×

15 years of Treat Street

Annual event draws hundreds to downtown Houghton

Ben Garbacz / Daily Mining Gazette One of hundreds of families trick-or-treating in downtown Houghton.  They are dressed as the Flintstones from the famous 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
Ben Garbacz / Daily Mining Gazette Bartender Myah Campioni getting ready to start passing out candy during Treat Street for Keweenaw Brewing Company.  She is dressed as the female mascot for the brewery’s Pickaxe Blonde Ale.
Ben Garbacz / Daily Mining Gazette Treat Street 15 in downtown Houghton took place this Saturday. Hundreds of families visited downtown businesses to trick or treat.
Ben Garbacz / Daily Mining Gazette a family makes magic as characters from the Harry Potter book series.
Ben Garbacz / Daily Mining Gazette A Ghostbuster wrangles some ghouls with a craving for candy.

Rain showers did not dampen the spirits of Houghton children and their parents as they trick-or-treated up and down Shelden Avenue for the city’s 15th Treat Street on Saturday afternoon. Umbrellas were seen here and there, but hundreds of costumed residents mingled with one another downtown with traffic redirected off the main road while Houghton businesses handed out candy to children. There were a multitude of costumes including dozens of Ghostfaces from the Scream franchise, a few Jack Skellingtons and Sallys from the Nightmare Before Christmas, several hockey players, a couple of Ghostbusters and even one individual dressed as Amanda Young from the Saw franchise wearing a homemade reverse bear trap on her face.

While there were many returning for an annual tradition, many were participating in their first Treat Street. One of them was a server from Ambassador Restaurant, Catherine Aikuino, who was passing out candy to trick-or-treaters while dressed as a member of House Slytherin from the Harry Potter franchise. She did not know that Houghton held this event every year, but was excited to participate when she learned about it.

“It’s so cute,” Aikuino said. “I love seeing all the outfits of the little ones and the amount of kids who like, grab one candy. It amazes me.”

She said that she loves being in Houghton and that she hopes to see the restaurant participate in more events such as this. Among those who are returning to the event is Houghton Community and Business Development Director Amy Zawada. She said that while this year’s Treat Street did not have an area with a petting zoo like years prior, she was happy that so many families could gather for a safe trick-or treating experience.

“I think it’s just a great community event for people to do safe trick or treating, especially with little kids,” Zawada said. “The roads are closed, so it’s an easy day for everyone. We definitely love doing it because it’s a widely attended event that everyone loves.”

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today