One year after a successful Halloween event, the partner of the late founder is seeking community support
A local woman is hosting their 2nd Annual Halloween event at the Desert Hot Springs Spa after the sudden death of her fiance, who was one of the most significant founders of the event. "This has been a very hard event for me personally," says local woman Jennifer Shannon. After the unexpected founder's death, Shannon is seeking community support to keep the Halloween event going for years to come.
Shannon and her late fiance Anthony partnered with the Art Foundation of Desert Hot Springs last year and gave candy to almost 2600 children who came to the event. She says their event is like a trunk or treat inside the resort, around the pool, and welcome to all.
The event is on October 31st at the Desert Hot Springs Spa, 10805 Palm Drive. Desert Hot Springs, Ca.
"I am working to create scenes, A haunted movie, vendors, and more," says Shannon. "We had a whole party room set up, and it was Amazing. Mr. Bickford, the hotel owner, was amazing last year and provided the food, a DJ, the space, and almost $1,000 in candy. Anthony and I put in the rest, and I created all of the photo scenes and scary sites."
The unexpected happened. Shannon and her late fiance Anthony discovered he had stage IV cancer in June. He passed away on August 6th. Shannon tells us that Anthony worked for Desert Regional in the cardiology department for 35 years.
Without Anthony around to spearhead the event, it has been a struggle for Shannon to fulfill the legacy they created together. Shannon says she almost did not host the event, saying times have been hard. She thought about the event last year and reminded herself that the community needs consistent events like the one she and Gutierrez created. "So many families have reached out already, wanting to know if we are doing it again because they don't feel safe taking their kids through our streets anymore, and they were so excited about everything we did last year that I cannot take that from them", says Shannon.
The owner of the Spa is still opening their space for the event. The Spa's staff participate and volunteer their time on Halloween. They are happy to host, but Shannon is seeking help from the community to keep this legacy alive in Desert Hot Springs. They have started a GoFundMe.
"But sadly, it has only reached $120," says Shannon. "I have already begun making the different decorations out of whatever I can get my hands on, but I really want to make this event something that goes on for years and gives this town a piece of hope and fun."
