NOPA Blocks Rock Halloween

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is in this pic somewhere; organizer Leela Gill on right.

Party begins on Grove.

100s of kids & parents party in NOPA.

From fairy tales & comic books to NOPA.

BIKE NOPA's pick for Best Costumes.

Twilight in NOPA on Halloween. The blocks were full of ghosts and vampires, Harry Potters and winged princesses, and one hairy scary Supervisor. For more than four hours trick-or-treaters partied in a spooky restaurant, paraded down McAllister with the gorilla-Supervisor, and braved dark garages, squeaky stairs, and dim streets to get a stash of treats.

Grove Street from Baker to Central and Lyon Street from Fulton to Hayes were closed to traffic for the Halloween haunts, and everyone took it for granted that car-free streets were the best way to celebrate a holiday, be with neighbors, and make new friends. For a few hours a constant stream of folks filled the sidewalk between the "old" Green Chile Kitchen at Baker and Fulton and the new "GCK" at Baker and McAllister. Owner Trevor Logan opened his new location for a kids' party and kept the current restaurant powering up Halloweeners with New Mexican specialties. Afterwards, he looked around his dining room strewn with party favors, and with a weary, happy smile, and concluded, "This is the perfect way to open this space to the neighborhood. I loved it." (Trevor expects to open this week at the new location).

Thanks to NOPNA for sponsoring the Halloween blowout. Hundreds of kids and adults enjoyed all the activities. Kudos to so many neighbors who made it happen and to those who opened their homes and spooky gardens and garages to visitors. Special thanks to Leela Gill who led the organizing for Halloween while putting together NOPA's Rock the Rumble party in mid-October.