What began as a simple idea by a dedicated parent seven years ago has grown into a local custom that welcomes hundreds of Oglethorpe County children and families every year.
The Oglethorpe County Recreation Department is set to host its seventh annual Trunk or Treat from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
“It began as a way to just leverage the space (the Oglethorpe Recreation Center parking lot) to get a good, safe place for our kids to go trick-or-treating and for our community to get together,” said Tina White, the founder of the event and current volunteer.
With involvement from local businesses, the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office, schools and even high school sports teams, the event is a reality due to community collaboration.
Instead of traditional trick-or-treating, a trunk or treat involves participants coming together in a parking lot where cars are decorated in various themes. Participants walk from car to car to collect candy.
“You want the kids to be in a safe environment,” said Michael White, rec department director and Tina’s husband. “For a lot of parents, it is nice not having to worry about where they are going or where their kids are getting their candy from.”
All candy for the event is donated through a community-focused strategy, therefore nothing comes out of the recreation department’s budget.
“Registration is completely free,” Michael White said. “It’s pretty much open to whoever wants to come and pass out candy or walk around.”
The adult softball league's fall fundraiser pays for registration costs of aspiring young players and collects candy as part of the celebration. The largest candy donation, however, is given by an anonymous donor from an unidentified business to Sheriff David Gabriel.
The extra candy helps to supplement the growing number of children.
Trunk or Treat has seen consistent growth in both participation and attendance. While the first year’s event in 2016 had around 150 kids, about 400-600 children have attended recent events.
The amount of decorated trunks also has grown to between 25-30 fully accessorized trunks in 2022.
Besides trick or treating, there is a friendly competition between participants to make the “Best Decorated Trunks.” Judges are frequently chosen from the attendees, and they spend the event roaming the parking lot for the most outstanding decorations.
“The prizes are super small, inexpensive trophies, but lots of bragging rights,” Tina said.