Archive: Around Town

Lansing is a tight-knit community, but walkable neighborhoods are few and far between.  When Asbury Church members talked about a Halloween event, Loveta Geesey suggested something she had done before she moved to Lansing from Idaho.  The community would create a neighborhood in the parking lot around the Lansing Community Library for Halloween night.  About 50 cars would be parked, trunks facing out, and decorated in different themes.  Trick or Treaters and their parents would gt to vote on their favorite trunks, with prizes awarded to the winners.

"The big motivation for having the Trunk or Treat is providing a safe place for the kids to trick or treat together and celebrate being a community and having fun together," says organizer Loveta Geesey.  "Those of us involved are really excited to work together with the community to offer this fun Halloween alternative to driving and walking around on a dark autumn night."

Geesey and Asbury Church intern Eric Krenner are organizing the event, and have gotten between 10 and 20 churches and organizations to sign on to be involved at some level, including around 10 that will actively participate.  They called schools, churches, and community groups, planned a meeting and communicated through email.  Local businesses have donated prizes to be awarded to crowd favorite trunks, and crowd favorite carved pumpkins.

"50 trunks is our goal.  Different churches and groups are taking pieces of that.  Asbury Church has committed to 20.  The Lansing United Methodist Church has 10, others have different numbers.  Parks and Recreation Superintendent Steve Colt suggested a pumpkin carving contest.  I'm thinking we'll get close.  We'll have 40 to 50 for sure.  And the library is hosting a craft inside the building.  The East Shore Community Church is providing refreshments.  It will be almost like a carnival atmosphere."

Anyone can host a trunk.  Geesey says there are still slots open, and all aspects of the event are open to all community members at no charge.  She adds that people are encouraged to bring their already-carved pumpkins to be displayed.  Corwd favorites will win prizes.

In Idaho Geesey has hosted trunks herself, including a historical foundation theme with museum pieces, including an actual coffin.  In Boise she had a BSU trunk with orange and blue team colors.

"I really liked doing it because, as a parent, it's one-stop trick or treating," she says.  "What I really enjoy about it is everybody's together and you get to be a community, when you're really spread out most of the time.  Here you're spread out, too, so it makes it so nice when you can come together.  The bicentennial carnival was a perfect example."

Trunk or treat will be in the Lansing Community Library parking lot from 6pm to 7:30pm on Halloween.

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