Puss in Boots, Shrek, Donkey and Fiona were a crowd favourite during the Lloydminster and District Co-op’s first annual Trunk or Treat event.Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
If you noticed pre-Halloween candy shortages in Lloyd over the weekend, it’s likely because almost every piece of candy in town was purchased and handed out at the Lloyd Ex during the Lloydminster and District Co-op’s Trunk or Treat event.
Last Thursday from 4-7 p.m., the Culligan Water Building at the Ex was transformed to host a family-friendly indoor trick-or-treating event for young kids, which even included a photo booth with Shrek, Fiona and a live donkey. With this being the event’s inaugural year, organizers weren’t sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised.
“We were absolutely blown away by the turnout from the community, and we are so grateful for the community for coming out and enjoying the first annual Trunk or Treat,” said Jen McRobert, event administrator at the Lloyd Ex, who was dressed as Puss in Boots and smiling for group photos with other Shrek characters at the event.
“Not going to lie, we were expecting anywhere from 300-500 kids, but one of our displays was counting how many prizes they gave out, and they were over 2,000. It was just absolutely amazing to see that and we’re all a little nervous as to how we’re going to top it next year,” she said with a laugh.
“We are ready for the challenge and we are so excited the community came through for us and went through with is. This will definitely be happening again.”
With so many kids coming through the event, McRobert noted booths ran out of candy not long after the event started.
“I think we ran out of candy at 4:45 p.m. and the doors opened at 4 p.m., and I think we had to make two candy runs throughout the night; it was very, very busy,” she said. “Shortly after 5 p.m. our line was all the way down to the WLS Convention Centre, which is at the far end of the building, so the line went right through the whole parking lot.”
McRobert explained it was the Co-op’s director of marketing and community relations, Kristine Knourek, who originally thought to bring an event of this nature to the Border City.
“I believe Kristine saw an event like this in B.C. when she was there and thought it was a wonderful idea to bring to Lloydminster,” said McRobert. “We partnered together and thought it was an amazing opportunity to have a warm and safe place for kids to go trick-or-treating.”
For the Co-op, this event was the perfect opportunity to bring families together for a free, fun, inclusive event, while also creating a greater sense of community.
“We originally noticed the idea through a school in B.C., then after some research discovered it’s a hugely popular concept in the United States,” said Knourek.
“In very early 2022, we approached the team at the Lloyd Ex with the concept and our partnership was born from there. Last week we saw thousands of people come through the doors during our first-annual Trunk or Treat, so I think it’s safe to say it was a huge success. Next year we’ll look forward to seeing even more local businesses and non-profits join in on the fun.”
