Malibu Jack's has never had vendors inside before, and her goal is 25 community partners.

"We're looking for local businesses, but we're also looking for churches, schools, clubs and organizations that want to set up, pass out candy, and basically be part of the fun," she said. "So we're going to open it up to more than just local businesses, which I'm very excited about."

There are two options. A 10 by 10 booth is $50 and includes one ticket. A premium cabana, 25 by 25, is $200 and includes four tickets. A table and chairs are provided. Partners get to decorate, and there is a friendly competition for the best decorated booth. Sam said she expects people to go all out. "I'm excited to see the creativity, the originality, the effort."

To sign up, contact Malibu Jack's at [email protected] or 270-600-7585.

Costume contests

The costume contests run throughout the night, in categories that start with the little ones, work up through teens and adults, and include a family category. Sam is hoping for families who commit to a theme, like Marvel, DC or M&Ms. She said prizes include birthday parties, with some surprises along the way.

Tickets and the giveaway

Tickets are $24.99 and can be bought online at malibujacksetown.com or in store at Malibu Jack's. Because the earlier glow night sold out, the hosts urged anyone planning to go not to wait until the last minute.

Hardin Local is also giving away four tickets, roughly a $100 value for a family. To enter, find the Glow-O-Ween giveaway post on the Hardin Local Facebook page, like it, tag three friends, and comment #GlowOWeen. Entries close Thursday, October 8 at 11:59 PM, and the winner will be announced Friday, October 9.

More than rides and an arcade

Sam's job is to get out into the community and tell people what Malibu Jack's does beyond the rides and the arcade. The park hosts birthday parties, corporate events, private and community events, and full facility buyouts. A couple of weeks ago, she said, Amazon brought about 1,200 people to the park over a weekend. More events are coming, she said, and Malibu Jack's is partnering with more people in the community to host them.

Rachel wrapped up with a prediction: "This is going to be a sold out event. I just know it."

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