Meadowbrook Mall's "Rock the Mall" Shopping Extravaganza Starts Thanksgiving Night; Special Events Held throughout Holiday Season
By Julie Perine on November 23, 2016 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
Meadowbrook Mall is once again hosting the Rock the Mall holiday party Thanksgiving night, Nov. 24.
The event, Marketing Director Robin Urquhart said, is the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season and thousands of shoppers are expected.
The first 1,000 shoppers to line up at the WDTV Five Event Center will receive free swag bags filled with holiday cheer, discounts and surprises. The first 500 shoppers will also receive Santa hats.
Doors open at 5 p.m. with the party getting under way at 6 p.m. Between 9 and 10 p.m. Nov. 24, shoppers are encouraged to visit the Meadowbrook Mall Facebook page for the Third Annual Selfie Scavenger Hunt. Shoppers must be present at the mall to win prizes.
As it is every year, the event should prove to be a rockin’ way to start the holiday shopping, Urquhart said.
“There are only four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, so that’s motivation to start shopping all by itself,” she said. “Coming to the mall on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday is a matter of tradition for a lot of our shoppers and we try to make it fun with swag bag giveaways, the balloon drop, social media games and such.”
Doors open at 5 p.m. with the party getting under way at 6 p.m. Between 9 and 10 p.m. Nov. 24, shoppers are encouraged to visit the Meadowbrook Mall Facebook page for the Third Annual Selfie Scavenger Hunt. Shoppers must be present at the mall to win prizes.
The excitement continues “Black Friday,” Nov. 25 with an 8 a.m. Balloon Drop Spectacular at WDTV Event Center. Shoppers need to arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. to take part in the balloon drop, during which thousands of dollars will be up for grabs. Inside the balloons will gift cards worth $10 to $500. Those who play must be 18 years of age with a valid photo ID. The mall will open at 6 a.m. Black Friday with many discounts and deals.
As has become Meadowbrook Mall tradition, a holiday gift wrap station will be open Nov. 25 through Dec. 24. The gift wrap center will be located in front of JCPenney and donations support the United Way of Harrison County and its member agencies.
Throughout the holiday season, Santa will be available for meet and greets and photo ops at Sears Court Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, he will be available 12 noon to 5 p.m. with a break time 2:30 to 3 p.m.
Between 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, children with special needs are invited to come meet with Santa in a quiet, calm setting. Cornerstone Pediatric Center will be on hand to assist children as they visit Santa on their own terms.
On Saturday, Dec. 10, Santa will have breakfast with area children at Garfield’s Restaurant. Advance tickets - $5 each – are required for the Santa breakfast and they can be purchased at Garfield’s. The breakfast takes place 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Also on Dec. 10, Harrison County Schools will present its annual music program 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. at the WDTV Event Center.
