Zahid Iqbal
Aggie Cromwell, played by Debbie Reynolds, was the grandmother younger kids wanted to have. Why? Because she was a witch that was the best of the best. She helped train her grandchildren to become witches themselves and use their powers for good instead of evil- and she was the one that introduced them all to Halloweentown. She was the grandmother everyone wanted because of how sweet, kind, and fun she was.
Grandma Aggie, Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie in Halloweentown.
Image via: E! Online
St. Helens, Oregon is home to the set of Halloweentown and every year since the film debuted, fans have a chance to go to this town and see what it is like all throughout October. People in this town go to the extreme and recreate the set for fans to scream for; for example, the town square transforms itself to resemble the scene right out of the movie so fans can experience the jack-o-lantern ceremony and get into the full spirit of Halloween.
Fans in front of the town center for The Spirit of Halloweentown.
Image via: KGW
Sometimes cast members like to show up during this Spirit of Halloweentown celebration, especially Marnie Cromwell, who is played by Kimberly J. Brown. She is known to make special appearances during the celebration, however, people of St. Helens are buzzing with word that this year the celebration is going to be different than last year. In fact, it’s going to be extra special for a special reason.
What the jack-o-lantern looks like in St. Helens, Oregon for Halloween.
Image via: ACB News
The Spirit of Halloweentown reached out to Facebook users and invited them to come celebrate this year with them. Kimberly J. Brown made the special announcement and told fans that not only is she appearing at the event, but a few other people from the hit movie are coming as well. Judith Hoag (Gwen, the mother of the Cromwell family), J. Paul Zimmerman (Dylan, Marnie’s brother), and potentially Emily Roeske (Sophie, the little sister) are going to be at St. Helens this year.
The cast in front of the pumpkin on the set of Halloweentown.
Image via: That Oregon Life
The reason why they are coming together is to honor the late Debbie Reynolds, who unfortunately passed away at the end of last year, during the pumpkin lighting ceremony. During her message to fans on Facebook, Kimberly J. Brown went into detail about how they plan on honoring Debbie: there is going to be a small monument set up during the pumpkin lighting ceremony in honor of her. Kimberly expressed her love for Debbie throughout her announcement and expressed that the town and the cast wanted to do something special in memory of her. Kimberly also promised that before the ceremony starts, they will be doing a fan from the iconic Disney movie.
Fans and townspeople celebrating the jack-o-lantern ceremony.
Image via: ABC News
Debbie Reynolds was a phenomenal actress who played in various roles throughout her life. To 90’s kids, though, she will always be the hip and cool Grandma Aggie who was the best witch out there. Debbie once said that she took the role as Grandma Aggie so her granddaughter, actress Billie Lourd, would watch something Debbie was in and actually enjoy it.
The late Debbie Reynolds with her daughter, the late Carrie Fisher.
Image via: KWWL
The jack-o-lantern ceremony and the tribute to Debbie will be held on October 14, 2017 in St. Helens, Oregon, but if you want to get into the spirit of Halloween early and show your love for Debbie before the ceremony, there are events all throughout October that fans can be apart of. Event, ticket, and other various information for The Spirit of Halloweentown can be found here and Kimberly J. Brown’s announcement can be found here. Make sure you grab your tickets and pack your bags- this is going to be one unforgettable ceremony to honor Debbie Reynolds.
The late Debbie Reynolds.
Image via: Wealth Olino