The EMU Police Department hosted a drive-through trick or treat at the Convocation Center, on Friday, Oct. 30.
EMU police officers, students, and community volunteers gathered to host a reverse style trunk or treat. Instead of kids collecting candy, volunteers brought packages of candy to kids in their cars.
Sgt. Joe Torres of the EMU Police Department organized the event because he saw that a lot of local Halloween events and activities were being canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event allowed kids to have a fun and safe Halloween experience they might not have been able to have otherwise.
“[Families] don’t know if they can trick or treat, or if their neighbors will feel safe giving out candy,” Torres said.
Since the police department had the logistics to set up the event and direct traffic, Torres gathered volunteers to help host the drive-through trick or treat. This allowed families to stay in their cars, while volunteers brought treats to them.
EMU’s Campus Life drive-in movie events, which is a free event that takes place on Friday nights at the Convocation Center, had the new movie “Jumanji: The Next Level” scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30. The drive-through trick or treat took place right before the movie so that families could go watch the movie after collecting their candy.
The volunteers wore masks and set up a mini-parade in the parking lot of EMU’s Convocation Center. The Stark Funeral Service decorated its coach with creepy Halloween decorations and parked it alongside the parade route.
The event was accompanied by Halloween-themed music, costumes, and bags of candy, that were sealed by Torres while wearing PPE to ensure safety.
Torres viewed the night as a success; all of the candy was given away before the start of the movie.
“The most important thing is that we can do fun things that are still positive and happy with the community,” Torres said.
