By Sarah Cavaccini and Brandon D. Oliver
Palatka Daily News
scavacini@palatkadailynews.com
boliver@palatkadailynews.com
Crowds of people attended Halloween events in Crescent City and Palatka on Tuesday, most wearing costumes and enjoying the spooky season.
While Putnam County’s traditional trick-or-treating was held from 6 to 8 p.m., Halloween festivities in Palatka began in the early afternoon. Boo on the Avenue, an annual event where children walk across St. Johns Avenue in downtown Palatka and receive candy from businesses in the area, was held from 3 to 5 p.m. After that was over, the family walked the block to the Palatka riverbank.The police department held its 8th annual Trunk-or-Treat from 5 to 8 p.m.
Police Chief Jason Shaw said more people have attended since Trunk-or-Treat was held, but that number has skyrocketed since the event was relocated from the Palatka Mall parking lot. .
“One of the big things is that we moved to the river so we don’t have to go after Boo on the Avenue,” Shaw said during the trunk-or-treat. “And he keeps everything in one place. The reason behind us was to find a way to have safe trick-or-treating in the city.”
Shaw said traditional trick-or-treating has declined in recent years, in part due to safety concerns. So the city of Palatka wanted to host a fun and safe trick-or-treating event, he said.
Shaw said “Boo on the Avenue” and “Truck-or-Treat” will be held in the same area of the city, so families can make the most of their time at the two Halloween events. He says it can be done. And for everyone’s peace of mind, he said law enforcement and emergency services personnel are stationed throughout downtown to ensure safety.
Before Trunk-or-Treat began, and long after the event began, a line of people stretched from the riverfront to about halfway down the 100 block of St. Johns Avenue. Mr Shaw was confident that this year’s attendance would be higher than previous years.
“We did over 800 in the first 45 minutes,” Shaw said. “Typically we have over 3,000 employees every year. I’m almost certain we’ll surpass that just by the numbers we achieved in his first 45 minutes.”
Shaw said Trunk-or-Treat in Palatka has been so popular that they’ve expanded to South Putnam.
The City of Crescent City and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office hosted the third annual Trunk-or-Treat at the former middle school in the city’s downtown.
Many of the children and their families dressed up as princesses, superheroes, clowns and more and lined up for hours on Prospect Street for candy. Sheriff Gator DeLoach said he couldn’t even count how many children walked down the street to go trick-or-treating.
“You know, the look on these kids’ faces means the world to me,” DeLoach said.
The Sheriff’s Office brought in a large Humvee truck for the kids to watch, and Sheriff’s Office K-9 Officer Jagor joined in the fun by dressing up as Robin from movies, TV shows, and comics.
Community organizations decorated the vehicles with explosive decorations and set the mood with themes such as Toy Story. A group of people then broke into the Thriller dance from Michael Jackson’s 1983 music video to liven up the festivities.
DeLoach said events like the one at Crescent City are all aimed at children and provide an opportunity to forget about the worries of the world and have fun.
“What we want to do is provide a safe environment like the one you see here, where families can come together and have a fun family night out, carefree and worry-free. ” DeLoach said. “We love supporting programs like this. It’s something we’re very passionate about.”