On one of Auburn's spookiest nights, an assortment of ghosts, goblins and princesses lined the streets of downtown Auburn with their moms and dads Thursday, Oct. 29, for the city's Ninth Annual Trick-or-Treat Downtown event.
The Trick-or-Treat festivities were available for children ages 12 and younger and included entertainment form Auburn University's steel drum band who also dressed in their ghoulish fare.
Parents and trick-or-treaters walked along the shops and restaurants in the downtown area as participating merchants handed out candy from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
"We think it went great and we got a lot of positive feedback," said Alison Hall, community program director from the city of Auburn. "It was the most attended from all of the past nine years."
Some of the events Thursday night included a haunted store front from Stamp and prizes that were awarded to the Best Overall Costume and Best Pet Costume. Local radio stations were downtown broadcasting live and even area businesses outside the downtown area handed candy to passers-by.
Susan King, hygienist at Auburn Dental Care, said joining the
Halloween festivities was a great way to advertise the opening her employer's new practice and to promote good dental health to children by handing out sugar free candy.
Philanthropy efforts from various clubs and organizations were in attendance to promote donations for each club's mission which included the Alabama Food Bank and the Alabama Kiwanis Foundation.
Auburn High School's Key Club, a high school chapter of the Alabama Kiwanis, painted faces for donations to go toward the Children's Hospital in Birmingham for the hospital's expansion project.
"We are just out tonight for a great night to raise money for those children who can't be here," said Mark Price, president of Auburn High School's Key Club.
Donations were accepted to help fund a new teen room and pre-natal parent room in the hospital. The community was also encouraged to bring non-perishable canned food items for the Carve a Bite Out of Hunger Food Drive to benefit the East Alabama Food Bank.
Patrice Pitts of Auburn, whose child was dressed as a pirate, said this was not her first time coming to the downtown Halloween event, but did not expect to see such a large crowd.
"We came last year and decided to come again," Pitts said. "It has been a lot of fun."
This year's trick-or-treat event fell during the Auburn University home game against Ole Miss and Auburn High School's football game.
Mayor Bill Ham said the city decided to change the night of trick-or-treat to allow the city to have enough security for the children in the community and the large fan based crowd for the football games.
"The bottom line is all about safety," Ham said. "You really don't want your kids out going door to door or walking the streets on a night when we have 50 to 60,000 extra people in town and we don't have adequate police to patrol the neighborhoods because they are out in intersections policing traffic coming in or leaving town."
Ham said that this was not the first year that he has had to change the night of trick-or-treat despite some uproar from citizens.
"If we can save one injury or one life than it is worth it," Ham said.
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