It is gratifying to see the travel discovery platform, TripsToDiscover, name St. Helens’ own Spirit of Halloweentown Festival one of the “16 Best Halloween Events in the US” – not bad for a festival in a small town of 14,000. So how did this all begin? According to the Festival website, “in 1998 the small city of St. Helens served as a backdrop to the Disney Channel Halloween classic “Halloweentown”, and each year thereafter they transform their Riverfront District into the Spirit of Halloweentown, a celebration of all things spooky. This month-long event has attracted tens of thousands of visitors and is geared toward anyone who loves Halloween. The Spirit of Halloweentown has been featured on ABC News, MTV, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Country Living, Huffington Post, and many other recognized news outlets.”
St. Helens has also played a starring role in many other productions such as; “Twilight” (2008), “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” (2006), “Everyman’s War” (2009), “Things I Never Told You” (1996), “Train Master” (2008), “Raising Flagg” (2006) to name a few. There is a dedicated stop on the Oregon Film Trail in downtown St. Helens and many movie scene locations can be discovered using the (free) SetJetters app. Check it out this fall!
