By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
The 23rd Annual Monster Mash will take place in historic downtown Del Rio on Saturday, Oct.
21, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The community event is put together by the Del Rio Downtown Association (DRDA), a non-profit
organization. Alexandra Calderon, chairperson of the association, said the event is one of the
biggest fundraisers that helps the organization host more community events in the future.
To stay in tradition from previous years, Calderon said the Monster Mash is taking place on the
last Saturday of October, and to kick off the Monster Mash excitement, the DRDA is also
hosting the fifth annual Halloween parade, which will be on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. The
parade will start at Ogden and South Main Streets and continue south on South Main to
Nicholson Street.
Calderon said a Halloween parade is fun to have and has been well received by the community.
The parade will also have a contest with cash prizes being given out to three winners.
Fifteen vendors will be at the Monster Mash, along with bouncy castles set up in the Rotary
Pocket Park. Calderon said there are many volunteers helping with the event, including students
from the culinary art courses at the Del Rio High School, who will provide cakes they will create
for the cakewalks.
Calderon said the biggest change of this year’s Monster Mash is that there will not be a haunted
house. She also said the event is being moved closer up north on Main Street, away from the
Paul Poag Theatre.
Calderon said the Halloween event, and the entirety of other community events, is made
possible through the vendors, volunteers and the community coming out for the family-friendly
festivities.
“After the event is over, it’s a very rewarding feeling to have been able to deliver to the
community, especially giving back (with community events). That’s the way of giving back is by
doing events and providing a safe evening (for families),” Calderon said.
The Monster Mash will also have a costume contest. Calderon said the contest’s theme is
centered on everything Halloween-related, allowing everyone with a costume to participate.
There will be three categories based on age, with three winners in each category receiving cash
prizes.
