Booogie 2006 is a MONSTER Success!
By Sylvia Flores, Administrative Assistant to Director of Cultural and Human Services

On the weekend of October 27th and 28th, ghosts and goblins were around every corner at the Sunny Isles Beach Government Center. If you were brave enough to venture out into the streets that weekend, we hope you stopped by the city’s Halloween event, Booogie by the Beach 2006. If you did, we know you had a great time!

People of all ages came out (approximately 1,500 over two days) to play games, enjoy rides, eat fun carnival foods, dance, and see the city’s annual Haunted House! Kids tried their luck with Ring Toss, Basketball Hoops, and Kiddie Striker, while others rode carnival rides such as Dumbo, the Ferris Wheel, and Space Orbiter. Each night, we had a “World of Wildlife” presentation with trainer, Tom. Guests were able to see and touch a variety of wild animals, including a python and even a PANTHER!

View Photos of the Event

The city’s Public Works Department and Cultural & Human Services Department began building the Haunted House one week prior to the event. The structure took seven days to build and decorate. Volunteers worked as actors inside the house, scaring anyone brave enough to walk through! Even with ghosts and spooks lurking around every turn, almost 800 people ventured through the haunted house over the two-day event.

The Sunny Isles Beach Police Department hosted a dunk tank both nights, where guests attempted to “Dunk a Cop”, for charity. This booth was very successful, raising over $500 for “Cops for Kids”, a police program created to assist families in need. Chief Fred Maas even donated his time to be one of the officers in the tank, but he didn’t stay dry for too long!

On Saturday, October 28th, the city hosted a costume contest at the event, with several different categories. It was very difficult to decide winners, as so many guests arrived in a variety of costumes. But, we had quite a few lucky winners: Robert Guillen (Scariest), John Galstyan (Scariest), Achot Putulyan (Funniest), Anastasia Accarpio (Most Original), Genesis Bedoya (Cutest), Charlotte Bawol (Cutest), Kaitlyn Friedman (Cutest), Ashley Friedman (Cutest), Massiel Concepcion (Most Original – Adult), Melissa Hopper (Funniest – Adult). Congratulations too all of you!

One of the event sponsors, Globelend Mortgage, held a two-day raffle at the event. The grand prize winner, Ana Rodriguez, was thrilled to take home a 42” plasma television. We would also like to thank the other event sponsors, which included Acqualina Ocean Residences & Resort, Bank United, Lukes’ Landscaping Inc., and Colonial Bank.

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