The Healthy Pet Outlet, Monroe Deli, Connecticut Dance. You may be asking, what do these places have in common? All these establishments reside in one area: Clock Tower Square. Tucked into Main Street on the Stepney side of Monroe, Clock Tower Square Plaza is home to over ten businesses beloved by our town.
Since post-COVID, the plaza has hosted a fall festival celebration the weekend before Halloween, this year being no exception, taking place this past weekend on October 24th. The event is essentially a Trick-or-Treat journey through each place in the plaza. For example, the Healthy Pet Outlet had a costume contest for pets (and humans!), the Newtown Savings Bank and others were handing out free Trick-or-Treating bags and candy, and the Connecticut Dance studio sold spooky baked goods along with giving a dance performance.
The festival is mostly a hit with families, but is enjoyable for anyone.
“I love that it is a family event. It’s for children and their families, and they can come here in a safe environment and they can trick or treat and enjoy all the decorations, prizes, and games,” said the owner of Connecticut Dance, Andrea Stratford.
Connecticut Dance has been a big participant in the event since its start. Their older students had a table outside the studio selling homemade baked treats (with all proceeds going to the Monroe Food Pantry), and a crowd gathered to watch their dancers aged 8-17 perform and promote the business.
“My favorite part was being able to perform in front of everyone and the little kids because we were having a great time dancing all together, our team, and we were doing it for the little kids who were trick or treating,” said Masuk sophomore, Milena Wadolkowski, a dancer at Connecticut Dance.
Another big attraction was the Healthy Pet Outlet’s pet costume contest. Taking place at 11:30am sharp, the grand winner of the contest was a dog dressed as a flower accompanied by a watering can. The business crowned the winners of six categories: grand prize, cutest, funniest, best theme, best group, and scariest.
Overall, the event was a lovely opportunity to celebrate the season of fall and Halloween. It was also a reminder of the good that can come out of a close-knit community coming together to create a place full of positive energy and fun. Cheers to the commencement of the spooky season!
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