Costumes and candy, oh my!

Once upon a time, witches, fairies, ghosts and pumpkins went on a trick-or-treating adventure over the fairy tale trails of Winslow Woods Park in Bloomington.\nIn the dark forest, they were greeted with candy by characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs. On their long expedition, they made unique arts and craft projects, ate snacks and visited the playground.\nOn Saturday, the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department hosted the fourth annual Trick or Treat Trail. \nThe event offered children the opportunity to trick-or-treat in the woods and meet their favorite fairy tale characters. They were also able to participate in the many arts and crafts booths that were set up around the park.\n"The event was originally designed to take trick-or-treat fears out of parents' minds," said Pamela Dunscombe, youth services specialist for the Parks and Recreation Department. "It's an alternative to trick-or-treating in the dark, and we offer a safe and smiling environment."\nThe arts and crafts tents remained popular throughout much of the day. Some of the activities included painting pumpkins, making witch tootsie pops, decorating Casper crowns and completing activity books filled with mazes and word searches.\n"I made pretty bracelets and monster coloring books," six-year-old Carrington Sills said. "I dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz."\nNearly 100 community members and students made the day possible by volunteering to hand out candy, assist with parking, facilitate arts and crafts, serve refreshments and decorate the park. Many of the student volunteers earned service hours for participation, or wanted the experience to work with children for their major.\n"I completed my 30 hours of community service, and I had so much fun helping youngsters make different crafts," sophomore Lauren Kay said. "It's a great way for the children to show off all of their costumes, get candy and do art projects."\nThe event also gave parents a chance to learn about the different activities and programs offered by the Parks and Recreation Department and see what the city of Bloomington has to offer. \n"If they aren't familiar with the city, or they are new to the area, it was a good chance for the parents to see what goes on in some of our programs, while meeting and interacting with other parents," Dunscombe said.\nAfter visiting the arts and crafts stations, children and parents gathered to hear Halloween stories told by a magical woodcutter who lives in the woods. Trail Leaders took their groups through the paths, where fairy tale characters filled the children's Halloween sacks with candy.\nMany of the parents said they thought it would be a good experience for their children to meet and make friends with kids their own age. They said they enjoyed seeing their children mingle with movie and storybook characters they look up to.\n"It's also a good warm-up for Halloween on Thursday," said Mary Lynn Sills, Carrington's mother. \nThe event was very well received from everyone who attended. Many parents said they felt it was a much safer alternative to the usual haunted houses and trick-or-treating routines. \n"All of the kids who came to the event left with happy faces and seemed to have a wonderful time." Kay said. "They especially liked getting toothbrushes from the tooth fairy"