Fantastic turnout for Trunk or Treat event in downtown Whitecourt

The 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat took place on Sunday, October 31, in downtown Whitecourt. The event, which started in 2019, thanks to Alexa Ames, Lindsay Mercer, and the Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce, has grown by leaps and bounds. What first only took up one portion of a street now took over one whole road plus nearly all of another. This year, more businesses joined in, creating spooktacular setups and more children and their parents dressed up to take in the fun.

Things got underway at 11 am. The entrance, just beside the Chamber of Commerce building, stayed packed throughout much of the event. Foodbank donations were accepted at the first table upon entry, and decorated trunks began immediately afterwards. Amanda St. Pierre with Primerica dazzled as a witch with a spooky vintage truck as her backdrop. “We’ve seen so many kids, and there have been some amazing costumes walking by. The Scooby-Doo family was amazing, as was the Star Wars family, all dressed up together. We’ve seen lots of family-themed costumes, which is great. It’s so much fun!”

She said that they had enough candy for 1000 kids last year and that this year they were ready with enough for 2000. “We are expecting to have at least 1500 kids,” as she handed out another treat. St. Pierre said that she loves this event because she gets to see a lot more than what she would during the evening on Halloween. “It’s safer, especially for the little ones that can’t go out at night because it’s past their bedtime. This way, you actually get to see people and see their costumes and get a lot of candy quickly.”

Just down the street from her stood a popular yellow character; POKEMON! Carbonex Contractors not only had the big guy handing out candy and posing for pictures, but they also had their company truck decked out to match. “These were donated by Mike Munday at Trimline Design. He did up the transformer decals for us at last year’s event and partnered with us on the Pokémon design this year. It looks fantastic!”

Bergeson said the event is one of her favourites because it brings the community together. “It’s great. This is our third year, and I totally love it. I like that you get to see all the other companies and what they bring out. It’s community participation, and I think everyone needs to do it. The kids love it, and I love seeing the kids. If I had little kids, I would just do this, and I wouldn’t even go out in the night. It’s nice to do it this way, in the day, in the light.”

As groups passed by her setup, Bergeson said some of her favourites included a couple of little Mario’s and a bulldozer. “One family was all dressed up as thing 1, thing 2, thing 3. They were awesome. There have been so many good ones.” She encourages more businesses to sign up next year. “Maybe we can fill up even more down here. It’s an inexpensive way, in the grand scheme of things, to contribute. I think it’s important to be out in the community and be involved. That’s huge for me, so I just love this type of event.”

Whitecourt Fire Chief Brian Wynn, and several fire department members, had Tower 1 extended out over the road in front of Whitecourt Stationary, complete with loud music to get the crowd grooving. “It’s a morale boost for the whole community. We are having fun. The firefighters are dancing, the crowds dancing, the kids are dancing, it’s all good,” he smiled.

As a safety guy, Chief Wynn said the Trunk or Treat is a smart event. “The streets are closed, and it’s a lot safer for the kids. We should definitely continue doing this every year. The members are enjoying engaging with the public again. That’s a big part of being us, is engaging with the community, so it’s nice to be able to do this.”

On the costume side, Chief Wynn said that it was hard to pick favourites because everyone looked so good. “There was a little guy in a pirate costume that was pretty good, but they are honestly all great. We’ve got a nice, sunny day, and the people are all here in full costumes. Everyone is being patient and kind and just enjoying themselves. It has been a really good day.”