The Trick or Treat Trail will return to Battle Ground on Halloween.
Kids and their families will have the opportunity to pick up candy from businesses that stretch from the Battle Ground Plaza up to the Battle Ground Community Center on Monday, Oct. 31.
Ink Ability owner Kendra Laratta said the Trick or Treat Trail is a community-based event.
“It is a way for businesses to be able to give back to their community as well,” Laratta said.
The event was started by the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, which was absorbed by the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. The Battle Ground Festival Association took over and has hosted the event since 2019. Laratta said members of the association typically go out the week before Halloween to hand out construction pumpkins to businesses on Main Street. If a business displays the pumpkin then it signifies they will hand out free candy to trick-or-treaters.
“It’s been a long tradition here in Battle Ground and I know a lot of the businesses really look forward to it. Some of them will decorate their business,” she said.
Laratta said the event used to focus solely on the businesses located on Main Street, but the association opened up to others not in that area because of the population growth Battle Ground has experienced.
Businesses at the Battle Ground Plaza will have a designated spot in the parking lot where they can put up a 10 foot by 10 foot canopy or a table with a banner.
The event runs from 3 to 6 p.m. That time frame was selected so families with smaller children who aren’t in school can come earlier before larger crowds filter into the area once school gets out.
Besides the trail, she said the Battle Ground Festival Association will also host a free pumpkin carving contest, which will be open to all ages.
People can bring their carved pumpkin to Main Street Floral Company between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Oct. 31. Participants will have to fill out a registration card when they drop off their pumpkin. Three cash prizes of $50 will be awarded to the winners, Laratta said.
The community will also be able to vote for a winner and there will be a “mayor’s choice” pumpkin selected as well.
“That’s something we’re looking forward to, seeing lots of fun carvings and cute pumpkins, and hopefully that’ll be a good tradition that we can start and carry on,” Laratta said.
Laratta was happy with the turnout last year. She estimates between 3,000 to 5,000 kids were present. Parents were also supportive of the event, she said.
For more information on the Trick or Treat Trail, go online to the Battle Ground Festival Association’s Facebook page at face book.com/battlegroundfestivals.
