Willow, Houston, and Big Lake communities celebrate Halloween with Trunk or Treat events

With a hint of the coming winter in the air, and a dusting of snow on the ground, children and parents from Willow, Houston, and Big Lake came out over the weekend and Monday night to celebrate all things Halloween, giving children three opportunities to snag candy and treats.

Kicking things off on Sunday, Houston held its event at the Little Su Campground, adding a flair for scare in the air. Hundreds came out to the campground for trick or treating and some free chili, cooked up by resident Adam Rein.

In Willow, the annual Trunk or Treat event was held at the Willow Library and Community Center. Dozens of volunteers came out to set up trunks, such as Matt Wilson of the First Baptist Church, who didn’t just provide a trunk, but made a game of it with Pumpkin Ring Toss, along with a few minutes for him to get to know the people.

“What a great way to spend a few minutes with people and have fun!” said Wilson.

“This is so much fun,” echoed Rodney and Marina McCambridge, who live in Hatcher’s Pass, and didn’t see any trick or treaters last year, so they decided to join the Willow fun this year.

“We said, ‘let’s just go all out’ and set up a tribute to Harry Potter as the theme of their trunk, “ he said.

Well, Rodney was a Hare-e Potter as he donned a bunny suit as part of his costume.

“We don’t know how many kids we’re gonna get, and we’re that loud couple whose kids are grown up, that like to decorate and give out candy,” she said, proudly displaying a bowl with the full-size candy bars-the holy grail of trick-or-treating.

Over in Big Lake, the Big Lake Lions Club pulled out all the stops for their annual Trunk or Treat event. Over 34 trunks signed up and community businesses and residents alike donated bags and bags of candy for the event. There were prizes handed out for the top three trunks, amping up the excitement and leading to a fireworks show from Gorilla Fireworks.

“Absolutely amazing! The whole event was fantastic,” commented Tiffany Copeland.