Chapel Hill recreation department hosts Trunk or Treat

Little Cinderellas and Iron Men squealed excitedly and ran to their parents Saturday night at the sight of a spooky bus covered in cobwebs with a bloody driver and his passengers left inside.

The kids were attending the Town of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department's Halloween event, its second-annual Haunted H.A.C., held at the Homestead Aquatic Center.

The event featured free activities for kids, including Trunk-or-Treat and a Spooktacular Swim. 

The Trunk-or-Treat featured a fleet of vehicles decorated in a Halloween theme, whose drivers handed out packaged candy to the kids attending. 

Andrea Judge, a first-time volunteer, decorated her own car with skulls and pumpkins and dressed up like a witch in black.

“It’s something fun for the kids, and I like Halloween as a holiday," Judge said.

"It's fun to get dressed up and get your car fixed up, and the kids can come around and have a fun trick-or-treat." 

Volunteers signed up for the event to decorate their cars and pass out candy for kids. Most of the volunteers were Parks and Recreation Department employees or volunteers for the YMCA Leaders Club. 

The Leaders Club donated candy, led the games and provided at least ten volunteers to help with decorations, said Lizzie Burrill, the assistant aquatic supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department.

The event also featured a game station, where kids could complete six games to get a prize. After collecting their prize, the kids could jump in the aquatic center's Halloween-themed pool to watch a dive-in movie.

Four-year-old Iron Man Dash Downes went to the event with his twin sister Josie Downes, who dressed up as Cinderella.

Their mother, Erin Wilson, said Josie was a big fan of the candy.

Chapel Hill resident and YMCA Leaders Club volunteer Julie Park said the candy is her favorite part, too. 

She said she liked the event because she could pass out candy to the cute little kids in costumes and even eat some herself.

Mimi Lubin, who said she recently moved to the area, and her daughters Alexia and Aleyla, also attended the event. Lubin said she preferred this structure for trick-or-treating to a hectic Halloween on Franklin Street.

"It's kid-friendly, and that's important," she said.

"The crowds are not too big here. I heard that Franklin Street is not really a place to be with small children."

city@dailytarheel.com