On Thursday, October 10, City of Hammond hosted its annual Indoor Trunk-or-Treat event on the Hammond Sportsplex’s soccer fields. Over 35 organizations from throughout the Hammond community sent representatives to the event to hand out candy, toys, and informational material to over 600 trunk-or-treaters in attendance.
Aileen Ibarra, special events coordinator for the City of Hammond, oversaw the planning and execution of the Indoor Trunk-or-Treat. She is excited to bring this event back to the community.
“This is an important event because it’s all about the community coming together,” Ibarra said. “Halloween is a spooky time and it's an excellent time for family and friends to have fun with each other. We held our first Trunk-or-Treat event several years ago in the wake of the COVID pandemic because we wanted to give families an alternative to trick-or-treating outdoors on Halloween night. We took a break for a couple of years, but people kept asking us to hold another one, so we decided that this would be the year we’d start it up again.”
The vendors at the event, all of whom have previously collaborated with the City of Hammond, were provided with tables free of charge. The representatives decorated their tables with a dazzling array of colorful, spooky, and fun displays. South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA), Prom Genie II, Inc., Jump for Fun Inc., Porter Pipe & Supply, Hammond Fire Department, and Diamond Pet Services numbered among the vendors.
Hammond Police Chief William Short appreciates the opportunity to participate in the Indoor Trunk or Treat this year.
“Our law enforcement officers are committed to serving and protecting Hammond,” Short said. “That includes doing whatever we can for the kids in our community. Since our department works so closely with the city, we wanted to show our support and operate a Trunk-or-Treat table today. This is a great event because it enables the kids to have some fun while ensuring that they are safe as well. We’re glad to be here and our smiles are just as big as everyone else's.”
A DJ sets the mood for a truly bone-chilling trunk-or-treat with such classic Halloween tunes like “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, the “Ghostbusters” theme song, “The Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett. The young trunk-or-treaters sported a variety of costumes including Elsa from “Frozen,” Strawberry Shortcake, Steve from “Minecraft,” Pennywise from “It,” Pikachu from “Pokémon,” Skye from “Paw Patrol,” and even an “Among Us” astronaut.
Ibarra is enthusiastic about putting on the Trunk-or-Treat each year and enjoys seeing the fruits of her and her team’s hard work.
“I'm very excited to be here,” Ibarra said. “My favorite part of this event is seeing the little ones’ cute costumes and the smiles on their faces. It takes a lot of planning to put on this event, so it’s really rewarding to see it play out. I’d like to extend a thank-you to all of the vendors who helped make this a great night for our guests. I hope everyone here today enjoys all of the fun that comes with celebrating Halloween.”
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