'Monster Mashup' event hosted by New Kensington Arts Center, Voodoo Brewery

New Kensington’s main drag was bustling Saturday evening with kids in costumes — from zombies and vampires, to fairies and butterflies, to movie villains and superheroes.

They descended upon the New Kensington Arts Center on Fifth Avenue for a children-focused spate of Halloween-themed activities.

Clad in a Spider-Man muscle suit and “Transformers” mask, 5-year-old Milo Smittle focused intensely on his footwork as he busted moves to “The Gummy Bear Song.” He drew a dancing partner in 9-year-old Talaya Jackson, who sported black work boots and a Freddy Kruger-style striped sweater.

Sequita Smith laughed in delight as her grandson, 4-year-old Sequorri, searched for the perfect crayon to color a picture of a wolf howling at the moon.

“We didn’t even know all this existed here,” said Smith, gesturing to how much fun her niece and grandkids were having in the crafts studio. “He’s happy to be coloring, and she just wants the candy.”

Dubbed the “Monster Mashup,” the event was a joint effort by the New Kensington Arts Center in collaboration with neighboring business Voodoo Brewery, located on Fifth near 10th Street. Dozens of children took home candy and certificates for participating in a costume contest. It’s the first time the nonprofit center has teamed with Voodoo to host such an activity.

“This is putting us on the map,” said Joel Gabelli, a member of the arts center’s board and lifelong New Kensington resident. “This is a huge success.”

Organizers credit getting the word out to families from Arnold to Lower Burrell to Springdale thanks not only to social media but also the New Kensington-Arnold School District, whose superintendent informed parents about it and posted the event’s flyer on the district’s website.

“I’m so happy with the turnout,” said Jamie Smittle, vice president of the arts center’s board.

Donning a bright pink wig and orange shirt and shoes, Smittle joined other volunteers decked out with neon accessories that popped inside the center’s black-lit “Ghoullery,” a play on the word gallery.

A green-faced, goofy Frankenstein and his jumbo-sized hands shrouded the entrance to a dark hallway adorned with “spooky and kooky” artworks by children as well as adults using fluorescent paint. Glow sticks and fake insects littered the floor while fake spiderwebs and jangly skeletons clung to the walls and ceiling. Most decorations were donated by local residents.

“There’s not too much stuff going on with little kids for Halloween, so this is nice for them — not too scary,” said Sheena Arbuckle, who learned about the event on Facebook and attended with her kids and several family members. “Usually, everything is centered around the adults over here. It’s something different.”

The New Kensington Arts Center, which dates to around 2016, is run by a group of about 20 dedicated volunteers with no paid employees. It relies on donations to put on events, run children’s arts classes and update a gallery that rotates the work of local artists.

The center aims to serve as a community hub for art, music, photography, theater, writing and crafts, with the broader goal of attracting more business nonprofits, families and visitors to the area.

“The pandemic kind of slowed everything down,” Jamie Smittle said, “but now I think everyone has a fresh energy, and especially we want to have kid-targeted events and just bring the community together here.”

Voodoo Brewery capped off the night with a separate but related beer-fueled Halloween shindig for adults, who held their own costume contest alongside hip hop performers and a DJ.