A family-friendly event for the whole community!

Decorate your car and join us for games, treats, & dancing.

Trunk or treat events are a great community event for families looking for a fun and safe alternative to trick or treating door-to-door, or just a good excuse for the kids to get one more use out of their holiday costumes. Kids will travel around the church parking lot from car to car as if trick-or-treating, stopping at each decorated trunk to play a game or receive a (preferably non-candy) treat.

Who Participates: Any church or community member who has access to a vehicle and wants to participate in a community-building event. (Members without cars can also help staff some of the craft booths at either end of the trunk or treat zone. Cars will register in advance in order to ensure there is enough parking. This will allow us to have an idea of how much space we will need as well as provide an opportunity for us to communicate trunk guidelines in advance.

Setup: Cars should arrive starting at 2 pm in order to set up before the festivities begin. Volunteers will be needed to help direct cars towards empty parking spaces so that the back and front rows are filled equally (This allows for us to place a station at the beginning and end of the rows, effectively creating a corral using the cars to keep kids from wandering into the road.)

Trunk Guidelines: Participants should decorate their cars with a Halloween theme, or a theme that fits their costumes. It’s important to remember that this event is geared towards families with small children, so very spooky decorations are not recommended. Popular trunk or treating themes are children’s TV or movie characters, or ones that set a scene, like the old west or a campsite.

Because it does not take long to walk in a short loop picking up candy at each trunk, each station should also include a small carnival-type game for kids to play. Games could include ring toss, bowling, or shooting a foam basketball. The games should be short enough and easy enough for young children to play. Children who win the game should receive an extra prize or treat, however all children should receive at least 1 treat per station, regardless of whether or not they won the game.

Church Stations: Church stations will be located at the ends of the rows of cars. Activities such as gourd decorating or other craft activities will be held at these stations. A backdrop will be hung up to create a “photo booth” for photos of each family. This will also be the location where we greet people as they enter the trunk-or-treating zone, and will serve as a means of informing people about upcoming church events, such as the silly supper. Halloween dance music will be provided by the church, as well as a “dance zone” for families to enjoy.

Contests: Prizes will be awarded for the top decorated trunks, as chosen by the children (voting will take place at one of the church stations). Prizes for kids’ costumes will also be awarded at 3:30.

Clean-up: Trash cans will be provided at regular intervals to encourage kids to dispose of wrappers responsibly. Each trunk owner is responsible for leaving their space as they found it.

Inclement Weather: In the event of inclement weather, Fellowship Hall will be used instead of the parking lot and tables placed around the room would become the “trunks.”