The HISD’s annual Trunk or Treat will take place today from 5:30-7:30 p.m., in the field house parking lot. To supply the Trunk or Treat, each campus collected candy from Oct. 9th – 25th. The event usually hosts 2,000+ community members each year, and churches, school clubs, and local businesses are encouraged to sign up to pass out candy to the attendees.
“It’s totally free, and for children,” Event Organizer Judy Cochran said. Event organizers are able to keep the Trunk or Treat “free” because of the community support. Incentives were offered to HISD students, encouraging donations. Scooters Pizza gave away pizza to the grade level on each campus that collected the most candy. Each grade had to collect a minimum of 25 bags to be considered.
On October 27th, the winners of a Scooters pizza party were announced. The elementary winner was the 3rd grade, the junior high winner was the 7th grade, and high school winner was the 11th grade. Some HHS teachers offered extra credit for students who donate bags of candy to the event, increasing participation and donations.
During the Trunk or Treat, the AG department will be cooking hot dogs provided by local churches, and inflatables will be available for attendees. Some Texarkana restaurants will also be present and passing out coupons.
Judy Cochran has been organizing the event for the past 12 years. She was asked to get involved with a community event by Cranford Graves, the former minister of Antioch Christian Church.
“Cranford called me one day and told me we needed to do a community event for Halloween,” Cochran said.
Cranford had passed recently, but because of his massive influence on the Hooks community, members want to honor his achievements. Trunk or Treats have become increasingly popular because of safety concerns involved with the regular trick or treating.
“[It is] a safe place for children to have and celebrate,” added Cochran.
Walking around a dark neighborhood with a group of kids is not in everyone’s ideal scenario. Decorated booths, free hot dogs, bags of candy, and a safe place to celebrate the fall season, who could pass that up?
