October 13, 2022
A fresh concept for a local Halloween event has rallied entertainers, businesses, vendors, schools and non-profits from all over the region to partner up with The Storm Halloween Festival & Marketplace in Lake Elsinore.
A female-owned event management startup has partnered with a successful producer and a single-A minor league baseball organization to bring a new community event to life in Lake Elsinore. The Storm Halloween Festival & Marketplace has been in the works for more than two years now. The brain child of entrepreneur and small business owner, Shannon Lee, during the COVID-19 shutdown. Shannon wanted to create an in-person event that would bring together families with children of all ages to celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year, without creepy characters or smokey haunted houses.
"Who says Halloween events have to scare the socks off of you? There are very few ways that parents and children can enjoy the fun of this holiday together. This is an old-school Halloween Festival with rides, games, food and live entertainment! Also, not everyone is hot on sending their kids out to trick-or-treat these days. Now the entire family can come to enjoy the festival together and we have safe trick-or-treat activities as well as a kids' costume contest!" -SHANNON LEE | OWNER, SHF&M LLC
Lee has partnered with friend and long-time events producer, Jonathan Piumelli, leveraging his production expertise to help design and execute the festival. Also joining the team is Mark Beskid, General Manager of Events for the Lake Elsinore Storm. The Storm is a single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and plays as the home team at the Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium. This venue is 7,000 seat sports stadium owned by the City of Lake Elsinore and often utilized for major events such as concerts and festivals.
"When Shannon said she wanted to bring this event to the community in Lake Elsinore, I knew it would be something special. My first call was to Mark Beskid at The Storm baseball organization. They have the venue and experience to be the perfect partner for this endeavor. Mark immediately loved the idea, and since then. we have been working closely to get this just right." -JONATHAN PIUMELLI, EVENT PRODUCER
Mr. Piumelli has brought in headlining entertainers such as Kevin Johnson, world famous ventriloquist who has appeared on America's Got Talent, Late Show with David Letterman, and many others. Johnson, a Temecula resident, has found time in his busy international touring schedule to perform on Saturday, October 29 at 7:30pm. Shows are free to the public along with all other entertainment happening throughout the three-day event.
Local schools such as Elsinore High School and Temescal Canyon High School will be showcasing student talent with performances by Cheer, Dance and others on Saturday morning beginning at 11:00am. Folk dancing and a kids sing-along are planned for Sunday morning with local sensation, Anthony The Magic, capping off the night, performing his jaw-dropping stage illusions at 8:00pm.
Food trucks will feature delicious bites such as street tacos, shrimp ceviche, chicken n waffle cones, gourmet BBQ and much more! The large retail marketplace is offering one-of-a-kind bargains with custom engraved jewelry, vintage band t-shirts, boutique hand-made clothing, and the list goes on. The Diamond Taproom will be hosting a beer garden featuring draught pours for guests 21 and up.
The real attraction, however, are the attractions! Ten major amusement rides, midway games, inflatables, a zombie blaster experience, and a pumpkin patch with decorating activities. There will also be safe trick-or-treating for youngsters 12 and under in our vendor marketplace everyday, and a kids' kostume kontest happening Saturday and Sunday at 4:30pm**. First prize is a pair of VIP wristbands valid for all attractions with no time restrictions!
Admission is free. Parking is $20 per vehicle. Please be prepared for all stadium concessions and services as well as some vendors to accept cashless payment only. ATM's will be available for all other needs. Hours of operation are Friday, Oct. 28: 4pm - 10pm, Saturday, Oct. 29: 10am* - 10pm, Sunday, Oct. 30: 10am* - 10pm. Please visit https://stormhalloweenfestival.com for complete details.
*Rides/Games will open at 12pm on Saturday and Sunday.
**All participants must be 12 years of age or younger. Participants much register with an adult at the information booth between 10:30am and 3:30pm, for the contest taking place that same day. Rules and restrictions apply. Please see our staff at the festival information booth for complete details.
Festival attendees enjoying a ride aboard the classic Eli Bridge Hy-5 Ferris Wheel
ABOUT THE TEAM: The Storm Halloween Festival & Marketplace is produced by SHF&M LLC in association with Storm Events LLC. Shannon Lee, Event Planner and Entrepreneur has a background in child development and is a mother of two. Jonathan Piumelli, Events Producer of 25 years experience, has previously produced events for the Disneyland Resort, LEGOLAND California Resort, and fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Adidas and VF Corp. Mark Beskid is General Manager of Storm Events at the Diamond Stadium and manages both in-house and contracted events for Storm Baseball. Kevin Johnson is a ventriloquist and owns Laff-A-Lot Entertainment in Temecula, CA. Carnival rides and games are owned and operated by Christiansen Amusements based in Escondido, CA.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:
Mr. Jonathan Piumelli
Storm Halloween Festival & Marketplace Producer
stormhalloweenfestival@gmail.com
(760) 593-7873
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