Treats & Trails Hosts 1,000 Guests!
The “Treats & Trails” Waynedale Fall Festival was held last Saturday, October 1, at the Southwest Conservation Club, and the weather could not have been more perfect for this first-time fall event. On this mid-70’s degree day, ghouls, goblins and princesses lined up by the hundreds to go on the “treat trail” sponsored by local businesses. In all, organizers reported an estimate of over 1,000 people in attendance.
“About 15 minutes before the event started, there was already a line of over 100 kids and parents in costume.” Camille Garrison, Event Chair of The Waynedale Community Improvement Team (WCIT) continued, “Based on social media indicators leading up to the week of the event, organizers knew we were in for quite a few people to show up for this unique event. So, we prepared the best we could with extra candy and volunteers and took additional precautions. In all, we had more than double the attendance we were originally planning for.”
Over 25 volunteers were recruited to help promote, set-up, direct traffic, coordinate guests and vendors, hand out candy, and cleanup after the free community event. More than 40 businesses were involved in sponsoring a booth, offering volunteers, or supporting financially. A full list can be found on Waynedale.com, but a very special thanks goes to Brightpoint, the event’s Premier Sponsor.
“This was WCIT’s first in-person event since COVID and we had an almost entirely new group of leaders. Alex Cornwell (Waynedale News) and I organized Shop Waynedale and the Christmas In Waynedale trolley, to keep things in the community happening through the shutdowns, but it was great to host another big in-person event, like the Picnic or Walk In Waynedale.” Garrison also noted, “As an early October event, we were very surprised by how many kids already had a costume! And I’m so thankful for all our new leaders who really stepped up to help, learn, and offer their time and resources to make it happen.”
Guests played games, learned about environmental causes from non-profits, tried lunch from the Waynedale-Famous Taco Food Truck, Hot Dog Boyz and Hello Sunshine Bakery while the Dan Heath band played. And, of course, guests went on the Treat Trail to gather candy.
After the event, there was a huge buzz on social media from the Indiana State Police who hosted a booth at the event. Their post with a photo of the McDonald’s mascot in handcuffs read, “After years of being on the run, Trooper John Grant finally tracked down the notorious Hamburglar in Waynedale!! He was taken into custody without incident around 2:00pm.”
Organizers shared that they are likely to plan a similar event in the future.
They say, for more details, keep an eye on the Waynedale News and follow the event on social media.
A Special Thanks To:
Advanced Window Cleaning, Allen County Public Library, American Legion Post #241, Blake Family Dentistry, Bobick’s Golf Headquarters, Brightpoint, China Palace, City of Fort Wayne Planning, EPCO Products, Edward Jones – Shawn Wall, Flagstar Bank, GMI Insurance, Gone Batty, Hair Affair Salon, Hello Sunshine Bakery, Hook & Ladder, Indiana State Police, Kingston Residence, Little River Wetlands Project, McDonald’s, Midwest America Federal CU, Nine Mile Restaurant, PHD, Inc., Partners 1st, Pine Haven Motel, Playfair Shuffleboard Co., Promedica Hospice, Rich’s Auto Center, Robinson Family Eyecare Clinic, Seven Sons Farm, Soarin’ Hawk, Sons of the American Legion #241, Southwest Conservation Club, Strahm Building Solutions, T & D Properties, The Waynedale News, The Wild Lotus, Three Rivers Dance Academy, Wayne Township Trustee, Waynedale Baptist Church, Waynedale Do It Best Hardware, Waynedale United Methodist, Willow Creek Crossing, and Winterset Community Assoc.
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