Big Boo!seum Bash Makes Fright Night at Little Rock Museums
Never take candy from strangers? Well, children do it every Oct. 31, and that’s just one of the things about Halloween that give parents a fright. So with safety and kids’ love for Halloween in mind, a group of Little Rock museums and attractions have been hosting the Big Boo!seum Bash for 21 years running.
The bash, hosted by the Greater Little Rock Museums and Cultural Attractions Consortium, opens participating locations at no charge to the public from 5:30 to 8:30 on Oct. 27. This year 14 participating groups at 10 museums and other sites will be dressed up for fright night and offering special activities and trick-or-treating for your little goblins. The event lets kids strut their costumes, grab some candy and take in some culture.
This year’s participants are the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, the Museum of Discovery, the Old State House Museum (the Arkansas State Capitol will participate on-site), the Historic Arkansas Museum, Historic Curran Hall, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History (Firehouse Hostel & Museum will participate on-site), the Arkansas Arts Center and Arkansas Children’s Theatre, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site will participate on-site), the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum (North Little Rock Heritage Center will participate on-site) and the Arkansas Travelers baseball club.
Libby Lloyd, communications manager at the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the bureau will be providing game cards for families to use to enter a drawing for prizes. “Families will pick up a game card at one of the locations and get it stamped,” she said. “At each location that they visit, they keep getting their card stamped. They fill out the card and they mail it in to us … and we put them into a random drawing.”
The number of stamps determines the number of entries into the drawing; last year’s prize was an electronic tablet and a $100 gift card. A social media contest is also featured, and the consortium put together a gift package.
Attractions at each venue will vary, but the MacArthur Museum is known for its carnival-style event, the Museum of Discovery features a spooky animals exhibit and a mad science exhibit. Expect decorations and costumed personnel at the Old State House Museum. Parents who want to give kids an enriching Halloween experience can simply head to the museums with confidence. Once the kids see all the candy, there’ll be no groaning — until the stomachaches set in.