Trunk or Treat at Friday Night Farmers Market

Left to right: Alina Thao, 9, dressed as Anya Forger from Spy X Family, Kathaleeya Xiong, 19, dressed as Yor Forger from Spy X Family, and Benjamin Xiong (Photo Samatha Golden, Clovis Roundup)

OLD TOWN CLOVIS –  “We haven’t had very many Halloweens, because of COVID the last couple of years, so this is really fun for my kids,” said mom of four Stacy Cash as she waited in line with her Mystery Machine stroller loaded with tiny versions of the Mystery Inc. gang.  

Halloween falls on a Monday evening this year, so many families can’t spare the time to take their kids out trick-or-treating. Luckily, Old Town Clovis Farmer’s Market Trunk-or-Treat provides a safe and fun environment for kids to get their candy each year. This year’s event was hosted on October 28th

“We’ve done trunk or treat for probably 15 years, with a break of two years for COVID,” said Business Organization of Old Town president Cora Shipley, who helps organize the event, “It’s a safe environment, a fun environment, and they don’t have to worry about cross-traffic.” 

This year’s Trunk-or-Treat was a fun environment indeed, as tons of families in coordinated costumes lined up to visit the sixty decorated cars split across Fifth Street at Pollasky Avenue. 

“It’s a community event that we do for all the kids,” Shipley said, “because so many of our events are geared toward adults, like the Wine Walk, and antique shows.” 

But, just like any Halloween festivity, Trunk-or-Treat isn’t only for the kids.

“It’s fun for the participants with the cars, they outdo each other on trying to decorate their trunks,” Shipley said. Cash’s kids showed off their buckets full of candy and she observed, “Everyone’s really gone out of their way this year!”

Participants Rick and Rosana Cummings decorate their car’s trunk every year with a pirate ship theme.

“I come back every year for the kids, and this big kid!” Rosana said, pointing to Rick, who waved a tiny skeleton hand out of his frilly sleeve. 

Even Lee’s Air, Plumbing and Heating sent employee James Buschman out to play– he invited kids to take candy out of a (new) toilet set out back of his service van.

From the Centennial Plaza to Third Street, everyone was in the Halloween spirit. For some, Old Town Clovis Farmer’s Market is a weekly job, and Trunk-or-Treat marks the last Friday market of the year with more fun and festivities than usual.

At the Mao’s Farm stand, Kathaleeya Xiong and her younger family members dressed up in cosplay costumes.

Dressing up is not unusual for Xiong, she says, “I always love dressing up, I heard there was only a small chance everyone was going to dress up but I came out, I was like ‘That’s okay I’m gonna own it’.”

Kathaleeya matched with Alina Thao, 9, as characters from the popular anime show Spy x Family, and Benjamin Xiong, 11, dressed as a character called Joker from the video game Persona 5.

For others, the Halloween spirit is more in the candy than in the costume. Three volunteers from Cross City Church came just to help out.

“We wanted to volunteer for our church. We aren’t dressed in costume,” said Rianna Seron, but Melissa Garzon interjected to say that she was dressed as a Harry Styles fan, showing off her sweatshirt. With their friend Breena Salas, they held big bowls of candy for the kids passing by.