Clowns, ghosts, and skeletons, oh my! The La Porte County Family YMCA was teeming with kids decked out in some of the creepiest, and cutest, costumes on Thursday, October 20. It's Michigan City Elston Branch got in the spooky season spirit with its fourth annual Trunk or Treat and Dance Party.
Many local businesses and YMCA members worked together to make the event possible. They adorned the trunks of their cars with all kinds of fun decorations--one car even made it look like two skeletons were chilling out underwater--and handed out candy. A live band had a blast playing all kinds of spooky Halloween tunes.
In the past, the event has always had a great turnout of a couple of hundred kids, and this year’s event was no different. Countless kids, parents, and grandparents from all over the community had a wonderful time trunk-or-treating and dancing the night away.
“I think it’s just so much fun to watch all the kids coming out and enjoying themselves. A lot of kids come out and walk and it’s just a great time. Also, the dance is just so much fun for both the kids and the adults,” said Kathy Workman, Program Director of La Porte County Family YMCA's Elston Branch.
Workman explained that the event was inspired by a desire to help keep kids safer during Halloween. Also, many neighborhoods don’t do trick-or-treating anymore, so this gives families the opportunity to still have some fun.
“We wanted to create something that’s safe for the kids. That way they don’t have to go door to door and run loose in the neighborhood. This way they can be in a safer environment with their families and because we offer the dance afterward they get to do something fun along with the trick or treating. It’s like an all-in-one thing,” said Workman.
The event was ultimately the perfect way to bring everyone together and celebrate Halloween in a safe, exciting way.
“I feel like it’s such a good way to bring families together. It’s a wonderful family event, and I think that’s why it’s so important because it encourages moms, dads, grandmas, and grandpas to all come out and engage with the kids,” said Workman.
The La Porte Family YMCA crew holds many holiday events for the community throughout the year, but the Halloween events are always a community favorite. The team has high hopes for the future and can’t wait to see how the events continue to grow.
“Each year we just want to keep making it bigger and bigger. We want more cars, more people, more kids--it’s going to be so much fun I’m looking forward to it,” said Workman.
Of course, the thrilling spooky season event wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of local community members and YMCA members. Workman couldn’t thank everyone enough for making the event such a success.
“I would just really like to thank all the people out here. All of our candy was donated by members, our DJ for the dance donated his time, and the live band that’s out here tonight are YMCA members who donated their time as well. There are just so many awesome people who helped make this happen and helped make it so fun,” said Workman.
As if the trunk or treat wasn’t enough, the La Porte branch held its own spooky themed event on Friday. Kids and their families had a blast playing all kinds of fun games to win candy. They had fun playing ring toss, diving for pumpkins in the pool, and putting their bravery to the test by sticking their hands into spooky buckets filled with mysterious slime. Everyone had a wonderful time, and finished out the eventful night with some fun wizard of oz themed trick-or-treating. It was truly a monster mash you didn’t want to miss!
To learn more about the La Porte County Family YMCA, visit its website.