Downtown Bloomington was filled with children, pets and parents all dressed in unusual attire. Transformers were joined by characters from popular children's shows like “Bluey” and “My Little Pony”. These were paired with animals donning hot dogs and other snack food costumes, as Halloween festivities went underway on Kirkwood Ave. and surrounding streets.
The annual Trick-or-Treat event was held Oct. 25. The event ran from 5-8 p.m. and featured a collection of shops and other businesses handing out candy and treats to children.
The event was sponsored by Gather, a gift shop located at 116 N. Walnut St. The employees of Gather have been working since early September to get other shops involved.
Gather employee Anna Halliday worked closely with the planning process and said there were dozens of stores and community places that joined in on the tradition.
“This year we have a really big turnout of people who wanted to be a part of a community, andhelp celebrate it but also get their names out there too,” Halliday said.
The First Christian Church was one such organization. Kyrmen Ray, senior minister for First Christian Church, has participated in this event for the past three years.
“We decorate, and we wear costumes, and we make sure we have candy and candy alternatives for kids who can’t have candy,” Ray said.
The church steps were adorned with luminaria bags with pumpkin faces on them. Children could walk up to the church and grab a piece of candy or an apple from the bowl located just inside the doors. Other stores had tables out front, decorated with pumpkins and balloons.
The streets came alive, not only because of the decorations. Children of all ages dressed as “Harry Potter” characters, superheroes and princesses jumped from storefront to storefront, followed closely by their parents who were often holding candy bags or parts of costumes. Everywhere one turned, they were met with smiles and laughter from everyone in attendance.
“My favorite part is welcoming the community and seeing the children having a wonderful time and watching their joy and welcoming people into our church,” Ray said.
More than just candy and costumes, downtown trick-or-treat offers a sense of community in Bloomington. It provides residents with the ability to interact with one another, and the local business they so often patronize. Neighbors greeting one another, or budding friendships among both children and adults was a common scene this Friday night.
New Bloomington resident Megan Canonica, who is involved with the Trinity Episcopal Church, said this was her first time attending this event. She is new in Bloomington but looks forward to the community that has grown outside of the Indiana University campus.
“I love kids; I’m the children's ministry director, so I just love seeing kids walking around with their families and stuff,” said Canonica. Halliday feels similarly, underlining the importance of this event in building such a strong community.
“We really are about supporting other small and local businesses in the area,” said Halliday, “It's just so fun.”
