ABOUT THE EVENT
On Sunday October 27th 2013 the Bangor YMCA hosted the second MARTiAL YOU Pre-Halloween Family Bash Event for the Bangor community. The event was created by MARTiAL YOU to give back to the community and help showcase the martial arts programs available at the YMCA. These programs give both youth and adults an opportunity to learn new skills, stay fit and exercise their minds.
Among the several programs offered through the Bangor YMCA are Childcare, Camps, Swimming, and Martial Arts. Hundreds of local children benefit from these programs and have fun in the process. MARTiAL YOU, which is dedicated to promoting programs based on martial arts decided to once again collaborate with the YMCA to put on this event for the Bangor community.
Just as in 2012, MARTiAL YOU helped to provide a volunteer base and raised funds from some awesome local area businesses to sponsors the event. Please check out our sponsor page to see who funded this event! Some YMCA staff and volunteers teamed up with MARTiAL YOU staff and volunteers to organize, run and promote the Halloween activities. See some of our volunteers in action here.
Over 600 children got to experience a safe and fun time while participating in activities such as face painting, crafts, games, swimming, and of course going through the awesome haunted house on the third floor. Above is the original promotional video created by Shawn Hill to get folks interested.
NEWS COVERAGE TO PROMOTE THE EVENT
ACTIVITIES GALORE
As promised we had tons of fun activities for the community to participate in. We used every free space within the multi-floor YMCA building to setup games and crafts, face painting, pumpkin painting, a snack center, martial arts demonstration and our haunted house. The only thing we did not have was enough photographers taking pictures! Way too much goin on but I did get some photos from Cory Hill of Over The Hill Photography.
{gallery}Halloween-Bash/2013-Event{/gallery}
MARTIAL ARTS DEMONSTRATION
John Mannet of the Shaolin Kempo program volunteered to put on a self defense show for all those who came in. He did a great job at organizing his demo and all the students did a fantastic job executing their skills. After Shaolin Kempo the students from the Olympic Taekwondo program showed off their breaking techniques with pine boards and cement patio blocks. Yeah, I said cement patio blocks! Awesome job guys!
{gallery}Halloween-Bash/2013-Demo{/gallery}
HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE LIGHT
Tons of work was done to create a unique and flowing haunted house that would be seen by hundreds of kids. From design to build it was by far the most work for our volunteers.
{gallery}Halloween-Bash/2013-Haunted-House{/gallery}
HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE DARK! AND SPOOKY TV WITH HUMOR
Without the donations from our sponsors this event would not be happening at all!
ORIGINAL EVENT INFORMATION
ACTIVITIES PLANNED
Face Painting - 2nd Floor
For those who wish to become a canvas for fun art with washable hypoallergenic paint designed to be used on skin. If you plan on swimming during this event, think about getting your face paint done after the swim. If you decide to swim after the face painting, remember to wash it all off before entering the pool.
Pumpkin Painting – 2nd Floor
Forget about pumpkin carving, we want you to exercise your artistic talent and paint a mini pumpkin.
Ghost Making – 2nd Floor
Feeling crafty, try your hand at making a ghost from simple materials such as polyfill, foam, and tissue paper. Feeling extra crafty? Try to make you ghost light enough to float by using tissue paper and a helium balloon.
Games & Treats – 2nd Floor
Because not all kids are thrilled to be scared by creatures of the night, we are providing a “games for treat” section so kids can earn their treats by winning at Halloween themed challenges.
Haunted House – 3rd Floor
For the older youth we have a haunted house that’s sure to thrill, but not scare you to death. The entire 3rd floor of the YMCA building will be converted to a dark, mysterious place filled with Halloween chills. 
Parents: The haunted house section of our event is not designed for children under 10 years of age. As a parent you will know your child's tolerance to these types of environments and we will be relying on you to make the call on whether or not to allow your child into this area. Just as most haunted houses include, ours will have a low light setting with sounds and props designed around typical scary imagery that is associated with Halloween.
Each child going through the haunted house will be given a glow stick for an extra amount of light they can carry with them.
Open Swimming – Means Pool
Enjoy some water fun during your visit. Bring a swim suit and take a dip in the YMCA Means pool. All children swimming should be accompanied by an adult.
4:30pm to 7:00pm - Open Swim
Dance! – Aerobics Studio
Can you dance? Can you dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller? How about the Monster Mash? Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner you may have fun learning the moves to one of these songs.
2:30pm to 3:00pm - Instructed Dance
5:00pm to 5:30pm - Instructed Dance
5:30pm to 6:00pm - Open Dance
6:00pm to 6:30pm - Instructed Dance
6:30pm to 7:00pm - Open Dance
Martial Arts Demonstration - Aerobics Studio
Watch some of the students from the Shaolin Kempo program and the Taekwondo program display their skills during the martial demonstrations.
3:00pm - Shaolin Kempo Demonstration
4:00pm - Taekwondo Breaking Demonstration
Concessions - Lobby
Concessions will be available throughout the event so don’t worry you won’t go hungry while having fun. Some of the local areas businesses will be providing coffee, tea, juice, water and snacks to keep everyone energized. Get them while supplies last because once we run out thats it!
Costumes
Come dressed up in your favorite costume but don’t forget a swim suit also! And don’t worry parents, costumes are not required but do add to the fun.
CONTESTS
EYEBALL CHALLENGE
On October 27th 2013 participants who fill out and submit an Eyeball Challenge contest card between 2:00pm and 7:00pm will have a chance to win a Family Day Package in our Eyeball Challenge thanks to four great sponsors. The Family Day Package will include four movie passes to Bangor Mall Cinemas, $30.00 in coupons + 2 FREE kids meal coupons from chili's, two FREE day passes from Playland Adventures in Brewer, and 4 coupons for a free game of bowling from the Sports Arena in Hermon!!
How do you win? Simply be first one who comes closest to guessing the exact amount of eyeballs stored inside our tall glass vase on display at the event.
How do you enter to win? Stop by the Bangor YMCA on October 27th 2013 between 2:00pm and 7:00pm, fill out an Eyeball Challenge contest card, get a staff member to put the time on it and your done. If you come the closest to guessing the exact number of eyeballs contained within the vase and you are the first to do so, you win! If you are able to guess the exact number of eyeballs contained within the vase and are the first to do so, not only do you win but you get to keep the vase with all the eyeballs!!
The vase contains several plastic and chocolate eyeballs of two different sizes. The exact number has been pre-counted and that number placed in a secure spot.
COLORING CHALLENGE
Download and print out one or both of the Color Challenge pin-up sheets, or stop by the Bangor YMCA from now until October 25th and ask the welcome center for one. Use your imagination and color in the logo on the sheet with a Halloween theme or create an entire Halloween scene. Write your full name, phone number and the date on the back of the pin-up. Bring it back to the Bangor YMCA to be put on display then let your artwork speak for itself.
Members will cast votes on which artwork they like the best throughout the days leading up to the Pre-Halloween Family Bash. If you are the lucky one with the most votes you could win our Coloring Challenge prize!
Make sure you get your artwork submitted as soon as possible in order to allow members to see it and cast their votes. If you submit your artwork too late members may not have a chance to vote on it.
