Four-year-old Trace Klosterman (left), and 4-year-old Harper Rohwer arrive for the Halloween open house. They would dress later for trick or treat, with Trace going as Steve from Minecraft and Harper as a dinosaur.
Photos Kay Dawson | Register-Herald
PHILLIPSBURG — Phillipsburg’s community Halloween was a bit different this year.
As before, it was open to all. The Park Board supplied hot dogs, cookies, juice, water, chips, and trick-or-treat packages of candy for the kids.
There was a coloring contest for coloring faces on pictures of pumpkins.
There was a costume contest for the kids, even though the sudden cold weather meant most of the costumes were under heavy coats.
But when the usual location of the Hunters Club on Milan Road was unavailable, Fire Chief Justin Saunders offered the use of the fire station.
The firemen parked some of the equipment next to the station, leaving only one truck and an ambulance inside and thus making space to set up tables, and decorated the station inside and out. An inflated fireman stood at the open bay door and ghosts and posters of skeletons were on the walls inside.
The firemen supplied a crockpot of chili, with crackers and shredded cheese. This proved very popular with the adults, especially after Phillipsburg Fiscal Clerk Shelley Phillips exclaimed, “It’s snowing!”
Well, flurries only, but some of the kids were as excited as if it were a heavy snow.
The event got off to a slow start. It was scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 31, but since the Northmont and Brookville elementary schools dismiss about 3:30 or later, only a few children showed up at 4. But attendance picked up quickly.
About 4:45, the fire alarm rang.
The public scrambled to get away from around the food table, in front of the row of clothing the firemen needed to don. Parents grabbed small children to keep them inside and away from the vehicles.
The department members dressed and left, leaving the station filled for a few moments with vehicle exhaust. But it quickly dissipated, the children went back to racing around and coloring, and the adults went back to the chili.
Fortunately, the call turned out to be a disabled vehicle with no injuries, and the firemen returned in about 15 minutes.
The Park Board waited until about 5:30 to judge the pictures and the costumes.
And then at 6 p.m. the children were ready to start trick-or-treating.
