It is time for the annual Trunk or Treat at Fort Huachuca. Given how much candy they got last year from the event, you just knew the girls would want to participate. Time to suit up in your costume of choice, grab your candy bag, and get ready to wait in line for an hour in almost freezing temperatures!
Last year’s Trunk or Treat was one of the first major events after we moved to Fort Huachuca, so it is firmly etched the girls’ minds. Mostly because they got so much candy that I not only had to carry both of their bags by the end of it, but it led them to go to only about 20 houses on Halloween. Either way, they definitely wanted to attend.
Learning from last time, we were going to show up early this year. We showed up at exactly 6pm last year, the start of the event, only to be greeted by an hour-long line. We got there 30 minutes early this year and only waited five minutes after it started for them to start receiving candy. And given that the temperature was predicted to get near freezing that night, I will call it a smart move. They both came dressed as Ladybug from the Miraculous television show. Just as long as they were something other than princesses again, I was cool with it.
About 20 minutes before the start, we were told to move to start a second line. This unfortunately just moved us to a longer line. Thankfully, we ran into Elora, Elaina’s best friend, and her mother and sister immediately when we got over to the other line (Elora’s Dad was working at one of the Trunk or Treat vehicles).
The girls were no longer worried about freezing anymore, as they ended up playing with their friends for the rest of the wait.
And when absolutely necessary, you can always hug a T-Rex for warmth.
And of course, I ran in to plenty of my Soldiers and parents from Elaina and Gabriella’s schools and activities. I had to applaud one of the Noncommissioned Officers I work with, as his son wanted to dress up as Buzz Lightyear, and pleaded with him to dress up as Woody. Kudos to him for supporting his kid and dressing up as a family, but just not sure I would go that extra mile for my girls.
Oh, I so would.
Things got a little more fun once the line started moving. We saw plenty of thematically-decorated vehicles. There was a Finding Nemo display, several Coco-themed vehicles, and an amazing Pirates of the Caribbean display (my vote for the winner). My boss and his family had a Pokémon-themed vehicle, a subject which I know very little about (the yellow one is named Pikachu, my daughters’ soccer team is named the Golden Pikachu’s, and Ryan Reynolds does the voice of the character in the movie Detective Pikachu; that is the extent of my knowledge).
Unfortunately (?), I did not even know who my boss or his wife was dressed up as (he told me that even he had to look it up, as his family chose the theme). Either way, it seemed to be nicely decorated, so the Pokémon fans probably appreciated it.
The next vehicle was from one of our Companies and they had some Pumpkin Spice laboratory theme going on. I was told that the beakers were draining the pumpkin spice out of the pumpkins, which was kind of a cool concept. Nice little fall-themed vehicle though.
The last of my unit’s entries was the one my girls enjoyed the most, the game vehicle. My company’s vehicle had several mini-games for children to play while they were in line, which seems like a concept they took right from Walt Disney World (if you remember my Magic Kingdom entry). They had Toss the Ring at the Spider / Witch’s Hat and Toss the Eyeball in the Poison, both of which the girls had fun playing. While this display certainly had less theme than most of the others, it was easily in the top ten of keeping the girls’ attention.
We continued down the line of vehicles, with a couple of The Nightmare before Christmas displays, a really detailed Great Pumpkin-decorated vehicle (that I am afraid very few people appreciated), and Wesley and Buttercup in the Fire Swamp (The Princess Bride). And my personal favorite, Burt Macklin, FBI, and Janet Snakehole handing out candy from a child’s size (512 ounces) Sweetum’s drink holder. Brilliant.
The Fort Huachuca Fire Department had a pretty good set-up, with Marshall the Fire Dog in attendance. As always, the kids flocked to him, which held up the line a little (sorry, parents).
The last display of note was operated by one of Elaina’s child care providers. They had a creepy circus theme, with a “Rotten Candy” sign above their treats. In what was to become Gabby’s favorite part of the night, they had a Turd Toss cornhole board, along with plastic poop for kids to throw in the hole (surrounded by a toilet seat). And throw Gabbs did. Again. And again. And again. Until I had to eventually get her to move the line along. She seemed to be really enjoying throwing fakes feces, but thankfully, there were no unfortunate side effects such as her throwing the real thing when we got home. After we completed the circle, the girls just wanted to hop in the car to 1) Get out of the cold and 2) Finally eat one of the candies they acquired.
They girls had a really fun time, and given their candy hauls, I would say it was pretty productive for both of them. In fact, Gabbs got so much that I had to carry her bag about halfway through. Trunk or Treat is always a get time to get out there for your kids so they can enjoy the holiday. People tend to put a lot of work into their displays, even more so than on Halloween, so would I highly recommend it
Just do not forgot to take warm clothing, including jackets, hats, and gloves, as well as tissues, in case your little ones get the sniffles. Additionally, pack a few snacks, because if your child is full from goldfish or applesauce, they are much less likely to be pestering you after the first car to start eating their candy.
*muffled*
Thanks for checking in on us.
Cheers!
Adventures in Single Dadding 