SPENCER — The town will host its third annual Trunk or Treat event on Halloween, Oct. 31, in Park Plaza parking lot to the right of town hall.

Though part of the lot is now cordoned off for construction of the park, Town Manager Peter Franzese said a section of the lot is still available and should provide enough room for the event.

The event is co-sponsored by Rowan County’s Department of Social Services, and Spencer council member Erin Moody, who said she looks forward to the event every year, said “fortunately last year the folks from Social Services brought enough candy for back up.”

“Trunk or Treat is a way for the community to come together in a safe event area for children,” said Spencer Police Chief Michael File. “We are able to provide the children a safer, more controlled environment with better lighting. That eliminated some of the heavy foot traffic we have seen previously in neighborhoods with dimly lit streets.”

Anyone interested in participating as a “trunk” must register, either online or by picking up a hard copy at town hall or by visiting https://spencernc.gov/halloween/.

Registering to be a “trunk” essentially means signing up to use the trunk of your vehicle to distribute candy or toys. According to the regulations, vehicles should begin arriving at 4:30 p.m. so that the cars are in place before the children and families arrive. No new cars will be admitted to the Trunk or Treat area after 5:20 p.m., and cars will be expected to remain in place until 7:30 p.m. and not to move except in case of emergency.

There are restrictions on the types of treats that can be distributed. All treats and candy should be store-bought and sealed within the original wrappers. The following items are not permitted to be distributed at Spencer Trunk or Treat:
•    Home-baked goods
•    Fruit
•    Treats without sealed wrappers
•    Treats past their expiration date
•    Treats with damaged wrappers

According to the online information for the event, “some children may have food allergies so please consider having an extra bowl of candy such as: Lifesavers, Skittles, Smarties, Dum Dum Suckers, Life Saver Gummies, Swedish Fish, Air Heads, Pixy Stix, Laffy Taffy, Ring Pops, Jolly Ranchers, Dubble Bubble Gum, Sour Patch Kids, Fruit Rollups, or small Halloween themed toys so these children are able to participate in the fun.”

All participants are encouraged to dress for the occasion in costumes of their choosing, and those with trunks are strongly encouraged to decorate their vehicles. “We’ve seen some incredible ‘trunk’ decorations in prior years, including one car transformed into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry,” according to the website.