Trunk-or-treat events add another opportunity for Halloween fun
Several vehicles are lined up, their trunks wide open, decorated and filled with candy and other treats.
It’s a different version of trick-or-treat, where children dress in costume and walk door to door and collect candy on Halloween or some night close to Oct. 31, depending on the community where they live.
With trunk-or-treat, every candy stop is in one specific area. Trunk-or-treat events have been expanded to become part of fall festivals and include other activities such as baseball games, pumpkin carving or face painting.
“Trunk-or-treat is such a great event, and it continues to fill up quickly,” said Pam Calfo, library director at the Plum Borough Community Library. “We really love having these types of community events.”
This will be the fifth year for the library to host trunk-or-treat. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Plum Borough Municipal Building. Calfo said they expect about 150 children and space is limited to 20 to 25 vehicles.
Library staff, board members and volunteers decorate the vehicles and donate candy, chips and other goodies.
“This is really a great way to partner with the borough,” Calfo said.
Communities like Plum started doing trunk-or- treat during the 2020 pandemic, but the concept isn’t new — trunk-or-treat appears to have gotten its start in the 1990s with church groups.
“It’s an alternative to trick-or-treating,” said Pastor Geoff Rach of Level Green Presbyterian Church in Penn Township. “I have seen it grow in popularity the past 10 years, not only in churches but some schools have also adopted it. It is really good for younger kids who might be scared of some of the Halloween decorations and costumes during trick-or-treat or at other Halloween events.”
Rach said Level Green’s trunk-or-treat is from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 27. There will be a fall story walk during the afternoon on the church’s front lawn with five fall-themed children’s books on display to read along the autumn decorated paths, as well as craft and activity stations.
The event is open to the community and a way to welcome new people in the area, Rach said.
“You see lots of people decorating their homes like they do at Christmas,” Rach said.
Ideas for how to decorate a trunk come from what’s trending, just like current events and people influence choices of costumes for trick-or-treat, Rach said. Trunk-or-treat ideas are often an extension of a costume, Rach said.
A testament to its growing popularity, trunk-or-treat kits are available on Amazon and at stores such as Target, Party City and Walmart.
Halloween spending overall continues to grow in the U.S., according to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest trade association. A survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics revealed total Halloween spending in 2024 is expected to reach $11.6 billion, with $3.5 billion spent on candy and $3.8 billion on costumes.
Jade Butch of Greenfield and her family decided on a Harry Potter theme for trunk-or-treat that was hosted Saturday by the Greenfield Baseball Association at Bud Hammer Field.
Butch and three of her six children were dressed as characters from “Harry Potter,” a series of novels by author J.K. Rowling. Their trunk was decorated with cauldrons, potion bottles and floating candles. They gave away Harry Potter stickers.
“We decided to go as all out as possible,” Butch said. “Trunk-or-treat is a fun, safe way to celebrate and it is wonderful experience for children who for some reason might not be able to do trick-or-treat.”
Butch said her kids will do both, though she makes sure to monitor the amount of candy they eat. She said she has heard of the “switch witch,” which is where a child trades a filled bag in exchange for a toy or other fun item, and the candy can be given to someone else .
The Greenfield School PTO is partnering with the school on a trunk-or-treat event that is part of Fall Fest from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at the school.
Last year, more than 300 people attended Fall Fest, one of the biggest events ever. It will include a haunted gym that is being run by students in sixth through eighth grade from the school’s theater club, which is the event’s beneficiary.
“The Greenfield community is wonderful and always supports us,” said Erin Breen, vice president of the Greenfield School PTO board. “The Fall Fest has been creating memories for years, and trunk-or-treat is adding to those memories.”
Bringing the community together to create memories is the focus for Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church in Murrysville, which is hosting its trunk-or-treat as part of a Fall Festival from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct 20 in the church parking lot. The event has been expanded this year to include games, pumpkin carving and a visit from the Kona Ice truck.
”It’s about everyone coming together and not only the church members but the community,” said Catharine Weiss, director of children and family ministries, who is planning the event with a group of volunteers. “I love being a part of this because it’s a big party to celebrate fall.“
This will be the second year for trunk-or-treat at Jim Shorkey Kia Irwin in North Huntingdon from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 25 in the parking lot. The dealership awards prizes for most original, serious and cutest.
“This is a way to give back to the community,” said Jim Shorkey Auto Group human resource director Beth Robosky. “People do such a nice job decorating. They are so creative.“
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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