#CountdownToHalloween2025 - Top Lights Trunk Or Treat

I've mentioned before that I volunteer for a search & rescue team.  In the grand scheme of things, we fall under the sheriff's department, so this means we also get invited to attend some pretty cool events. This includes the First Responders Top Lights Trunk or Treat.  Imagine your typical trunk or treat, but with police cars, first trucks, ambulances, tow trucks, etc, etc. 

Normally we have the team trailer with us and decorate that - but this time 2 different trunk or treats fell on the same day as the Search & Rescue Initial Actions class that our director and #1 team leader teach!  The 3 of us who volunteered to represent, none of us had vehicles capable of pulling said trailer, so we just went without. 

of course, Chuck was there, too!

And also realized when we got there that we had no decorations! 

I had a couple packages of creepy cloth in the back of my car left over from the trunk or treat at the Granddaughter's daycare Friday night, so we used that and various pieces of gear (which we thought was hilarious!)  The creepy cloth is held on by magnetic puck lights that flash in a variety of patterns.  

One of our search dogs (lion).  She was actually very happy and loves people. 

This officer was actually blocking the road but we kind of parked in his way, so for most of the evening he stood with us and chatted. 

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the sign by this - I think it's from 1968?

Most people (me included) were in uniform, but it was cute to see the EMTs from UP!

It was hard to see with flashing LEDs everywhere, but this is an armored personnel carrier.

Black Betty

Michigan State Police Ecto-1

In the bucket of a ladder truck

The DNR / Conservation always has cool critters with them. 

And a skeleton!

The rest of the ladder truck

I believe Child Services? 

Another tow truck, being the claw machine from Toy Story!

Central Dispatch - pretty sure they were teamed up with Animal Control, since they had a wanted posted on the side of the truck with a dog on it.  And the dog was there in person, wearing an inmate outfit!  I really hope he got adopted after this! 

Apparently the ladder trucks are the coolest, since Metamora, Elba & Lapeer City all sent them! 

I caught this guy as they were packing up their drone.  He'd had it out flying all evening.  I saw some cool footage on Facebook. 

Fun Fact - I ordered pizza for us, since we were in that class all day and then went straight here - the Dominos delivery driver was able to find us just by me saying "look for the orange coats"! 

My favorite costumes of the night....

a family with a ton of kids - the baby was Snow White, 6 older kids and mom were the dwarves and the oldest daughter was the evil Queen. 

Another little girl was a box of donuts - pretty brave with all the cops there!

#CountdownToHalloween2024 - 4 events in 4 days!

So the last couple days have been really busy! 

I actually have pics from 5 events here, but I'm claiming artistic license. 

I've mentioned before that I volunteer on a search & rescue team so some of these events were with them. 

10/19 was the Elba Fire Dept Trunk or Treat. 

We gave kids the option of candy or pinecones (we were sitting in the shade, facing a large pine tree)

and it was hilarious how many kids took the pinecones!

Beginning the 4 day streak - Thursday, 10/24 was the Top Lights Trunk or Treat

I love going to this.  State troopers, county sheriff's dept, city police, several different fire depts, ambulances, animal control, conservation officers, victim services, child services, and of course - us! 

2 of our very professional K9s

Chuck & Maurice (the disco ball skeleton) were both there!

It was reported that 1400 trick or treaters went thru!

10/25 was the Trunk or Treat at my grandkids' daycare. 

It's supposed to run from 6-8pm but it was pretty much done shortly after 7. 

A couple cars had grown-up treats, too! 

My adorable grandkids. 

Saturday we met up with my sister & her family at Huckleberry RR in Flint, MI for their Ghosts & Goodies event.  

The Spawn in jail

It was fun and very well organized - this is a neat little village where you could trick or treat - and each building was decorated and none of them gave out the same candy.  There were large plywood ghosts that pointed in the direction of the next stop so you could be sure to hit them all.  

We also had tickets for the train. It was about a 45 minute ride thru the woods and they had all sorts of cute little vignettes that were all kid-friendly.  

Finally, Sunday 10/27 was the inaugural trunk or treat at my VFW.  

I thought we had a good turn out - there were about 16 cars (and one Harley!) and I'm not sure how many kids came thru, but there seemed to be a fairly steady stream for the whole 2 hours.

Now we need to build a kid-sized hamster wheel and hook it up to a power station and let the grand kids produce electricity to our house for a while!

#CountdownToHalloween2023 local haunt spotlight - Clinton Twp Neighbor Haunt

OMG - Just a handful of days to go!

October needs to be longer - there's so much more that I want to do, but there's just not enough hours or days.  

So local to me, there's the Clinton Township Neighbor Haunt.  They post a whole map of houses that are participating and you can choose where you want to go.   Since I had the Spawn & grandkids with me, I chose wisely since nobody wants to fight with toddlers + carseats a bunch of times.  

We've gone to Colman St before - it's totally worthwhile to go there.  There's a lot of houses (at least there was 2 years ago when I went) that decorate and I really appreciated that they saw we had a small child and kept the scares toned down around us.  My car got stuck in the mud and I had a troupe of clowns push me out!   However, the Spawn isn't a fan of clowns, so we haven't gone since. 

Twisted Fears is also really cool.  The yard is fantastically decorated and they do a haunted walkthru in their garage.  The only issue I had with that is I caught up to the weenies who went before me and I missed all the scares!  

One of the places we went to is Mayhem on Esplanade - this is one of those places that you have to wonder just exactly what the owner does for a living since he had ALL the big props and those aren't cheap!   I didn't get many pictures since there was just so much to look at!

I had't seen the ghost in person before this - that is awesome!!!

Chuck had a good time, too.

There was a real hearse and a couple real caskets, too.

All of the floating JOLs were so cool!

Next is actually the first place we went to.  I don't know Bob, the owner, personally but I am friends with him on Facebook.  He goes by Attic Hatch.  His imagination & artistry is just amazing. 

All of his props are homemade. 

A fanigrl moment - I got this for my birthday! 

moving on....

this is his newest "pump-karn-ivore"

The Mutant Mantis

The Escape of the Mutants

Monster Wasp

Creep-Roaches

Thie sign on the giant snake says don't feed pets or children to the snake after daylight hours.

the Radioactive Spider

Mutant Long Legs

Skewer-Pion

Mega-Rilla

The little shadows on the right are the grands. 

Giant Window Rat

aw man, I just realized I didn't get a pic of the guy up on the watchtower with a floodlight and the giant spider climbing up to get him.  I think that's when I was just standing there taking it all in!

So we did do the walking portion of the Neighbor Haunt, too.  I didn't get any pics there because I was enjoying the night we had where I didn't have to wear a coat and there weren't many people out, which is what I was hoping!  The kids enjoyed themselves, too. 

As of Sunday, October 22 - very little color on the maple trees!

what the forecast doesn't show is the high of 77* today before the bottom drops out tonight and we get our regularly scheduled crappy Michigan Halloween weather. 

on the plus side, I did get my 4 foot skeletons slathered with Apoxie Sculpt after work yesterday so they'll be going out into the cemetery probably tomorrow!   I didn't think I'd get a chance to work on them this season!