Though the tradition of trunk-or-treating began, according to online sources, in the ’90s as a Christian alternative to trick-or-treating, the practice has been gaining popularity locally since the mid-2000s.

A 2016 HuffPost article states, “Originally started by church groups with the aim of providing a safer environment for trick-or-treaters on Halloween, trunk or treat involves a community coming together in a parking lot, either on the 31st or shortly before, so that children can trick-or-treat out of the decorated trunks of their cars.”

Trunk-or-treating, online and local sources said, alleviates many of the concerns associated with traditional trick-or-treating.

“The door-to-door alternative is gaining in popularity, owing in part to the convenience inherent in condensing a large volume of candy into a small area (read: less walking), but mostly for the opportunity it affords holiday decor enthusiasts to get creative with their trunks,” the HuffPost piece says.

A 2006 New York Times article called it “Halloween tailgating.”

“Trunk-or-treating … solves the rural conundrum in which homes built a half-mile apart make the simple act of ringing doorbells require some physical fortitude,” the Times article says. “Where neighbors are strangers, these community events substitute family-friendly entertainment for the unwanted risks of what lies behind each door.”

An October 2022 Detroit Free Press article, citing the 2006 Times piece, says that, though “some California communities had been doing it since the mid-1990s … that year it was the latest trend in suburban New York State.” And, that article says, “trunk-or-treat emerged as an option for outdoor Halloween fun during the height of the pandemic.”

Arly Lau, assistant manager at Noah’s World in Oneonta, said that was case for the indoor playground and recreational site at 144 Roundhouse Road, hosting its fourth annual trunk-or-treat at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 28. Planning the trunk-or-treat, Lau said, begins each August.

“Our first one was 2020, and everything was closing and we wanted something for the kids to do,” she said. “I had seen it somewhere online, and it was outside and socially distant and seemed like a good idea, so we tried it, and we did really well. We had 154 kids come through the first year, compared to 300 kids today, so it’s grown.” The Oct. 28 event, Lau noted, was sold out at the time of writing.

That uptick, Lau said, has been twofold, with “trunks” increasing alongside child participants.

“I think we have 28 or 29 (this year), and that is an increase; the first year we had 21,” she said. “I have a variety of things: some restaurants, some service organizations, like the Y or Opportunities for Otsego, and we get the library and ARC Otsego and a few fraternities and sororities. It’s a variety of whoever is willing to come and donate their time and effort and a couple hours out of their day, and I’m happy to have them.

“The only reason this is possible is because people volunteer,” Lau continued. “We get prizes for the contests that we can give away and I get helpers from college clubs or groups on campus, and they help man the event, and people volunteer to do the trunks, so there’s all this community support.”

Participants, Lau said, typically come from Cooperstown, Milford, Otego and the Oneonta area.

Lau said Noah’s World’s trunk-or-treat distinguishes itself by furthering the facility’s mission.

“Ours is in the day, or in the morning, so we can target some of the younger kids; it’s stroller-friendly; it’s grandparent-friendly, because it’s a flat service; and it’s friendly for kids with special needs, because Noah’s World does everything all-inclusive,” she said. “And something we do different is the Teal Pumpkin Project. It’s a national organization to raise awareness for food allergies, so if you have a teal pumpkin that you have treats in, they’re nonfood. That’s a signal to all the kids with any kind of food intolerance … and if you’re autistic and you’ve got a thing against chewy food or you can’t have chocolate — it’s any kind of food issue. Every trunk that we have will have a teal pumpkin.”

Parents and kids, Lau said, appreciate what trunk-or-treating offers.

“I’ve had moms tell me in the past it was the first time they’d taken their kids trick-or-treating, because they knew they could come here and it wouldn’t be drama,” she said. “I’ve had really positive responses on the teal pumpkins, and I’ve had several people say their kid is autistic or nonverbal or whatever the issue is, and that they felt safe here. And ours is different because we have time slots, so people have to sign up, so I have it limited at any given time to 35-ish kids in each slot. It’s a steady stream of people, rather than chaos. Some others are loud and busy and chaotic, which is fine, if you’re a little bit older of don’t have any special needs, but for us, I’ve had people say it was sort of calm and a nice way to walk around. I spread the trunks out, where some others just pack them in, and ours is around the building, so you actually have to go from trunk to trunk. People say they like the fact that it’s not chaotic, it’s steady all the way through, and then it’s over and there’s no drama about going to another house or another street or doing more, and it doesn’t take very long.”

