Naja Shriners Trunk-or-Treat once again a huge success, will have more planned for future years

RAPID CITY, S.D. — It was no tricks and all treats at the Naja Shriners “Trunk-or-Treat” event Sunday afternoon as they hosted their second annual event.

Volunteers were wrapped around the building, hanging out near festively-decorated truck beds, car trunks, and more.

Kids went up to each vehicle, excitedly accepting the treats as their bags filled up.

“We had such a huge response, that we’ve decided we’ve got to do this every year,” Vice President Rich Holloway said. “It turns out to be a big event.”

The trunk-or-treat began last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members wanted to do something fun for children that kept with the spirit of the holiday while aiming to keep families safe.

The first event was such a success that volunteers had to make a candy run part way through the event just to keep up with the demand.

That day in particular, all of the Halloween candy in West Rapid City was all purchased for the trunk-or-treat, Holloway recalled.

This year, however, candy was a top priority. So much that participants even bought Christmas candies just to make sure they would have enough for all of the children that came by.

“Just myself and my wife, we have thirty-five pounds of candy. Just ourselves,” Holloway said. “So, multiply that times, we’ve got 20 trunks here. So we have a lot of candy.”

Members were already viewing 2021’s trunk or treat as another huge success among families not even an hour into the event – enough so that plans to continue the annual trunk-or-treat for years to come have already been made.

“It’s a nice safe environment for people to come bring their kids. They don’t have to worry about crossing streets,” Nobleman ‘Elvis Fezley’, aka Tom Doyle explained. “They don’t have to worry about them with anybody else out there. It’s a great environment that everyone is able to have a good time with.”