Looking for a great Halloween party and the chance to support a great cause? The Monster Mash MS Bash is the event for you. Just head to the Hudson Portuguese Club Pavilion on Saturday, Oct. 25, between 7 p.m.-midnight.

Co-organizers, Judy Pavao, a Hudson High School teacher who lives in Marlborough, and her sister, Stephanie, of Charleston, have created and put on this event for the past three years and are thrilled to be holding it again. Supporting this cause is very close to the sisters’ hearts, as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has hit close to home.

The event, which is also a costume party, raises awareness of MS and supports the MS Society, a nonprofit organization that serves patients with MS in the U.S. by supporting scientific research and promoting education.

The idea for this event came to the Judy and Stephanie while they were already spreading awareness. “During Bike MS in Martha’s Vineyard a few years ago, we asked people to donate to the cause,” Judy Pavao said. “We were overcome with the idea that we were just not doing enough, and we didn’t want to continue to ask the same people each year to donate.”

At that moment, the sisters came up with the idea of hosting a big event where people from the community can come, have fun and donate. And so, the Monster Mash MS Bash was born. “Our goal with this event is to raise awareness and funds for people diagnosed with MS and their families,” Judy Pavao said.

The sisters, who grew up in Berlin but have a lot of family in Hudson, began to engage the local community. “We petitioned local businesses to donate goods for raffles at the event. We have received wonderful support from the local community and businesses. We don’t feel like we are alone in this,” Judy Pavao said. Even the Hudson Portuguese Club Pavilion, the location of the event, was donated.

Since this bash is, in fact, a costume party, there are prizes for best costume, voted on by participants during the event. At the bash, you can also expect a cash bar and DJ to help people dance the night away. While the event is open to the public, you must be 21 or older to attend. There are also raffles for gift certificates to area restaurants, movie tickets, prize baskets, a portable grill donated by Lowe’s, a cordless drill and skill saw set donated by Home Depot, and a gift autographed by the Boston Bruins.

The $10 cover charge will be donated to the MS Society.

Want to bring friends? The more people in the door, the better!

“If you bring three friends not related to you, we will waive the cover charge/donation,” Judy Pavao said. A donation is always welcome, but having people attend and raising MS awareness is just as important to the sisters.

By Rachel Shuster