Gina Boliski, a member of the Unatego Elementary Parent & Teacher Organization, is planning the school’s inaugural trunk-or-treat event, 6 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 31 in the school parking lot at 256 Main St. in Unadilla.

Boliski said the logistical challenges of traditional trick-or-treating inspired the event, which she began planning in late September.

“I just started to get involved in the PTO … but I was thinking about it last year, because I like to hand out candy for Halloween and can’t do it where we live,” she said. “(Trick-or-treating) is always in small towns, close to main center, and people who live out don’t get to enjoy the festivities. I decided it would be kind of fun to do it at the school, and anybody in the school or community can do it. I ran the idea across a coworker and decided I’d try to put it together, and it’s working. So far, we have 10 cars, and flyers are out and (participants) can contact me and there’s no entry fee; just come, hand out candy and enjoy.”

Boliski, too, said parents and kids benefit from this style of candy collecting. Boliski, though, said that she would be distributing nonfood treats.

“For little kids, especially since it’s a school night, it’s a way for kids to go into an area that is known to them and that they’re familiar with and feel safe doing it,” she said. “And it’s easier for parents to get in, do the trick-or-treating, get home and do dinner and bed. Kids are so excited to do (traditional trick-or-treating), but then you have to walk around the whole entire town and, if it’s raining or cold, it’s miserable and you’re out there forever. This way, it’s well lit, you’ve got a lot of people right there and everyone can do it.”

Boliski said the event will also feature prizes, presented by Unadilla Mayor Jake Cotten and voted on by attendees, for prettiest, funniest, scariest and most original costume.

Anyone interested in hosting a trunk, Boliksi said, should text or call her at 607-349-4676 to sign up. Trunk setup begins at 5 p.m. the night of the event.

Walton resident Melissa Steinbrecher said, as a mom of young kids, she was spurred to start a trunk-or-treat for the safety and relative ease of the option. Steinbrecher will host “Trunk-or-Treat @ the DelCo Fairgrounds” (see the Facebook event of the same name) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom desperately, always, looking for things to bring my kids to,” she said. “This is my second year doing it. I was really interested in it, because I just feel like it’s a safer environment. I have younger children, so it’s guarding them from some of the spooky decorations that people are into. Trunk-or-treating is in the daytime, and you know it’s kind of kid-focused, so you wouldn’t find some of the stuff that people put out in front of their houses, and it’s more family-oriented.”

This year’s event, Steinbrecher said, will build on the success of last year’s.

“The first year, it was 12 trunks and I said I was going to hand out prizes for best-decorated trunk, but I didn’t know what I had in mind, but then I had businesses reach out to donate gift certificates for the event, so I was able to name prizes first through fifth, and the public voted,” she said. “We had over 200 people show up last year, which was amazing, and it ended up being on the same day as the ARC trunk-or-treat, so everyone came here and then scooted over to the ARC after, so it was like a whole day of trick-or-treating for them, and the fairgrounds are such a cool place and not utilized as much as they could be, so I think that’s part of the allure.

“We have a food truck coming and a bounce house and face paint happening,” she continued, “and I think we’re expecting like 20 trunks, which is really cool.”

And trunk-or-treats, Steinbrecher said, cultivate a sense of community.

“For the most part, it was pretty much Walton residents (attending in 2022),” she said. “It’s free to do, and anyone is welcome to come and do it. I had a couple come to me and say they live out of town and never get to trick-or-treat and they’re doing a trunk, so that’s fun for them. Everyone that did the trunk really had a fun time decorating and they went all out — someone had a real live goat and a whole farm theme, and everyone loved it — but a lot of people that did it last year came back this year. It’s just a lot of fun to be there; we all parked in a line and shared candy when it was getting low, and it was like neighborhood for a few hours.”

Additional trunk-or-treat events are happening at the following times and places in the area:

• Hanehan Dairy Farm’s third annual “Trunk-or-Treat with Tractors,” from noon to 4, Saturday, Oct. 28 at 614 state Highway 8, Mount Upton.

• From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28 at O’Connor Hospital, 460 Andes Road, Delhi.

• From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28 at Oneonta Assembly of God, 1667 county Highway 28, Oneonta.

• From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 29 at Sidney Elks Lodge, 104 River St.

• From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 30 at Community Bible Chapel, 577 Greenough Road, Cooperstown.

• From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 31 at, Main Street Baptist Church, 333 Main St., Oneonta.

• “Church/Community Trunk-Or-Treat” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 31 at Sidney United Methodist Church, 12 Liberty St., Sidney.