Trick or treaters will hit the jackpot this year as Malheur County has no shortage of activities this spooky season.
Kicking off the Halloween events is the Boys and Girls Club’s Trunk or Treat on Friday, Oct. 27, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Four Rivers Cultural Center parking lot at 676 S.W. 5th Ave.
It will be free and open to the public. Madison Kendall, a resource specialist with the Boys and Girls Club, said she expects about 1,500 kids in costumes this year, with some 45 people handing out candy from their vehicles. Kendall said she anticipates three food trucks and hopes to bring a deejay.
In its fourth year, the Boys and Girls Club event provides a safe alternative for parents to take their kids on Halloween, with people handing out candy from the decorated trunks of their cars.
Kendall said the organization likes to refer to Trunk or Treat as its largest community outreach event of the year, with kids of all ages coming out to celebrate the holiday.
“We’ve just tried to make it a really safe and fun place,” she said. “Because we know the world can be not so safe and is a little scarier nowadays.”
Kendall said those interested in donating candy, registering a vehicle to hand out candy or becoming a sponsor can call the Boys and Girls Club at 541-889-7979.
Treats on Oct. 31
For trick or treaters on Tuesday, Oct. 31, about 20 businesses will hand out candy from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Ontario on Oregon Street between Idaho and Fourth Avenue, according to event organizer Christina Barron, owner of Charmed Needle.
This will be the third year businesses hand out candy to the area’s trick or treaters, according to Barron. She said Oregon Street would be closed off during the event, but one intersection will have volunteer crossing guards to make it safe for families.
Over the past couple of years, Barron said, the event has become a tradition in Ontario.
Every year,” Barron said, “people ask, ‘hey, are you going to do trick or treat?’ It really has become a thing.”
Representatives from the Vale Chamber of Commerce said businesses on Main Street will hand out candy from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
Later, youngsters can keep the fun going at the Halloween trunk or treat event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the lot on the corner of Washington Street and John Day Highway. The event, hosted by Travis Schneider, owner of Schneider Tree Service and Construction, will have free hot dogs and a hay fort for kids.
Those interested in handing out candy from their vehicle can reach Schneider at 541-212-6954.
Nyssa’s trunk or treat Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the parking lot along Main Street kicks off at 5:30 p.m. until the candy runs out.
The Nyssa Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Wizard of Oz-themed scarecrow contest, according to a flyer on the chamber’s website.
This week through Halloween, businesses along Main Street are creating scarecrows inspired by the Wizard of Oz. To enter the contest, they can snap a photo and send it to the chamber’s Facebook page, along with a name and phone number.
The chamber’s board and a few “helpers” will select first and second place, along with a people’s choice award. The chamber will feature the businesses and their scarecrows in its publication About Town, with information about the businesses, according to the flyer.
Winners will also receive a harvest basket with “goodies,” according to the chamber’s website.
NEWS TIP? Send an email to [email protected].
SUPPORT OUR WORK – The Malheur Enterprise delivers quality local journalism – fair and accurate. You can read it any hour, any day with a digital subscription. Read it on your phone, your Tablet, your home computer. Click subscribe – $7.50 a month.