At the city of Orem’s annual Truck or Treat event, there were more sweets than scares.
“Halloween is just a great time of year to celebrate as a community,” event coordinator Karina Eckern said.
Truck or Treat returned to University Place this past weekend. 10-year-old Roman Shepherdson liked the crane more than the candy.
“Actually, the crane. The crane you get to ride on and go up to the sky. Yeah, I went about a hundred feet high,” Shepherson said.
Not every kid wanted all of the bells and whistles, though. Event coordinators designated the first hour of the event as “sensory needs hour.”
“We do want those who have … sensitivity disabilities to be able to enjoy the event just as much as anyone else,” Eckern said.
Bree McMullan, who came to the event from Wyoming, said the family-friendly event didn’t have any “extreme spooks” for younger kids.
Police said they wanted kids to see them as more sweet than scary.
“We hope that they remember a positive experience with police officers,” Officer Anneliese Langs said. “Especially with kids, letting them know that we’re a safe place if they’re ever lost or anything like that.”
It looked like lots of kids left the event with that impression. Event coordinators expected a turnout of around 3,000 people.
“I think from all the smiling faces, they were pretty happy about it,” Eckern said.
Read full article here.