Trunk or Treat

October 31, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

POLAND

Like countless other youngsters on and near Halloween, 2-year-old Dexter Ramirez carried a plastic pumpkin filled with assorted candy others had given him, but in his case, he obtained his sweet riches not by going house to house, but vehicle to vehicle.

“Wow!” the Youngstown boy said as he looked at the Kit Kat candy bars and small Oreo cookie packs that were among the items he had collected.

Dexter and his father, Romeo Ramirez, were among the children and adults who enjoyed Sunday’s first Trunk or Treat at Holy Family Parish, 2729 Center Road.

Other similar Trunk or Treat events took place Sunday at Poland United Methodist Church, 1940 Boardman-Poland Road, and Heritage Presbyterian Church on Mathews Road in Poland.

“This is a safe alternative [to going door to door] for them to score a lot of candy,” John Svoboda, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus’ Holy Family Council 15573, said about the 90-minute funfest, the main feature of which was the opportunity for children dressed for Halloween to walk from one vehicle to the next to collect their treats.

Citing traffic and other safety concerns, some parents and guardians are reluctant to allow their children to adhere to the traditional method of trick-or-treating through neighborhoods. Consequently, the family friendly Trunk or Treat provided a safe and fun church-oriented environment for them to do essentially the same thing, observed Bob Shipsky, event organizer.

“They know all of their friends and neighbors who go to the same church,” he explained.

Also, the fact that the gathering was in a condensed area likely appealed to youngsters who live in rural areas and have to walk a considerable distance between homes, Shipsky continued.

At one point, a few dozen children and their parents lined up to receive candy from Carol Frank of Poland, who distributed candy bars and small snack items from a plastic cauldron in the trunk of her sport utility vehicle.

“It’s a good mix of people from all over, not just Poland,” she observed.

The vehicles’ trunks also sported no shortage of Halloween paraphernalia and decorations, including a plastic crow in a cage that squawks and is attached to a motion sensor, a variety of skeletons, skulls and scarecrows,

plastic tombstones, jack-o-lanterns, cobwebs and large spiders.

The gathering also offered plenty of games and activities, such as face-painting and bowling, though 8-year-old Isabella Felleti of Boardman neither knocked down a set of 10 pins nor used a conventional bowling ball.

Instead, the Robinwood Lane Elementary School second-grader, who came with her father, Dominic Felleti, did her best to “roll” a small pumpkin and knock down clusters of three pins.

Even after the fun Isabella had Sunday, does she still plan to engage in the usual trick-or-treat method this evening?

“I’d scream if I don’t!” said an excited Isabella, who plans to dress as the Grim Reaper and who also is part of the choir at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church.

The scene was similar at Poland United Methodist Church, where many families braved a steady drizzle and temperatures in the low 50s to partake of an early taste of Halloween via several dozen vehicles and enjoy one another’s company.

In addition to displaying the traditional trappings such as a chest that appeared to lift by itself and had complementary sound effects, the trunks of some cars served as reminders – as if anyone needed any – that the Cleveland Indians were on the verge of winning their first World Series in 68 years. One vehicle owner had a series of dolls wearing team garb.

The excitement of the Fall Classic likely didn’t register with 10-month-old Andrew Codner, though, but the youngster seemed content to wear a Batman mask and sit in a plastic Batmobile.

“He’s having a great time,” said Andrew’s father, Kolton Codner.