By Janeida Rivera
This year marked the 15th anniversary of Humboldt Park’s Halloween tradition of converting the Paseo Boricua business district into a corridor of Halloween inspired cultural interactive activities, learning opportunities, family friendly performances and safe trick or treating on Division St between Campbell Ave and California Ave. About 400 children and their families were able to trick or treat for candy and healthier snack alternatives as part of our Healthy Kids Halloween initiative at over 35 local businesses and organizations along Paseo Boricua. Division Street was decorated with hay bales, corn stalks, unique Puerto Rican influenced decorations including large paintings of skeletons with Puerto Rican flag eye patches, bomba drums carved like jack-o-lanterns, festive vejigantes by local artist Lebster Pabon, artistic scarecrows by muralist Cristian Roldan and a selfie wall painted by Puerto Rican artist Veronica Velez.
To celebrate our 15th year of Haunted Paseo Boricua, this year’s theme included a “Haunted Quincenera Main Stage” hosted by local rapper Pinqy Ring and Puerto Rican B96 radio host, Gabriel Ramirez! Main Stage hosted a costume contest for prizes for the “Best Family, Best Child and Best Toddler” costumes with prizes sponsored by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and Ciclo Urbano! Costume winners went home with board games, a children’s bicycle and razor scooter. Performers including hip hop and spoken word duo and activists Lester Rey and Logan Lou, singer/song writer and producer, Che Guevara and Singer Ricardo Suarez serenading families with original music.
Haunted Paseo Stations included Puerto Rican scary story telling at Urban Theater Company/Batey Urbano, face painting, games with prizes by El Rescate and Vida/SIDA, Urban Agriculture worm culture give away by Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, children’s books as treats by Consuelo Lee Corretjer Day Care, Musical Chairs and Zumba by Muevete at the Diabetes Empowerment Center, Fortune Telling by La Bruquena Restaurant, Dancing Vejigantes at Africaribe Cultural Center, and Photos by local photographers Elias Carmonas, Charlie Billups and Carlos Munoz.
Haunted Paseo Boricua would like to thank the following organizations and businesses for their contributions and volunteers and making Haunted Paseo Boricua memorable and a success this year: The Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School, UIC’s Puerto Rican Studies Course and Roberto Clemente Community Academy. View our Flickr album of more than 300 photos here: http://bit.ly/hauntedpaseo2016
Photos by Carlos Muรฑoz and Charlie Billups
