Trolloween kicked off at 7 p.m. tonight with some revelry, a dance-off and a melodrama all under the watchful metal eye of the Fremont Troll, who celebrated his 19th birthday tonight.

The Fremont Arts Council organizers, dancers, and drummers Vamola proceeded to parade through downtown Fremont where they were watched by spectators from bars, restaurants, and homes.

The parade proceeded to the Outdoor Cinema, where volunteers gave a dance lesson to the crowd. After the exercise, the melodrama continued with another short scene intended to encourage the crowd to pursue the protagonists to the Fremont Bridge’s underbelly, where another dance group performed the Vampire Tango. The short play concluded with a dramatic stabbing scene:

When the mini-play was completed, the Fremont Philharmonic began playing ‘Thriller’ for the concluding dance party under the bridge.

Best costumes of the night: The Robot, who was so popular that the crowd nearly threw the play off-track trying to encourage the protagonist to dance with it; and Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything, who spent the entire parade hoisting a boombox. Hats off to you two!

If you have additional photos from Trolloween or competitors for best costume, please share them with us in the comments!

Fremont is known for its “whimsical counterculture” — at least if you believe the New York Times (see the post below) — and one of the best times to take that in is during Halloween, when for a day, counterculture is on full display. Among the Halloween events in Fremont, there’s a costume extravaganza, a burlesque carnival and a mass gathering of Carnivale-style revelers who parade through neighborhood streets. Here are the details:

• Boo- A costume extravaganza and fundraiser for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce at Fremont Studios. The 21+ dance party will feature costume contests, a full bar, and a cigar lounge.
• Circus Contraption’s Blowout Bash– The one-ring circus’ 10th annual Scary! Insane!! Blowout Bash is sold out, but you may be able to find tickets on Craigslist, etc. The burlesque carnival will feature aerialists, clowns, ninjas, and a seance. This event, held in Theo Chocolate’s building is also 21+.
• Trolloween- An unpublicized gathering of costumed Fremonsters has been going on for 18 years, and will feature a free performance put together by the Fremont Arts Council. Sources say the crowd gathers at 7, and will disappear like aether shortly after the performance to parade through Fremont. Samba dance lessons will commence, and the evening will end with a dance under the Fremont Bridge.

If you have any Halloween haunts to add, please leave us a comment or e-mail tips@fremontuniverse.com

This afternoon, NYTimes.com splashed a travel story about Fremont and Ballard right smack in the middle of the home page.

“Ballard and Fremont, once cities in their own right, are now Seattle neighborhoods of a particularly independent-minded kind,” the story explains. “Each is undergoing a kind of 21st-century renaissance, with shops and restaurants moving in, and a new, often young crowd arriving to live or just to play. But in either one, you can still lose yourself so thoroughly that you will barely even remember you’re in the same town as the Space Needle.”

Everett police have arrested a suspect in the rape of a woman in her Wallingford home earlier this month — a big relief for Wallingford and Fremont neighbors near 16th and N 52nd St., where the crime occurred. Police say the suspect broke into the home after her husband left for an errand. He left with the woman’s purse and used her credit card at Wal-Mart, which led police to his arrest.

The traffic in Fremont can be a nightmare. Especially during rush hour traffic. According to Brian Kemper, who is the traffic signal operations manager, the 13 stoplights in the neighborhood will be recoordinated at the end of this month. Crews will monitor the changes and make adjustments if needed. Tom Creegan brought up the traffic mess in this week’s “Getting There” article in the PI.

We all know that Fremont is a great place to shop, and now Domino magazine wrote a few blurbs about the “offbeat neighborhood” as well as Ballard next door. Domino highlighted the clothing boutique Impulse, shoe store Lambs Ear and Theo Chocolate to name a few. Overall, the one-page article (not available online) doesn’t even scratch the surface on the great shopping scene in Fremont. But as they say, all publicity is good publicity!

Members of the Fremont Arts Council (FAC) spent part of a beautiful October afternoon cleaning up the troll and its environment for Trolloween. Trolloween is a ‘birthday’ celebration of sorts for the troll, and volunteers said they usually see 300+ people on Halloween night who come dressed up to watch a performance and then parade through Fremont.

The FAC has been cleaning the troll in preparation for the celebration every year for the past 19 years that Trolloween has been celebrated. More information is available on their site, including details about the performance- a mixture of Shakespeare and Greek lore. Stay tuned for more details about Halloween happenings throughout Fremont.

This is frightening.  On Monday night, a man sexually assaulted a woman in her Wallingford home as her kids slept nearby.   It happened at 9 p.m. in the 1600 block of N. 52nd Street, just a few blocks away from Fremont.  “The victim’s husband had just left the home to run an errand, at which point the suspect entered the home,” said Renee Witt, Seattle Police spokesperson. Police are warning neighbors to keep their doors and windows locked, and they released this suspect sketch.

If saw anything unusual in the area or have any information about the case, you’re urged to call Seattle Police at 206-684-5575.

Some guy climbed the fence surrounding the old, rusted plant at Gas Works Park over the weekend, and then started goofing around on the catwalks, reports Seattle Police. And what happens next? The catwalk collapses and he separates his shoulder. Fortunately for him, he landed on the catwalk below, keeping his injuries to a minimum. Not so smart.

We all know that J.P. Patches is a big fan of buttons. So when his “Late for the Interurban” statue was unveiled a couple months ago, it featured several hooks on the front for people to add their own.

It now features several buttons, including (appropriately) the Seafair clowns. There’s also a “Keep Fremont Parking Free” button. And wait, what’s this?

It’s a campaign button for Alex Rion, a Republican running for the 32nd legislative seat. We don’t know if J.P. is a Republican, but you have to admit it does seem a little out of place for Fremont, of all places — especially when you consider the 32 District doesn’t even cover the neighborhood.