Final Toast at Town Center for the season to be held Thursday

The North Gwinnett Arts Association (NGAA) will host a pumpkin carving challenge as part of the final Toast at Town Center event of the season. Area residents are invited to come in costume or “come as you are” for frightfully good meals…good deals…and good times from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, October 27, at Suwanee Town Center.

Carved, embellished, painted, and pierced pumpkins will be judged in a variety of categories – such as cutest, funniest, and scariest – in different age groups, from pre-school through adult. Participants may bring finished pumpkins to Town Center Park or carve/decorate on site from 6-7 p.m. Be sure to bring your own pumpkins and materials. Pumpkins will be judged and lit at 7 p.m. with winners announced at approximately 8 p.m.

In addition, several Town Center restaurants are participating in a mixology contest. Corralejo, Ippolito’s, Mellow Mushroom, and Olde Towne will offer scary concoctions with names such as Spook-tini or Dracula’s Kiss. These Halloween-themed cocktails will be available inside the restaurants during Toast at Town Center and throughout the week preceding the event.

Singer Dave Craver will perform classic rock favorites from the ’50s through today at Olde Towne while Mellow Mushroom will offer a free half order of pretzels for customers in costume (limit two per table). In addition, Hairllucinations will provide pink streaks, in support of breast cancer awareness month, for $10.

Toast at Town Center is a regular event through which merchants offer special deals, entertainment, and in-store events on the fourth Thursday of each month April through October. Town Center Avenue is closed and a street-festival atmosphere is created. Patrons may purchase drinks at Town Center restaurants – coffee, sodas, beer, and wine – and take them from shop to shop and within the park.