By Josephine Sollitto / The Jambar
Between costume contests, karaoke, tarot readings and a drag show, Westside Bowl drummed up the Halloween spirit with an emo-mashup fundraiser to benefit a local pet nonprofit.
The fourth-annual Emo-Ween took place Oct. 17 at the Youngstown-based bowling alley with proceeds for All About the Pawz.
Angi Westhead, volunteer for All About the Pawz, said the organization is designed to help pet owners with expenses.
“We are a 100% volunteer-run rescue. All of the money that we raise goes towards vetting, housing, food — all the basic needs for the dogs, cats and dog parents,” Westhead said.
Westhead said that everyone working Emo-Ween were volunteers, including the performers.
“We have a lot of people that are helping out tonight, like with the cover band, the DJ, the drag show. Everyone that’s helping out tonight are volunteers,” Westhead said.
The music lineup for the event included DJ DrGoo, followed by emotional.meltdown.orchestra and a drag show, in which all of the drag performers donated their tips to the fundraiser.
All About the Pawz brought in dogs to adopt at the event. Westhead said the goal was to raise awareness for these dogs and find potential new owners.
“We are asking that people keep their dogs at home just so we can spotlight [adoptable dogs], so they can get good homes,” Westhead said.
Westhead said Emo-Ween was designed to be different from most fundraisers, and compared it to ‘80’s nights and the nostalgia that attracts people to those types of events.
“Our goal for Emo-Ween was to just come up with a different fundraiser than what I grew up with, and it’s kind of become like the ‘80s night for millennials,” Westhead said. “We’ve decided to just make it a fundraiser, and it’s been doing pretty good.”
In addition to its annual Emo-Ween, Westhead said All About the Pawz plans to host another emo themed fundraising event in spring 2027 called Emo-Prom.
For more on All About the Pawz, those interested can visit its website.