With Halloween just days away, Turlock is gearing up for the holiday with a variety of frighteningly fun events around town.
The scares will begin this weekend at LifeGate Free Will Baptist Church, which is hosting its 2018 Trunk-Or-Treat event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. The annual event, located at 2217 Geer Rd., will feature a chili cook-off, costume contests, awards for the best-decorated car and, of course, lots of candy.
On Sunday, Turlockers can decide between another Trunk-Or-Treat event and an event that requires a bit more physical activity.
The First United Methodist Church of Turlock will host a Trunk-Or-Treat from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, where kids can trick or treat in a safe environment. There will be candy, games and decorated cars, all located at 1660 Arbor Way.
The 9th annual Move Your Bones 5K walk/run, 10K run, 1-mile kids run and 400m fun run will also be held on Sunday, with registration at 7 a.m., kids races starting at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K and 10K beginning at 8:30 a.m. Participants can pick up packets to participate in the race from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oak Barrel Ice and Creamery on Golden State Boulevard and Marshall Street.
The races will begin at Stanislaus State near the Warrior Arena, and runners are encouraged to run in costume. There will be shirts up for grabs, a DJ booth and raffles, as well as prizes for 5K and 10K overall male and female winners and for the top three in each age group.
Last year, the race gave over $4,000 to Turlock and other local schools, and the event hopes to contribute even more after this year’s race.
On the day of Halloween, there are a variety of events around town for both parents and children to attend.
The Connecting Point Church of the Nazarene will host its Harvest Festival from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday at 3200 E. Monte Vista Ave. in Denair. There will be a Trunk-Or-Treat, free food, candy and desserts in addition to games, bounce houses, hay rides and more.
Another festival-like atmosphere can be found on Halloween at The Carnival, hosted by Crossroads Church. The event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the church, 1360 N. Johnson Rd. There will be dinner available for purchase, a petting zoo and candy for children to enjoy, all while dressed up.
The Turlock Downtown Property Owners Association is hosting its annual Downtown Turlock Trick or Treat event on Halloween as well. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., children and their parents can visit participating businesses (marked by orange flyers in the window) and collect as much candy as they can.
The Turlock Police Activities League will have a booth set up during the event, Police Chief Nino Amirfar told the Turlock City Council at their meeting on Tuesday, and will be passing out candy thanks to a donation from the Wal Mart Neighborhood Market. The grocery store generously donated $206 worth of candy for the event, Amirfar said.
“I said, ‘Hey, can you give us a couple bags?’ and they said, ‘No, we can’t. We can give you $200 worth,’” Amirfar said. “It was quite a few bags of candy…just don’t send me the dentist bill.”
The Turlock Police Department is also inviting Turlockers to trick or treat at their station, located at 224 N. Broadway. There, trick or treaters will be treated to a reflective bag of goodies that not only will satisfy their sweet tooth, but also keep them safe.
Unfortunately, this year Stanislaus State’s Housing and Residential Life will no longer be hosting its annual Halloween Gala. The university said in a released that while the campus has enjoyed providing this community event, it has grown to the extent that it no longer is feasible for Stan State’s Housing and Residential Life to provide the resources necessary for the event to remain successful.
Amirfar reminded the community on Tuesday the importance of wearing clothing that increases visibility while trick or treating on Halloween (the use of reflective tape or glow sticks is recommended), sticking together in groups, carrying a flashlight, staying in familiar areas and more with the help of a safety video created by TPD staff. The video can be viewed on the department’s Facebook page.
“It’s about our kids and even the big kids, including myself…you have to be careful on what you do and you have to be paying attention,” Amirfar said. “The bottom line is we’ve got to be responsible and keep an eye on our kids.”
