MARBLEHEAD — The Marblehead Arts Association will be celebrating Halloween a couple weeks early this year. On the evening of Oct. 16, Marblehead Arts will host a “Masquerade Mini-Golf” fundraising event at Castle Creek Adventure Land in Salem. It will be the first in-person fundraising event for Marblehead Arts since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
“We’re really looking forward to finally hosting an event like this,” said Marblehead Arts Executive Director Patti Baker. “It’s going to be a really fun time with costumes, prizes and lots of laughs while all remaining COVID compliant.”
Marblehead Arts annually hosts a masquerade ball at its headquarters at The Hooper Mansion, but unfortunately that option wasn’t possible this year due to the pandemic. So Baker decided that it would be best to at least try to host a similar event.
“People really look forward to that event each year so we were obviously upset that we couldn’t host it this year, but we thought this would be the next best thing,” said Baker. “Being able to incorporate the costumes with a fun outdoor event like mini-golf should be a fun way to get everyone to enjoy a great night.”
The event starts at 6 p.m. at Castle Creek Adventure Land on Oct. 16. Attendees are encouraged to show up in their best Halloween costumes, as there will be prizes for best costume. There will also be balloon pops filled with gift cards and other treats, golf prizes and much more.
“All of the people who normally attend the masquerade each year know about our balloon pops, which are a ton of fun and always hold some great gifts,” said Baker. “We’re excited to be able to offer these kinds of fun activities to all the generous people who donate for the fundraiser.”
Tickets, which are limited to this event, are $25 each for pre-sale and $30 at the door. Tickets must be purchased through Marblehead Arts by either calling 781-631-2608 or by going online to https://marbleheadarts.org.
Marblehead Arts is also looking for volunteers and sponsors for the event. Those who are available to volunteer or would like to be a sponsor of this event can call Patti Baker at 781-631-2608 or email [email protected].
With the cooler weather starting to set in, Marblehead Arts won’t be hosting many more outdoor events in 2020 after holding a number of outdoor courses that were COVID-19 compliant during the summer. And with COVID-19 regulations only allowing 25 people at a time in The Hooper Mansion, indoor events are also in question for the time being. For now, Baker plans on moving things back to a virtual setting for most events.
“We’re still working things out, but it’s certainly tough to hold any kind of big event now that the weather is starting to cool down,” said Baker. “This mini-golf fundraiser will be a fun way to close out the year in terms of outdoor events before we start moving to more virtual events.”
The Marblehead Arts Association is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and receives no local, state or federal funding, raising 100 percent of its operating income through donations.