Neighborhood trick-or-treating was an option for some parents and kids on Halloween, but for Tom Oliver of Aurora, a one-stop-shop option offered by the city of Aurora is all he and his son, Kayden, 7, needed.
“We love coming to this,” Oliver said Friday during the city’s annual trick-or-treat event at Wilder Park in Aurora that featured more than a dozen city department giving out treats. “We’ve come before and like that they have all of this laid out for the kids.”
This is the second year the event has been offered at Wilder Park, a move that city officials said was made to offer more room for visitors as well as better parking.
“This began as a small experience inside of City Hall that has now turned into a large event drawing about 3,500 people,” said Mike Nelson, director of community events for the city of Aurora. “We started in 2017 at City Hall, and then around 2019, we ventured out onto the Water Street Mall.”
The pandemic then moved in and forced the city to offer a drive-thru experience at Phillips Park in both 2020 and 2021.
“In 2022, we brought it back to the Water Street Mall for the next two years, and then we realized we were outgrowing the mall and decided to move it over to Wilder Park and the promenade,” Nelson said. “We had already made some great improvements to the park over there and really wanted to show that off and also take advantage of the great parking the property has to offer.”
The city provided all the treats again this year, Nelson said, “with each department allotted a specific amount to spend on candy.”
“We know there are other trick-or-treat events, but this is a convenience thing,” Nelson said. “We have parents that come up every year and thank us for having the event. They use this as their trick-or-treating experience for the night. It’s been a fun way for city staff to interact with the public and celebrate Halloween.”
Tony Martinez, chief communications officer for the city of Aurora, was manning one of the many booths Friday afternoon and agreed it was a fun experience for everybody.
“This is great. We have a pretty good turnout and people were waiting to get in. This is why we have it,” Martinez said. “The community gets together, has a great time and celebrates Halloween.”
Parents and kids packed the various booths at the event. Diana Martinez of Aurora said she was thankful the city “put this together,” noting her two children “love it.”
“I like the set up,” she said. “It seems safe and fun and there are a lot of people here.”
Yolanda Delgado of Aurora said it was her first time at the city trick-or-treat event.
“This is really a good event. It’s really good for the kids,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
