By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
All of the young ghouls, ghosts and goblins of Halloween came out a few days early this year at the Lin’s Marketplace Trunk or Treat event on Saturday afternoon. About 300 kids with their parents showed up in full costume to haunt the store’s parking lot and the aisles inside of Lin’s, seeking treats for their troubles.
The store’s staff had cordoned off the entire north end of the Lin’s parking lot for the trunk or treat event. Kids and their parents entered a dark and spooky gateway to the area and were immediately faced with a lot of fun. More than a dozen trunks decorated for Halloween and chock full of candy were awaiting them.
Local businesses and organizations that sponsored trunks included Tiffany’s Pies and Subs, L.F. McCormick construction, Permanent Learning Solutions, Moapa Valley Progress, Cappalappa Family Resource Centers, Metropolitan Police, Farmers Alsum Insurance and the Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The Mortensen family, famous for doing much of the holiday window paintings on local businesses, were there providing face painting for young attendees.
The fall afternoon weather was perfect for the event and the kids enjoyed making the round of each station filling their bags with candy; and then doing it all again, and again, and again.
The festivities were not limited to just outside the store. Inside there was a lot going on as well. At the top of each hour the kids could gather at the Customer Service counter for a costume contest. From there the kids would march in single file all around the store to show off their costumes to the fellow shoppers. The parade would end back where it began for the announcement of the costume contest winners.
The first place winner of the first of the costume contests was Brielle Baker who was dressed as a cute little scarecrow.
Also inside the store the kids could participate in cake walks, taste some deli specials and try a special witches brew of homemade root beer. And while they were there they could pick up their Halloween pumpkins on sale in front of the store.
Check out lanes were decorated for halloween and most of the store’s staff were dressed in costume to celebrate the season.
Crissy Christensen, the event’s coordinator, said that the Trunk or Treat concept was a corporate-wide event which was taking place on the same day at all Associated Foods stores in Utah and southern Nevada.
“They told us that we could go as big or as small on it as we wanted,” Christensen said. “We decided to make it big. And we are so happy with the turnout and how much the community has supported this event.”
