Many Treats, Few Tricks, and No Trunks at Open Arms Trunk or Treat

[November 01, 2023]    Open Arms Christian Fellowship hosted a community Trunk or Treat event for families on Halloween night. Due to temperatures that felt more like Winter Solstice than All Hallows’ Eve, the event, originally scheduled to take place outdoors, was moved inside the Laughlin Center gymnasium and field house of their new campus (formerly part of the Lincoln Christian University campus).

“We made it work,” said one volunteer. With a wind chill factor in the 20s, no one complained about the change in venue after walking any distance through the windswept parking lot to the gym. Kids from the tiniest to the almost-not kids-anymore came to trick-or-treat with parents and grandparents in cute, creative, spooky and chilling costumes.

Upon entering the Laughlin Center, trick-or-treaters walked a labyrinth of hallways to the back fieldhouse where whimsically decorated tables stood in for the trunks originally planned for outside. The tables lined the walls, and children walked past accepting their treats from costumed volunteers dressed as Super Mario Brothers, ghosts from Pac-Man, hobbits and elves, clowns, scarecrows, and jars of salsa.

After filling their bags with treats, families exited through the same hallways and then had an opportunity to grab more snacks before venturing back out into the dark and blustery night. Hot cocoa, plates of cookies, cupcakes, mandarins, and hot dogs were served in the Laughlin Center lobby, providing sustenance for the hours of trick-or-treating that lay ahead.

Although there was no official costume contest, the Reporter’s Choice for Favorite Volunteer’s Costume went to Bob Ross and his Human Canvas companion sporting a “happy little tree” in progress.

Reporter’s Choice for Favorite Trick-or-Treater’s Costume went to Spiderman Riding a Unicorn.

[Stephanie Hall]