Rise of trunk or treating, fall of trick or treating

By Jesus Gonzalez Martinez

Halloween is a holiday that dates back over 2,000 years. The modern-day holiday is a combination of cultures spanning hundreds of years, with costumes used to ward off evil spirits. The use of pumpkins and scary costumes was a way for people of those times to leave offerings to avoid harm, a tradition now reflected in the tradition of giving candy to trick-or-treaters.

“We stayed out till like 10:30, the neighborhood was safer, and everyone took care of each other,” community member Alfred Weichinger said.

Since the 2000s, Halloween has become increasingly dangerous, leading to a decline in trick-or-treaters. Reports of tampered candy and strange, creepy people out at night make parents want to stop celebrating Halloween for plenty of good reasons, for example, the clown scare of 2016, which was widespread clown costumes across the country, articles about it on CNN and BBC news websites

“Now there’s dangerous candy, drunk drivers, strangers, weirdos, people prying on kids, the whole world is different now,” Weichinger said.

“This doesn’t even compare. I used to get two pillow cases full of king-size candy, and I used to go back a second time,” community member Pam Spicer said.

Communities and parents who want their kids to experience a safe Halloween have decided to organize a trunk-or-treat. Trunk or Treat is a way for kids to experience a safe Halloween, free from fear and strangers, while a “real” Halloween involves visiting houses. This one has cars that give out candy to kids and is full of people who also want to give children a safe Halloween.

“We wanted to make Halloween more fun and not as scary, a safe place for kids to have fun, and make it a family-friendly event,” Founding member of VACO, Linda Austin, said.

Trunk-or-treating events are usually held in parking lots and are a safer alternative because they offer a single location where parents can supervise their children. Trunk-or-treating usually decorates cars with less-scary decorations, using cartoon versions of monsters rather than scary animatronics like zombies and clowns.

“VACO is the advisory council, a voluntary group that volunteers for their community, that advises the county that get a referral if someone wants to build something, we overview it, and give our opinion,”  Austin said.

In Oceano, there has been a trunk or treat event at 17th and Beach Street from 5 to 8 pm on October 31. VACO ( Vitality Advisory Council of Oceano) hosted the event to give children a safe Halloween, and it wasn’t the first time they have done something like this.

“The point of trunk or treat is to bring people together and is a really nice event that everybody loves, and we have a place to do it before we didn’t have a place, so this is a real asset,” Austin said.

The event was opened with VACO, who were in the middle of the event, where they had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new mural at La Tapatia. This event is about giving children a safe Halloween, but how does it compare to now, when times are dangerous, and back when their parents celebrated Halloween as kids.

“What I think this is a space where people of Oceano can come together as a community and celebrate Halloween, and we have the low rider community out here. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for families to get together and have a good time”. Verdin said

The event had music and a popcorn machine, and a lot of fun games to play, and police and firefighters were nearby handing out candy, and there was even a costume competition.