Walkerville shops plan for an increase in trick-or-treaters this year

Organizers of the fourth annual Trick-or-Treat event say nearly 500 residents are expected to participate in the festivities this Saturday in Walkerville which would be a record number of kids and possibly furry friends.

Local business owner and trick-or-treat event coordinator Julie Myers said she looks forward to planning the event each year.

“This is a fun event for children to go with their parents and trick or treat through the area, and hopefully people will like what they see and come back in the future to purchase or to eat in the area,” said Myers.

This year will feature the greatest number of participating eateries, retail and health stores, some of which are planning to give out more than just candy.

According to Myers, Breathe Pilates and Fitness Studio will also be treating any customers dressed in costume during the event to a free yoga session while other businesses have made arrangements to also offer tasty treats for pups, fun tours and spooky storytelling sessions for kids of all ages.

“It’s a great community to live and work in and everyone is prepared for a good turnout this year,” said Myers.

Shelley Smith has managed the box office for the Old Walkerville Theatre for a little over a year and remembers feeling somewhat disappointed last Halloween when less than half the number of trick-or-treaters they anticipated showed up.

“I hope people come to the theatre so we can give them a little tour. I enjoy doing it we do a lot of children’s theatre here through the year so it’s great to have kids around,” said Smith.

“I think it’s good for the area to do events like this.  It’s a good way for parents to get their kids out and it’s a lot of fun for everyone.”

Sonia Klue, co-owner and manager of Klueless Cupcakes said between 40 and 50 kids visited her shop two years ago, the first and only time her shop participated in the event.  She said this year she made sure to post the event on her business’s social media accounts in hopes of seeing more customers come out dressed up this year.

“We are looking forward to it a lot, we love Halloween.  It’s also my husband’s birthday so we love going all out for it every year and we are prepared for big crowds with extra bags of candy and extra chocolate bars in case we run out of bags,” said Klue.

“Hopefully it’s nice weather so the kids don’t have to wear coats and we can see their costumes better.”

Twenty-five business in Walkerville will be participating in the trick-or-treat event this Saturday noon – 3 p.m.  For a full list of names and locations visit the event page posted on the Thyme To-Go Facebook account.