A tinge of bittersweetness lingered in the air at the Mars Wrigley factory in Galewood on Halloween.
But it wasn’t the smell of the tens of thousands of pounds of chocolate produced at the plant.
It was the feeling among hordes of costumed families that turned out for the final “Boo Bash” event ahead of the factory’s closure at the end of the year.
In an assembly-style fashion, staff members scooped giant handfuls of Snickers, Milky Ways, Skittles and more into the bags and buckets of dalmatians, Minions, vampires, skeletons, princesses and jesters. The company expected to give away approximately 1 million pieces of candy to an estimated 10,000 eager trick-or-treaters who began lining up before 3 p.m. (Some parents picked up their kids a little early from school to participate in the fun.)
Residents of Galewood and neighboring suburbs lamented the end of a tradition that has brought the community together since the early 1990s.
“We feel pretty sad because the kids are excited and we get to see a lot of costumes here,” said Inna Pokotylets, of Dunning, who attended with her husband and young daughters. “And the enormous amount of candy you get is shocking for kids. They will remember this for the rest of their lives.”
Dressed as duckies, Galewood residents Carly and Victor Balundis attended “Boo Bash” with their 18-month-old daughter, Harper. They said the event was presented as a selling point of the neighborhood.
“The cool thing is, once we moved here, this was the first thing everybody talked about,” said Victor, who also praised other benefits of the plant’s presence in the area.
“You smell the chocolate and the sugar in the air. This factory has been here forever, so I think a lot of people appreciate the fact that there’s history here as opposed to apartment buildings or something else.”
In 2022, Mars Wrigley announced the shuttering of the 20-acre site, which opened at 2019 N. Oak Park Ave. in 1929. The company is currently working with Chicago-based developer McCaffery Interests to determine a new future for property. And the City Council is expected to declare the front portion of the Spanish Revival-style building as a historic landmark.
Mars Wrigley will continue to operate manufacturing facilities in suburban Burr Ridge and Yorkville, as well as a research hub on Goose Island.
But the “Boo Bash” went out with a bang as people and cars packed Oak Park Avenue on Thursday. The cutoff for the end of the line was 6 p.m., and staff were prepared to stay as long as necessary to hand out the sugary scoops to the final person. Last year, it was 9 p.m.
Site Director Chris Marlowe said the 2023 “Boo Bash” had been planned as the final iteration, so this year’s event was a surprise to the neighborhood.
“We say we create moments of happiness, and so this is an opportunity for us to do what we say that we’re about,” he said. “Just look around. Look at all of the smiles, especially the little kids. They’re loving every single bit of this.”
Several youngsters were dressed as aliens — a fitting getup given that Mars employees are known as “Martians.” Other memorable attendees included a tiny Wednesday Addams spotted next to Chicago’s own Chucky, and a child dressed as a vending machine with actual candy inside. (The machine was charging $1 per item.)
And pets got in on the fun. One woman carried a tiny Pomeranian named Cupcake in her bag.
Kids were wide-eyed once they saw how many treats were being dispensed.
“Kids get happy from candy,” said 11-year-old Essie Riley, of the West Side, who has been attending “Boo Bash” since she was a baby. “They don’t have to pay.”
Even the not-so-young were excited to get in line. Chris Salvey, a 22-year-old who could pass for a teenager, said he had attended since he was little.
“I’m glad I got to come to the last Mars Halloween,” he said, pillowcase of candy in hand.
A woman shows off her costumed Pomeranian on Thursday at the “Boo Bash.”
Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times
Mars’ Marlowe recognized the mixture of sadness and satisfaction spurred by the event.
“It is bittersweet but it’s also remarkable,” he said. “We are very uniquely positioned inside of a community and we’re actually taking it serious. And we want to let them know that we love them and we know that they love us. Being able to do this one last time really is meaningful and we hope everybody enjoys it.”