Each year as October arrives, parents, caregivers, and teachers everywhere question how to safely provide trick-ortreating fun for children when door-to-door trick-or-treating proves unavailable or unsafe. Fortunately for Bristowans, local school administrators have found a safer way for children to enjoy donning costumes and acquiring tasty goodies and toys.
For the second consecutive year, Edison Elementary hosted a trunk-or-treat event for its students with 25 vendors setting up booths to treat Edison students. Area businesses, organizations, and families decorated their trunks and booths to the delight of Edison’s 500-plus student body, ranging in class from pre-k to second grade. Edison’s Early Childhood Center Principal Heather Adams noted that some school board members set up booths for the enjoyment of students as well.
Students received treats from the circus, Barbie photo booths, silly monsters, campgrounds, vehicles decked out in all things pirate or spookily clad in green, orange and black, and more with school counseling services and first responders joining the festivities as well. Pre-K students also visited Bristow City Hall, Rainbow Health Care Community, and Varners for goodies and fun.
For school personnel, Mrs. Adams noted that the greatest fun arose from the community’s unity in providing safe excitement and treats for students and families. She stated that the staff enjoyed seeing students’ creativity and enjoyment in dressing up for the day and witnessing entire families with grandparents, siblings, and aunts and uncles joining the fun either by creating booths together to treat students or by trunk-or-treating with them.
A few families expressed their gratitude to the school and vendors for providing the opportunity: “With how the world is, you never know if it’s safe to take your kids to homes to trick-ortreat anymore. It was great that they did this for the kids. It was fun! I hope they do it again.”
• -Melissa S. “Sis was sad that she couldn’t go tonight, so this was good. It was fun and she smiled and she laughed.”
• J.M. “Goodness, that was a lot of fun! We wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Our grandkids had such a great time. … I wish we could’ve done this as kids. … Really, thanks to everyone who made this happen.”
• Kevin T. “The community and Edison staff really did such a great job, putting this together for the kids. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Thank you!”
• B . T. As for the ECC, Mrs. Adams said “Thank you to our amazing community and families who came together to make our trunk-or-treat such a success for our students! It takes all of us, and everyone came together for these children. Our students loved every single minute. Thank you!”