Trenton Thunder hosted a free Trick or Treat event on Thursday, bringing in over 4,200 people to the ball field to explore the spooky suites.
The event started at 5:30 p.m. and continued to 8:30 p.m. as kids and adults came dressed as princesses, ghouls, and superheroes. Jon Bodnar, Chief Revenue Officer for the Trenton Thunder, was dressed as the Philadelphia Eagles coach. He blended his headset into his costumes as he ran around the stadium helping the event run smoothly.
“We’ve seen everything from Spiderman to Disney princesses,” Bodnar said. “Our staff got involved in it too. You know, I’m the head coach of the Eagles, but we’ve had bananas, hot dogs, and a sumo wrestler, so it’s been a hit with a wide range of costumes tonight.”
The kids ventured through the Trenton Thunder stadium into 15 different suites that different non-profit organizations decorated in all their various costumes. Volunteers came in beforehand and designed their suites with different themes.
Kristina Tuxhorn, owner of the VC Discovery’s dance and theater arts company, held a disco theme 80’s night where she and her troupe of dancers handed out candy as they jammed out to 80’s music.
“It’s great. Everyone’s so excited to be here.” Tuxhorn said. “It’s such an amazing event, especially for the community for all these kids to come out. The families have been having so much fun. We’ve been jamming out in our inside of our suite. So it’s been awesome.”
This Halloween has had a special return since COVID-19 began to slow down across the country. Many parents, kids, and volunteers were happy to be out in the community again celebrating and trick or treating.
Karen Ambrose, the owner of Sweet Gourmet, explained that these last months, as everyone knows, have been harsh. However, this event has given her a chance to get out within the community. “Just getting out in the community after the last 18 months. It’s been hard to always be behind a screen and behind a door. So actually getting out and interacting with the community has been wonderful.”
Jeff Hurley, president, and general manager of Trenton Thunder, agreed. “It’s been great to have the community come out to the ballpark in October when typically we do not have baseball anymore,” Hurley said. “So many families, so many kids come in here just means a lot, and there’s a lot of excitement, a lot of fun.”
