Chills and Thrills were galore at the 8th Annual Hot Springs Village Trunk or Treat, sponsored by the Hot Springs Village Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association and the HSV Police Department. While temperatures dipped into the 20s on Halloween evening, spirits of the non-ghostly variety were high as costumed trunk-or-treaters traipsed from vehicle to vehicle, collecting a bounty of Halloween sweets. A trunk was not a requirement for host participation, as the event also featured numerous motorcycles.
Lakes Supervisor Katy Harmon was responsible for decorating the Public Services booth. In addition, Harmon donated 40 goodie bags for the kids with Halloween pencils, stickers, and candy. Ken Unger, HSV Public Services Director, and Todd Noles, HSV Superintendent, manned the well-decorated booth, which not only boasted of treats but displayed a backhoe and featured a ring toss game for children. Aiming towards traffic cones, the children were awarded a bag of goodies. Ironically, another name for traffic cones is “witch hats.”
Friendly calls of “Hey, y’all want a ride?” could be heard coming from the First Assembly of God “train station,” where sounds of chugging, whistling, and choo choo’ing permeated the crisp evening air.
What would a Halloween party be without a bouncy house for the children to burn off some of their energy? Not nearly as much fun.
If that wasn’t enough excitement, the Fire Department was present, passing out goodies and showcasing one of its trucks. The firemen allowed photo opportunities for children wishing to experience the thrill of sitting in the cab of a fire truck.
In past years, Trunk or Treat was held at the Hot Springs Village Police Station, but due to increasing participation, it was moved to the parking lot at the Ponce de Leon Center. HSV Police Chief Kristi Bennett said this year’s event was much bigger than usual, and participation surpassed expectations. “This is the first year we did it this way. It is such a big event from what we expected. We hoped for 10 or 15 [groups or individuals passing out treats]. We had 67.”
Superintendent Todd Noles said, “The turnout was outstanding. I had six bags of candy, each containing 350 pieces. Each child was given approximately three to four pieces, and I ran out of candy at 7:45.” Not knowing an exact count, this reporter estimates that an excess of 500 children attended, in addition to hundreds of parents and community members. Last year’s attendance was approximately 250. Correction: Board Director Bruce Caverly said there were around 1,000 children and 1,000 adults participating in the event.
Tentative plans are already underway for next year’s Trunk or Treat. The POA will continue to offer an opportunity for all of the area churches, clubs, and residents to see if they want to participate. Kelly Hale, HSVPOA General Manager and an avid supporter of community events said, “We try to grow the event every year. We want to do something for adults and the kids so that we will blow this up every year.”
We hope you enjoy the short video and photos below. Be sure to click on the images to enlarge and scroll through the slider. We would love to hear your comments.
By Cheryl Dowden; Photography and Videography by Joe Dowden
Hot Springs Village 2023 Trunk or Treat Offered Thrills – Chills
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