On Friday night, Whiting held its annual Wickedly Whiting festival to celebrate the Halloween season. Once again the streets of Whiting were filled with community members and visitors reveling in the festive atmosphere. Vendors, talent performances, costumes, and activities lined 119th Street in what amounted to the first of two fun evenings.
“It is very important,” said Paige Grabinski, events coordinator at the Mascot Hall of Fame.
“Not only does it raise awareness, but I feel like we make everybody smile. We're here, and we are cheerful. We're giving people knowledge about the place and how great all the staff and museum is.”
While some like the museum have come for multiple years, Joelle Farano came for her first Wickedly Whiting to be a vendor selling jewelry.
“We love Halloween and we were really excited,” said Farano. “That's one of the reasons we came from the Chicago suburbs to be part of the Wickedly Whiting. I love all the costumes I'm seeing, the makeup, and also everyone getting into the Halloween spirit.”
People of all ages and enthusiasm for Halloween came out to see the festival. Being just down the street from the festival, museum attendees had to come over to what it was all about. 2nd grader Bridie Gallagher and her family were one such case.
“I went to the Mascot Hall of Fame, and then I came over to check out the festival,” said Gallagher. “I like it, but I'm also a little scared of the costumes.”
Between the Museum, beach, and the festivals, Wickedly Whiting is one such example of why Whiting is such a fun place to be. It is why Whiting residents stay in the town.
“It's why I grew up here and it’s why I stay here,” said Liz Drewniak. “It's just nice to live here.”
Wickedly Whiting also is one of the things that has attracted people to Whiting.
“When I moved here a couple of years ago, this was the first Whiting event I came to before I worked with the museum, and it was absolutely amazing,” said Grabinski. “This actually made me love this town even more. The atmosphere and aesthetic of how there's a community in this town was amazing. I'm from a big town called Chicago, so I never got to experience this. I love it.”
At the festival, there were entertainment performances by JEZZIBEL on the main stage that included fire juggling, hula hooping, and more. There was also the witches' dance to conclude the first evening’s events.
“I'm really thankful to be part of it, and I'm looking forward to the rest tomorrow,” said Farano.
If you missed Friday’s events, there is still time to enjoy Saturday’s entertainment. There is a dog, kids, and adult costume contest all happening tomorrow. You will not want to miss out on your chances to see JEZZIBEL and all the other performances.
For more information about future Whiting events, please visit https://www.whitingevents.com/.
