October 17, 2020

By Julie Cook
Events & Promotions Director

Dust off the cobwebs on your family photo albums and get your Halloween costumes ready because Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street will host its first ever Virtual Costume Contest. “To help keep our community safe and healthy, we unfortunately must cancel our in-person Boos, Barks & Badges Halloween parade. We wanted to do something creative to keep the spirit of the event alive,” said Julie Cook, Events & Promotions Director for Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street. The contest is sponsored by the Lee’s Summit Police and Fire Departments, Security Bank of Kansas City, and Spilker McKeone & Nelson PC.

New this year, families can submit photos online at downtownls.org/event/virtual through October 23rd. Family photos and individual photos will be accepted, along with photos of pets. “Whether you have a dog, cat, iguana, or llama, we want to see them in costume,” said Carmen Spaeth with the LSPD. A panel of judges will select the top three costumes in each category. Winners will be featured in a video premiere event on the Downtown Lee’s Summit Facebook page on Saturday, October 31st at noon. Awards will be presented in five categories including Favorite Girl, Favorite Boy, Favorite Pet, Most Unique, and Favorite Family/Group. The top three finalists will receive a certificate and a Downtown Lee’s Summit gift card, redeemable at over 60 locally-owned businesses.

The Boos, Barks & Badges Parade has been a longstanding collaboration between the Lee’s Summit Police and Fire Departments and Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street. Carmen Spaeth enlisted the help of some furry friends over at the Animal Control department to spread the word about the virtual event. As part of their #furryfridays campaign to encourage pet adoption, Maggie and Mercedes donned their favorite costumes to show their support.

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization and preservation of historic Downtown Lee’s Summit. For more information about the Virtual Costume Contest, visit www.downtownls.org/events.