NORFOLK - Anyone passing through Norfolk Wednesday evening would have noticed an uusual setup - vehicles lined up with trunks full of candy, massive spotlights illuminating the sidewalk outside the Norfolk Wesleyan Church and dozens of trick-or-treaters concentrated in the same place.

It was part of the Norfolk Wesleyan Church’s second annual Trunk or Treat event, which aims to offer a safe, convenient and well-lit place for children and adults to enjoy Halloween festivities.

“We’ve found in past years that most streets don’t have lights on,” Norfolk Wesleyan Church Pastor Billy Bruns said. “We just want to draw the community together and give them a safe place to have a good time.”

This year’s Trunk or Treat event is a big step up from last year’s, which only featured six cars in the Wesleyan Church parking lot.

This year almost 500 people, including some 200 children, came out to collect candy and treats from the 20 vehicles parked near Norfolk’s Wesleyan and Methodist churches. The event lasted from 6-8 p.m. and stretched along West Main and Hepburn streets.

Trunk-or-treaters ranged from young adults to toddlers being carried or rolled around by their parents. Many of those who were giving out candy were also dressed up - one woman donned a scarecrow custome, while someone else dressed as a black phantom with glowing red eyes. Those who grew cold on the clear, mid-40s night could stop at the Wesleyan Church for hot cider, hot cocoa and cookies.

The Norfolk Fire Department also gave out candy, in addition to fire-prevention pamplets and smoke detector batteries.

Norfolk Fire Department Volunteer Vice President Jason Clark thinks Trunk or Treat is the kind of community-oriented event Norfolk has been missing.

“Norfolk has been void of community events for years, and I think this is a good opportunity to provide safe entertainment for people young and old,” Mr. Clark said. “We’re supporting what we hope will become a yearly community event.”

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer