KidFest, Trunk or Treat offer safe, fun Halloween alternatives for families

Trunk or Treat, hosted by the Salem United Methodist Church, will be from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. in the church parking lot located on Hwy. 32 East or 801 Scenic Rivers Blvd.

KidFest is a huge indoor carnival open to all kids age preschool through fifth grade. KidFest has been a favorite of kids in the past, and New Harmony Church is bringing it back again this year by popular demand, church officials said.  

KidFest organizer Amanda Horton said the two sessions this year will allow for more fun and less crowding for hundreds of people expected to attend.  There is no charge.

Games will include the Fiery Furnace, Sin Busters, Paul’s Storm Race and many other new games. Kids will play and earn “lion heads” which can be redeemed for food or prizes and for some of the booths, like build-a-jungle animals and animal balloons, Noah’s Ark slide and bouncy house, face-painting and the Lion’s Den games for preschoolers.

The theme for this year’s KidFest is “Fearless.” Kids will enter the main doors of New Harmony Church, and receive instructions during a presentation in the church sanctuary. They will then be dismissed to the carnival,  with a jungle theme, with the objective to play as fast as you can and earn as many lion heads as possible. At the end of the session the kids get a bag of candy.

• The Salem United Methodist Church hosts Trunk or Treat. It will be held in the church parking lot located on Hwy. 32 East or 801 Scenic Rivers Blvd. All children and their parents are welcome. 

Sharon Tubbs and other church members organized the Trunk or Treat event.

Families will be greeted with a snack and treats and everyone is encouraged to bring cameras to take photos in front of a fall harvest scene that will be provided.

Vehicles should enter the parking lot from the Hwy. 32 entrance and exit on Doss Road. Entrances to Doss Road from Hwy. 32 and from Roosevelt will be closed during the event in order to manage traffic safely.

SUMC Pastor Doug Walter brought the idea of the event to Salem in 2007.

The event attracted about 1,000 people the first year and over 2,500 people the next year.

Walter said it provides a safe environment for families to spend an evening. We go to great lengths to provide that safe environment. City leaders approved closing area streets around the event and parking attendants will make sure that the event is a pedestrian-friendly campus and then provide individually wrapped candy. Parents can bring their kids and rest assured they will have a safe and fun experience. It is a great outreach for the church. 

Trunk or Treat is an evening when everyone can come together and have fun with only the love of Christ in mind, church officials say.

For more information about KidFest call New Harmony at 729-5991, or Trunk or Treat call SUMC at 729-4551.