By Thomas Durham, Staff Writer

On Halloween morning, residents of South Royalton participated in the annual Trunk or Treat event, which in a rural area gives families the chance to trick-or-treat without driving or walking miles between homes. Volunteers parked their cars in the field adjacent to the town’s community garden and spread out candy across tables for trick-or-treaters to safely pick out on their own. This year all participants and volunteers were required to wear masks, receive temperature checks at the entrance, and keep all cars and groups of trick-or-treaters distanced.

“This year, preparing for the South Royalton Trunk or Treat was an unprecedented venture,” said Simeon Brown, current 2L and President of VLS Students for Community Outreach and Education (SCORE). “SCORE wanted to make sure that VLS students had an opportunity to give back to the community, but there were several challenges given the circumstances.”

South Royalton’s Recreation Department hosted the event with help from SCORE. Together, the groups moved the event to a new location in order to meet state and federal health guidelines.

The community came out to enjoy the sunny day, gather candy, and talk to neighbors from six feet away. The masks were a little less noticeable on Halloween, though they did obscure the smiles of the children and their parents.

VLS was represented by booths from Barristers, Women’s Law Society, Phi Alpha Delta with two trunks, SBA, and SCORE.

“I believe that we all came together to overcome those circumstances and do something nice for the kids, giving them an experience they rarely get during these times,” said Brown. “A special thanks is due to all the VLS volunteers that helped facilitate the event. They came together on relatively short notice and provided the leg work and enthusiasm necessary for the event to turn out how we envisioned. We had over 15 people volunteer on an individual basis and over 20 participants organize a trunk.”