LYNN — More than 50 costumed kids and adults alike gathered at Frederick Douglass Park for a Halloween celebration Friday evening.
Trick or Treat at Final Fridays was the last installment of the 2023 Lynn Museum/LynnArts “Final Fridays” series and featured several activities, including candy-apple making, a bouncy castle, and art activities held by Raw Art Works.
The night featured live music from the stage at the park, along with a showing of the silent film adaptation of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” from 1913 featuring a live-music score performed by the Lynn Chamber Players inside the museum.
According to Lynn Museum/LynnArts Executive Director Doneeca Thurston, Friday’s event closed out the city’s third successful Final Fridays series. 2023 was the first year in which Youth and Community Engagement Coordinator Jah’Nyah Spencer led the program.
“Jah’Nyah joined our team in March specifically to help us oversee our ‘Final Fridays’ series,” Thurston said. “It’s been a spectacular year.”
Spencer said she was happy to see how organizing “Final Fridays” events had activated the downtown area during the course of the various events.
“It’s nice to have the perspective of putting the event together and utilizing the space,” Spenser said. “It’s been a very good year.”
Spencer added that she is excited to help with community engagement, especially with the arts, in the future.
“Our arts and culture has really started to thrive and it’s brought us more economic growth,” Spencer said. “I think that’s very important.”
She also noted how important it is to her that young people are given opportunities to get involved in the city in positive ways.
“It gives young people something to look forward to. When they feel like their city doesn’t have anything fun or exciting going on, they’re going to want to go elsewhere,” Spenser said. “It’s right there in front of them, we just have to find a way to show them that it’s there.”
