The Damariscotta Police Department, Great Salt Bay Community School, and the Central Lincoln County YMCA have teamed up for this year’s Halloween Trunk-or-Treat, and they are requesting help from the community to make it a success.
For the past several years, both the Damariscotta Police Department and the CLC YMCA have held events on Halloween. This year, rather than forcing parents and kids to choose which event to attend, the organizations decided to combine their efforts and hold one large event.
“Karen-Ann (Hagar, teen program coordinator and community outreach coordinator at the Y) and I work well together on a lot of projects. When she approached me about this, it was really just a no-brainer,” Damariscotta Police Chief Jason Warlick said.
“The community is really what it’s all about,” Hagar said. “There’s a movement in YMCAs across the nation that we are ‘not just a gym,’ and supporting events like this and building those relationships — it’s one of our most important focuses.”
GSB was soon brought in as another partner, and agreed to host the event in the school’s back parking lot due to the ongoing construction at the YMCA.
“As a school community, we were grateful to be asked to participate in this collaboration,” said GSB Principal Kim Schaff. “Helping to provide our students and other children in our community with a safe alternative to traditional trick-or-treating aligned with our school values.”
In addition to providing the space for the event, the school’s PTO and GSB staff volunteers to assist with the setup and take-down and with the running of the games, Schaff said.
Similar to years past, popcorn, hot dogs, and cocoa will be available at the event. Donations will be put toward next year’s events.
The event organizers are asking anyone who is willing to volunteer to come to Trunk-or-Treat to hand out treats for the children
“We really want to make this a good show for the kids,” Warlick said.
Trunk-or-Treat will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31 in the Great Salt Bay Community School back parking lot. All are invited to attend.
“I am very pleased to see our three organizations combine efforts for a Halloween event,” said Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus. “By merging all of the volunteer time and organizational resources, we can hold a larger community-wide event that is much more convenient for parents and one that is sure to delight all of the little witches and goblins.”
For more information and/or to volunteer, contact Warlick at jwarlick@damariscottame.com or Hagar at khagar@clcymca.org.
