WESTBROOK – It’s more “boo-hoo” than “boo” from city residents after officials announced the cancellation of Halloween on Main Street this year.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any Halloween fun in Westbrook.

The new community center at the old Wescott Junior High building on Bridge Street will host a “Fright Night” Oct. 29, put on by recreation department staff and Westbrook students.

The annual tradition of Halloween on Main Street typically draws hundreds of costumed kids and their families to downtown Westbrook for a safe and entertaining evening of trick-or-treat. However, officials decided to cancel the event this year due to the ongoing William Clarke Drive construction.

Maria Dorn, the city’s director of community services, said the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce and city officials thought it would be problematic to shut down Main Street for two hours when traffic on William Clarke Drive is already heavy at rush hour due to the construction.

The new community center was already planning to host a “Fright Night” after Halloween on Main Street anyway, she said, so it was an easy decision to make it a replacement event.

Fright Night takes place Friday, Oct. 29, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. It is going to include pumpkin decorating, a haunted classroom, contests, music and food. The community center pool will be open and children are invited to bring their bathing suits.

It is free, but open to Westbrook residents only.

When Westbrook’s student population heard about the Halloween on Main Street cancellation, they decided to step up, as well.

Maura Quigley, a 17-year-old high school senior and student council president, said students will be putting on a Halloween carnival at the community center on Oct. 29, as well. She said there will be a moon bounce, DJ, trick-or-treating in the hallways and more.

“Usually our clubs do Halloween on Main Street,” she said. “We wanted to do something else for (the community).”

“It sounds like it should be good,” said senior class president Josh Hand, 17. “We planned to do something separate, but we thought we might as well band together and make it a super event.”

The Walker Memorial Library will also be hosting a trick-or-treat event on Oct. 29 from 4-6 p.m.

Despite the alternatives, many city residents are unhappy with the cancellation of a Westbrook tradition.

“We’ve been living here for four years and this is kind of the first year they could do something like (Halloween on Main Street),” said Westbrook resident Jessica Comeau, referring to her 4-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. “We don’t really know where to take them besides something like that.”

City resident Beth Callaway attended the event last year with her 2-year-old son, but even before that would attend with her husband just to see the costumes people wore.

“Last year we did it and (my son) had a lot of fun, so we’re going to miss it this year,” she said. “I do have several friends who were looking forward to it,” as well.

Callaway said Halloween on Main Street is an event unique to Westbrook and she hopes it returns in future years.

She said the event at the community center sounds like a nice alternative, but worries its enclosed space will be too overwhelming for her young son.

“I was afraid it would be too crowded,” she said. “We would come at 7 in the evening (for Halloween on Main Street). I wish they had just moved it later.”