The Portage YMCA has been kicking off the city’s Halloween celebrations for so many years that no one really remembers when it started. YMCA Trick or Treat Trail Walk is a tradition that connects the Y with the children of its community, creating a safe space to be spooky... and weird.
“The YMCA is about strengthening the community,” said Portage YMCA CEO Amber Alexander. “It's not about whether Halloween is healthy or not, it’s about the kids and their families, and providing them with a safe way to spend the holiday.”
The Trail Walk is a fairly new addition to the Trick or Treat event, with 2016 only being the fifth time it has been held. The tradition of a Halloween party, however, has been kept by the YMCA for more than two decades.
Booths were stationed throughout the Trail Walk Friday night and featured several attractions, all with at least one attendant with candy to hand out.
C.C. Cayetnao, the Y's associate branch director and Edwin Gonzalez, the facility director, spent all day setting up blacklit rooms, haunted graveyards and spider infested tunnels. The path behind the building was lined with cobwebs and human bones.
Cayetnao described herself and her partner in crime as “Halloween nerds.”
“It’s the costumes,” Gonzalez said. “You can go crazy. You can be anyone you want.”
Mother Amber Brown said, “We love it. Every year is something different and the kids really enjoy it. We’ve been coming here since they could walk.”
This year’s unique element: the Wellness Coalition of Porter County set up booths in the gymnasium for a Health Fair. Parents could collect packets of information while their kids filled their bags with Snickers and Twix.
The Coalition had been looking for a new location for their annual health fair since they outgrew the parking at their previous venue.
Kim Eldridge, the Northwest Outreach Consultant for MDwise and a member of the Coalition’s Executive Committee, said they knew, “this would be a perfect marriage, to do this event with the Haunted Trail.
"Not only are the kids having fun and getting candy, but their parents are getting much needed information.”
NorthShore Health System's booth offered the traditional treats, but it was also a place for parents to make health appointments for their children, learn about the services NorthShore offers, and even get their blood glucose levels tested.
“We’re a part of the community,” said NorthShore Coordinator Maysha Carlson. “We try to get involved with as many organizations as we can, to reach as many people as we can.”
Even though Halloween tends to be on the unhealthy side of the calendar, NorthShore wants to bring a healthy spin on it. It is a great way to connect them, like it does the YMCA, the children of the community. They will be attending the NEO Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 18 and hosting their own free Trick-or-Treating festivities at the Lake Station NorthShore on the morning of Oct. 31.
If their turnout is half as good as YMCA Trick or Treat Walk 2016 it would still be a success. More than 200 kids made their way past booths and through dark corridors on the quest for sugary loot. The YMCA will use the money raised by admission costs to fund Y care, their before and after school care programs.
The kids had no idea that their attendance was making a difference in the community. To them, it was just a great night out.
“It’s awesome,” said a young Harley Quinn, whom some mistook for Ella, of Portage. “All the decorations are spooky.. It’s just awesome.”