A brisk Halloween night in the City of Newburgh was celebrated with lights, music, costumes and candy as the annual City Trunk or Treat celebration welcomed families to enjoy a safe and fun evening. Two thousand people including children enjoyed a night of fun and a lot of candy.

The annual trunk or treat festival was spearheaded by the local religious group, Church at the Bridge, who operates their ministry out of 90 Broadway. The city trunk or treat is held on lower Broadway right in front of City Hall and their church. The Halloween event itself will be celebrating a decade in 2024, though there was a hiatus due to COVID back in 2020.

Trunk or treat events, which have risen in popularity over the past several years, serves as an alternative to the traditional trick or treating. At these events, children and parents are invited to collect candy from decorated trunks while in a safe environment.

Church at the Bridge in the city is currently led by Pastor Jose Vasquez and his wife Annette who were going back and forth between the trunks, checking in with vendors and greeting the various visitors during the course of the evening, thanking them for coming out that evening.

Most of the volunteers who assisted with the setup, providing security and assisting with other activities for the families like giving out popcorn and snacks, watching a bouncy house or running a Halloween photo booth were mostly members of the church. Each year since the trunk or treat has started in the city, it has seen more trunks and families attend.

“Anytime that community can come together, it’s a good night and this is just an indication of what the City of Newburgh is really about,” said Pastor Jose. “We don’t do this for accolades, we don’t do this to advance a name. We do this in service to people, and to bring people together.”

Families and trick or treaters entered a check in station on Liberty Street and would start on the side of Broadway where city hall is located. Families would loop around the trunks and come back out on the other side of the street. The line just to get inside the event stretched down the sidewalk in front of city hall and around and down the block of Grand Street.

“Really want to thank Church at the Bridge for putting on this event. Putting on events like this are hard work and super important for our community,” said Councilman Anthony Grice. “Also want to thank City of Newburgh for being a great partner for this event.”

Decorated trunks were from Hook Elite Booking Club, the Newburgh Steelers, Healthfirst, Camp Robbins, Leo’s Hot Dogs, MARCS Friends Incorporated, the City of Newburgh Police Department and more. Ghosts, ghouls, inflatable dinosaurs, princesses, anime characters and more walked amongst the trunks to collect as much candy as they could for the evening.

“We’re happy [the city] for this event every year, the families come out in a safe way, all the vendors, all the organizations and families that participate, we’re so happy, so it’s a great night,” said Mayor Torrance Harvey. “To see the kids and how they’re enjoying themselves, I think is a wonderful thing.”