Treats, Trunks and Hallowe’en

By CYNTHIA REARDON PHILLIPS
GOSHEN — It’s that time of the year again when children disguise themselves as super heroes and skeletons, story-book characters and who-knows-what in celebration of Hallowe’en. Around the world people will commemorate All Hallows Eve in ways as diverse as their cultures. In Europe the practice of mumming or guising while going home to home and performing short skits or songs in exchange for fruit or small ‘soul’ cakes is thought by many to be the antecedent of our modern celebration. While in India and in Hispanic countries celebrations take place at the graves of family members. The whole family gathers to ‘party’ with the departed enjoying favorite foods and music and lighting candles and lanterns. On Sunday, Oct. 28 at 3:30 p.m. the Olive Pettis Memorial Library in Goshen will host its third annual Trunk-or-Treat. A blend of the old town-wide mummery and an extended family party, this is the towns effort to provide a safe and silly environment for children and their families to enjoy a bit of Hallowe’en festivity.

From home-made costumes to mass-produced glitz, kids around the state will camouflage themselves in imaginative outfits and masquerade at schools or troop door-to-door in surrounding neighborhoods. For families in rural communities this door-to-door trekking can be tedious and unproductive as neighbors celebrating Hallowe’en can be few and far between. The recent phenomenon of Trunk-or-Treat events seems a direct answer to creating an environment of safety and community while allowing children to reap the most benefit of treats for the effort of playing dress-up. So what is Trunk-or-Treat?

Think of a field full of tail-gate partiers sans alcohol where everyone decorates their vehicle in some sort of theme. Now imagine kids dressed in costumes and traipsing car to car receiving treats of candy and trinkets. All the while their parents gather in clusters visiting and enjoying several hours of neighborly bonhomie without fear that the children may get tossed into some witches brew. Toss in a Hallowe’en photo stand, a ‘grand march’ of the costumed revelers and you have Trunk-or-Treat (or Treats & Trunks, or Trunk ‘n’ Treat depending upon regional preference).

Over the last two seasons Goshen has attracted local families as well as neighbors from surrounding towns with their community Trunk-or-Treat. The vehicle displays have grown, from twelve to twenty-five, with the hope that this year they will increase into the thirties. Alan and Priscilla Greenhalgh generously donate the use of their field behind the Goshen Fire Department providing a contained but spacious area for ‘Trunkers’ and ‘Treaters’ alike and the owners of the Goshen Country Store, Steve and Trisha LaBossiere, sponsor a ‘treat drive’ gathering donations from generous Goshen residents to supplement the bounty brought by ‘Trunkers’.

Decorated vehicles have been as simple as a sheet tossed over a car to represent a wide mouthed ghost, as elaborate as the pirate ship complete with full mainsail and crows-nest designed by Janelle and John Dawson. Joan Hoffman’s SUV became a gape-mouthed cat with springy whiskers, Ann O’Clair channeled Dr. Suess’ Cat in the Hat, while another participant created the undersea world of Finding Nemo and Heather Caron and her family brought the land of Trolls to Goshen. Participants this year are asked to pick a story-book as the foundation for their decorations, but anything is welcome – as long as it’s not too gruesome or gory. Some interesting titles to look into are: Bats in the Library by Brian Lies; Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, and the movie Coco has been printed in book form as well. But the book need not be Hallowe’en themed when you consider the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and let’s not neglect the Lemony Snicket Unfortunate Events series.

Vehicular participants are asked to arrive to set up as early as 2:30 p.m. using the field entrance behind the Goshen post office — watch for the signs — to be ready to ‘treat’ by 3:30 p.m. There will be photo boards for candid snaps and at 4:30 p.m. costumed children will be able to join the ‘grand march’ around the filed. The event is rain or not, so dress warmly beneath your disguise and come help celebrate this age-old tradition done up in new style.

To sign on as a display vehicle or for more information you can contact the Olive Pettis Memorial Library at 863-6921 or connect with the library on Facebook.