At least two shopping malls in Iowa won’t be offering their usual “Trick-or-Treat” events this Halloween. Wally Brewster’s a spokesman with General Growth Properties, which operates dozens of malls across the nation.
Many malls hold trick-or-treat events, but the company doesn’t think it’s appropriate this year. General Growth operates the Coral Ridge shopping center in Coralville, and Mall of the Bluffs in Council Bluffs. Brewster says in recent years, plenty of parents have come to prefer taking kids to the controlled environment of a shopping mall to enjoy “Beggar’s night” events, rather than having them walk dark streets.
Brewster says this year, parents are having even smaller events, spending it with neighbors and friends. Brewster says the shopping malls won’t bar merchants from holding sales, specials or events of their own with a Halloween theme.
He says management doesn’t want to host events but the malls will be open regular hours and there will no doubt be plenty of promotions.
General Growth owns or operates 146 malls in 39 states.
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