On the first Saturday of September, before the leaves have turned and the pumpkin spice has fully infiltrated every café menu, a stretch of St. Ann Street in downtown Owensboro, Kentucky, will close to traffic and fill with the sounds of chainsaws, laughter, and the unmistakable buzz of a community that refuses to wait for October. Ghostly Productions, the year-round Halloween store at 203 West 4th Street, will host its seventh annual Kickoff to Halloween on September 5, 2026, beginning at 10 a.m., and this year's featured guests are two of the most talked-about scream queens in modern horror: Jenna Kanell and Catherine Corcoran, stars of the cult slasher phenomenon Terrifier.
Kanell and Corcoran portrayed Tara Heyes and Dawn Emerson, respectively, in the Terrifier franchise. Their appearance in Owensboro marks a deliberate shift for the Kickoff to Halloween, which has spent its first six years hosting the men behind the masks.
Payton Ford, the owner and operator of Ghostly Productions, started the event almost by accident. In September 2020, Ford opened his store with a grand opening celebration featuring C.J. Graham, the actor who played Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The community immediately began asking when Ford would do it again. "That was just supposed to have been for the grand opening," Ford told the Messenger-Inquirer. "But after the event, we had people ask us if we were ever going to do that again or if we're going to get more celebrities, and that kind of spiraled into doing the Kick Off to Halloween."
What began as a one-day grand opening has evolved into an annual tradition that draws a big crowd. The event has hosted a veritable Mount Rushmore of slasher icons: C.J. Graham as Jason, Lee Waddell as the original Ghostface from Scream, and, in 2025, Douglas Tait, one of only two actors to have played both Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees on screen. Each year, Ford has tried to outdo the previous one, and this year he decided to change the formula entirely. "We've kind of had that Mount Rushmore of the slashers," Ford explained. "So we're like, 'Okay, we could have more of that. Or what if we switched themes a little bit and we had the girls from one of the films.'"
The idea came from an unexpected source: Lee Waddell, the original Ghostface, who had appeared at the 2024 Kickoff and recommended Kanell and Corcoran. The two actresses had become friends with Waddell through the convention circuit, and he helped Ford make the connection. The result is a lineup that brings a different energy to the event. Instead of a single masked killer looming in the corner, attendees will have the chance to meet two of the franchise's most beloved scream queens, who will be signing autographs and posing for photo sessions throughout the afternoon.
The vendor fair and street festival are completely free and open to the public.
The street fair has become the heart of the event. St. Ann Street will be closed to traffic to accommodate many local vendors. Food trucks will line the block, and the bank parking lot across the street will be pressed into service. Ford is careful to keep the event contained so as not to disrupt neighboring businesses, particularly Colby's parking. "We are mindful of parking, and we don't want to interrupt any other businesses," he said.
The community response has been remarkable. Ford estimates that last year's event drew roughly 500 people.
For Ford, the event is about more than celebrity appearances and vendor sales. It's about building a community. "We want the community to come out, have a good time and support the local artists," he said.
The Kickoff to Halloween has become a signal that spooky season has officially begun. For one day each September, a small street in western Kentucky becomes a gathering place for people who understand that Halloween is not just a holiday but a way of life. With two of horror's most beloved scream queens in attendance, a street full of vendors, and the promise of a community that treats every day like October, the seventh annual Kickoff to Halloween is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet.