THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410250115
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ON THE TOWN
SOURCE: SAM MARTINETTE
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
If you're brave enough to be wandering about downtown Norfolk on Friday night you are likely to see witches, warlocks, goblins, saloon girls (make that saloon persons), gangsters, mummies and other assorted oddballs riding haunted trollies or walking from restaurant to restaurant.
No, it isn't one of those conventions where everyone wears a fez. It's the second annual Downtown Boo Bash, which is 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. at 10 downtown locations. Celebrity and mystery judges will be at each restaurant to judge costumed entrants who will vie for thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
I was a judge last year at J.P.'s Smokehouse in the Selden Arcade (and will be there again this year), and I can tell you that there were some fabulous outfits, including a fire-breathing dragon, a stuffed lady carrying an adult baby, some very shapely saloon persons and a host of characters well worth seeing.
The Boo Bash is the brainchild of the Restaurant Committee of the Downtown Norfolk Council.
``It's a wonderful way for the downtown restaurants to work together,'' explained Cathy Coleman of the DNC. ``We expect about a thousand contestants. There are two types of people who come out, contestants in costume and those who come to watch the show.''
Celebrants who wish to have their costumes judged should register at the Waterside Main Stage. A free trolley - the ``Boo Mobile'' - will run continuously between the participating restaurants during the event, and it is to the advantage of the contestants to be seen by as many judges as possible in order to rack up points. In addition to the official cash prizes of $500, $300 and $150, each restaurant will award prizes as well, and registrants will be eligible for a Continental Airlines trip for two to anywhere in the United States.
``It was kind of wild last year, and this being the second year we expect it to be even wilder this year,'' said John Morris of J.P.'s, one of the event's organizers. Some 5,000 people are expected to wander from restaurant to restaurant. ``A lot of people are interested in Halloween, and this will bring people from the Beach and other parts of Tidewater who will be exposed to downtown restaurants for the first time, possibly creating new customers.''
``Last year was spectacular,'' Dan Morgan of Waterside Live! said. ``We saw some very traditional costumes, some spooky, some wacky and zany. Some of the most interesting costumes were originated by downtown business people who enjoyed the chance to dress up a little differently than usual. We'll have Legends decked out to the max.''
The actual judging will take place between 6 and 9 p.m., and the winners will be announced at 10:50 p.m. during a live broadcast on Z-104 Radio. Contestants are urged to bring their fan clubs along for the show.
The participating restaurants and hotels include: Il Porto, J.P.'s Smokehouse, Legends of Norfolk, Reggie's British Pub, the Riverwalk at Omni Waterside, Phillips Seafood Restaurant, Schooner's Harbor Grill, Skipjack's Raw Bar & Grill, Stormy's Sports Pub at the Marriott, Tandom's Madison Grill, and the Waterside Food Court. Judges will include such luminaries as Ed Hughes, Tom Randles, Jim Kincaid, Joe Hoppel, Jim Hale, Joe Flanagan and Peter Decker, just to name a few.
To add to the excitement, it just so happens that this weekend the Omni will be hosting more than a thousand ``Trekkies,'' devotees of Star Trek who will be in town for ``The Big E Con,'' a convention to benefit a refurbishing of the recreation areas of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. They will be having their own costume party that evening, so the cosmic energy downtown should be pretty unusual.
The Downtown Boo Bash is free and open to the public, including a free registration for costumed participants. The event will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation and is produced by the Restaurant Committee of the Downtown Norfolk Council. by CNB