Laurel Park resident places in national Halloween contest

Laurel Park resident MJ Price is no stranger to the spotlight.

Circus performing, serving as a radio host; stand-up comedy; teaching yoga, tai chi and other exercise forms; serving as Mrs. Zephyrhills and Ms. Pasco County, and volunteering with numerous organizations are a few of the items on her resume. 

However, she says she's always been a fan of Halloween and "all things ghostly and unexplained."

That was part of why she joined the Face of Halloween costume competition, in which individuals compete to be chosen as the ultimate Halloween fan across all of North America except Quebec.

Price placed third in the quarterfinals, while the winner will have the chance to meet Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Matthew Lillard (Scream) and Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th), with a prize of $13,000.

The competition also includes the Kane's Choice and People's Choice awards that have yet to be decided.

In the competition, the public casts free votes, or paid votes that benefit the Starlight Children's Foundation.

Courtesy image

Price says she loved being in the spotlight since she was young, which according to her family became evident early, partly through a Halloween display around their fireplace. 

"Apparently the legend is... that I jumped up there, grabbed one of the misshapen gourds and started singing 'microphone!'" she said. 

She also said she's always been driven to be engaged in the community.

After relocating from Zephyrhills following Hurricane Milton, Price has found a new community in Sarasota, a place she knew through her grandparents as well as performing with Fantazia Circus.

Today, some of her activities include serving as a volunteer at Senior Friendship Centers and as front-woman of the Sarasota-based Christian heavy metal band Jesus Caravan, playing the saxophone at Covenant Life Presbyterian Church, and taking the stage at comedy clubs that include McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre.

She is also in a main role in a film titled “202” that is being created by American rapper Comethazine.

“Now that I have been able to find all these wonderful organizations, the sense of creative community and the warmth of the people of Sarasota and Bradenton is beyond compare,” she said. “I am beyond not lonely.”

Price had planned, if she won the competition, to use the prize money for her faith-based documentary series "Unfolding," which she is producing herself with help from others that include Ringling College students.

The series explores the stories of trauma survivors, a group Price says she belongs to. She is currently seeking a distributor and plans to send out the trailer to different film festivals. 

"To even be able to compete, that was super fun, and it's a great charity, so great organization," she said. "I hope people will continue to vote for the folks who are still in the running."