Another Halloween has passed, and so has another successful Trick-or-Treat Parade at the Fingerlakes Mall. It's always delightful to see the hundreds of children dressed up in their costumes trick-or-treating at mall stores. A special thanks to Verizon Wireless for its sponsorship of the parade, and to all of the stores who handed out candy to the little ghosts and goblins.

In other mall news, FYE has just been named an official Ticketmaster agent. They have been working on this project for awhile, and now they will be the only Ticketmaster location in Cayuga County. Tickets to concerts, children's shows, professional wrestling events, professional football games and more for events at many New York locations, including Turning Stone Casino and Resort Showroom, will be available. FYE intends to be up and running soon; call them at 258-9285 for more information.

Some new stores will be moving into the mall as well. BonWorth, a women's clothing store, will open in mid-November next to FYE. BonWorth's slogan is “fashion worth your lifestyle,” and it specializes in quality apparel at factory direct prices. It manufactures and distributes its own clothing lines, and therefore can pass the savings on to its customers. BonWorth is best known for its embroidery line of sweaters as well as its pants line.

Everyone is always looking for a place to take the kids for a fun, family oriented activity. The Golf Shack hopes to fill that role as it opens soon at the mall. The Golf Shack will feature glow-in-the-dark miniature golfing and be available for children's birthday parties. Contact the mall office at 255-1188 for more information on an opening date.

The Christmas season means that the mall will fill up with specialty holiday tenants. These include: Hickory Farms, Giancarelli Brothers Winery, Day by Day Calendar, Santa's Pen (featuring personalized holiday ornaments), Moving Pictures, Touch of Nature and Glass Gallery.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Fingerlakes Mall will be selling mall-wide gift cards at the mall customer service center, which has a new location in the center court area of the mall, in front of Bass Pro Shops. The Discover gift cards come in denominations ranging from $20 to $500, and there is a $2 fee for each card purchased. The gift cards will be good at mall stores that accept Discover cards as payment. The launch date for the gift card program is set for mid-November.

Bass Pro Shops rings in the holidays with the annual lighting of its beautiful Christmas tree in the entrance near the fireplace. The date of the lighting is Saturday, Nov. 17. For more information, call Bass Pro Shops at 258-2700.

Of course, Santa Claus will also begin his annual month-long appearance at the mall in November.

Good little girls and boys will be able to share their wish lists with the jolly old man and have photos taken with him. Details have yet to be finalized, call the mall office at 255-1188 for more information.

One last note: Fingerlakes Mall will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but Bass Pro Shops and the Fingerlakes Theatres will be open special holiday hours.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Diane La Rueis a marketing consultant for Fingerlakes Mall.