City Hall celebrates Halloween with Marvelous Harvest Festival
Hundreds of children and their parents filled Linn Park and the Short 20th Street North outside Birmingham City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 31 to celebrate the Marvelous Harvest Festival, which got its name because City of Birmingham employees were dressed as characters from the Marvel comic series.
The free event was created to provide a fun, family-friendly activity in a safe environment.
“This festival gave students a chance to understand that government’s role is to serve people of all ages, even the youngest customers. Children were able to have face-to-face interaction with our employees in a fun atmosphere and learn about what they do, too,’’ said Galvin Billups, executive director of the Mayor’s Office Division of Youth Services. “Mayor Randall Woodfin’s approach is to make sure that the city’s young people have safe and fun activities. Tonight’s event was to meet that purpose,’’ Billups said.
Children 12 and younger experienced free horse rides, video games, performances by various acts, inflatables, visits form Mayor Woodfin, candy, a DJ, a free movie and food trucks. The City Hall’s first floor was converted into a fun house with employees dressed as characters from movies about X-Men, the Incredible Hulk and Black Panther and did exercises that look at various character traits that the movie characters and real-life people can possess.
Upon a child’s exit from the Fun House, they met the city’s own “public service super heroes’’ such as police officers, 911 officials, public works and officials with Birmingham Fire and Rescue.
