With Halloween just over a week away, families are once again revisiting seasonal favorites, including the Disney Channel classic Halloweentown. For Montgomery County viewers, the movie comes with a local connection, Kimberly J. Brown, who starred as Marnie Piper, grew up in Gaithersburg.
Released in 1998, Halloweentown follows Marnie, a 13-year-old who discovers that she comes from a family of witches and travels with her siblings and grandmother, played by Debbie Reynolds, to the magical world of Halloweentown.
Brown was also 13 when she landed the role that would become the best known of her career. She returned as Marnie in Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge and Halloweentown High, and more than 25 years later, the original remains an October tradition for many families.
Before Halloweentown, Brown spent part of her childhood in Gaithersburg. In a 2016 interview, she recalled growing up in Montgomery County during the 1980s and early 1990s and some of the things she enjoyed about the area. “There were certain areas near where I lived that were so serene. I love that whole country, green feel,” Brown said. She also recalled a family tradition of visiting local duck ponds and playing outside as a child.
Brown began acting at a young age, appearing on Broadway in productions including Les Misérables and Show Boat. She also portrayed Marah Lewis on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light before being cast as Marnie.
Her connection to Montgomery County was highlighted again earlier this year when Brown returned to Gaithersburg with her husband, actor Daniel Kountz, who played Kal in Halloweentown II.
During the July visit, Brown showed Kountz some of the places from her childhood, including her first home, former elementary school and Rio in Gaithersburg. “We took a trip to my hometown over the holiday to see my family and show Daniel my old stomping grounds in MD,” Brown wrote in a social media post about the visit. “What a blessing to be able to share childhood memories with your husband, eat MD crabs, and laugh with the people you love most.”
The song accompanying Brown’s post was “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” adding another Montgomery County connection to the trip. The song’s inspiration has ties to Clopper Road in Gaithersburg.
Brown and Kountz’s relationship also gave the Halloweentown story an off-screen continuation. The two first met while filming Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge and eventually reconnected as adults before marrying.
Although Brown did not portray Marnie in the franchise’s fourth movie, Return to Halloweentown, she has remained closely connected to the series through fan events and Halloweentown-inspired merchandise. She has continued acting as well, including a return to daytime television with General Hospital in 2021.
So, as Montgomery County families revisit Halloweentown this Halloween season, there’s a little bit of MoCo in the Disney Channel favorite… Marnie Piper herself grew up in Gaithersburg.
