Tower Blendz owner Antony Ayodele is teaming up with more than 20 Tower District businesses this Halloween for a 22-stop candy crawl aimed at bringing families and more daytime foot traffic to the Fresno neighborhood.
The free event takes place Saturday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 8 p.m., with trick-or-treating along Olive, Wishon and Fulton avenues from 3 to 6 p.m. Families can then head to Tower Blendz for additional activities, including a planned costume contest, vendor pop-ups and free ice cream supplied by Lee’s Air.
Ayodele, who has operated Tower Blendz in the district for eight years, says the formal route was created to separate family trick-or-treating from the neighborhood’s adult nightlife.
“We wanted to put some structure around it, get some volunteers to help out, but also make sure that we weren’t mixing our daytime with our nighttime, especially with having kids out there later on in the evening in the Tower, it might be a little bit unsafe,” Ayodele says.
Bringing families back to the Tower District
Families can pick up a stamp card at any participating stop to navigate the route, which includes designated trunk-or-treat setups at India’s Oven, Bebe O’s Vintage Boutique, Banzai Sushi and Tower Blendz.
Organizers are also seeking 26 volunteers to assist with event setup, route support, family guidance and activities.
At 6 p.m., participants can gather at Tower Blendz at 802 E. Olive Ave. for additional festivities. Organizers are planning a costume contest with potential categories for scariest, cutest and most creative costumes, with gift cards from local businesses proposed as prizes.
Plans for an outdoor movie fell through after Ayodele was unable to secure permission to use the business’s parking lot. He says the landlord raised liability concerns, while the city quoted organizers more than $1,800 to use a nearby park.
While the movie is out, Ayodele says the focus remains on building daytime momentum for district businesses.
“What we really are pushing for is that this will be the beginning of us reclaiming the day in the Tower District,” Ayodele says.
He says he wants more attention placed on families and residents who visit local businesses during the day, rather than focusing primarily on nightlife.
“So our goal is we want to initiate more of that daytime activity. We want to seize the day in the Tower District so that businesses and families have an opportunity to also be served,” Ayodele says.
Participating businesses
The following businesses are listed as stamp stops on the event map:
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Tower Blendz — 802 E. Olive Ave.
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Piemonte’s Italian Delicatessen — 616 E. Olive Ave.
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Irene’s Café — 747 E. Olive Ave.
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The Lincoln Pub & Grub — 609 E. Olive Ave.
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Howlin Wolf — 890 E. Olive Ave.
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Bebe O’s Vintage Boutique — 1130 N. Wishon Ave.
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Tipzy’s Tacos & Beer — 920 E. Olive Ave.
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Bobby Salazar’s Taqueria — 725 E. Olive Ave.
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Splash Bar Fresno — 644 E. Olive Ave.
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Sequoia Brewing Co. — 777 E. Olive Ave.
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Tower Theatre — 815 E. Olive Ave.
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India’s Oven — 1186 N. Fulton St.
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Banzai Japanese Bar / Sushi — 704 E. Olive Ave.
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Teazers World Tea — 645 E. Olive Ave.
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CDT Cocina — 805 E. Olive Ave.
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Detention Billiards — 750 E. Olive Ave.
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El Patio Mexican Restaurant — 424 E. Olive Ave.
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Aromas Restaurant — 516 E. Olive Ave.
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Lucy’s Lounge — 733 E. Olive Ave.
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Vibez Lounge — 722 E. Olive Ave.
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Perfect Blendz Cigars — 838 E. Olive Ave.
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AK Smoke Shop — 716 E. Olive Ave.
Lee’s Air is sponsoring the event’s ice cream truck.
Community members interested in volunteering can sign up online.
Ayodele hopes the Halloween event will be the beginning of a larger effort to change how families experience the Tower District.
“I think a bigger solution to what’s going on in the Tower is that we need to shift the culture and the storyline,” Ayodele says.
