Copyright Chicago Tribune
The Deerfield Park District’s Halloween Hoopla Family Fun Fest attracted a banner turnout on Friday to the Sachs Recreation Center. “Friday night turned out to be a great success,” said Tony Korzyniewski, the Park District’s superintendent of recreation. The festival gave children another opportunity to wear their Halloween costumes early. Josie Obiala, 5, of Deerfield, came as a pink Cheer Care Bear. “We’ve used it about five times so far, so this is great,” her mother Cara said. Olivia Markowski, 6, a first-grader from Deerfield, came dressed as a fuchsia and blue sapphire butterfly. Her father, Paul, also agreed that, “Now you get to use (Halloween costumes) three or four times.” The Sachs Recreation Center offered 100,000 square feet of space for trick-or-treating, carnival games in the gym and a spooky disc jockey party in a mirrored dance multipurpose room. Shannon Cahill, the Park District’s recreation supervisor of cultural arts, special events and community programming, was the event organizer. “Each year, Halloween Hoopla brings the Deerfield and surrounding communities together for a few hours of fun,” Cahill said. “Children and their families enjoy carnival-style games, crafts, a ghostly Grave Rave Dance Party, entertainers of all kinds and, of course, lots of treats along the Trick-or-Treat Trail. “Whether it’s a family’s first time at the event or a long-standing family tradition, Halloween Hoopla continues to create memories that last well beyond the spooky season,” she added, saying she expected more than 200 children to attend the event. Halloween Hoopla also offered families the chance to meet first responders from local police and fire departments. Division Chief Chris Johnson and Brady Niemiec, firefighter/paramedic of the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District, and Deerfield police Officer Seth Frontone and Sgt. Greg Hury, greeted families and offered Halloween treats at their respective community tables. “It’s important to let the kids know that we’re friendly, and we’re out here just to be part of the community,” Frontone said. Johnson said, “This is all a part of what we do as part of our prevention education, and it’s super important.” Don Darga and Jeanette Bailey of Deerfield brought their 16-month-old son Emery, who sported a red plastic toy firefighter’s hat. “We love to get out with him, and he enjoys it,” Bailey said. “He is just in awe of everything.” Connor Collins-Montanez, 7, of Deerfield, was accompanied by his mother Sheila Collins, who said Halloween is his favorite holiday. “Lake County offers so much stuff for us to do,” she added. Jackie Wynn of Libertyville watched son Wyatt Wynn-Roth, 2, sway to disc jockey music in his Buzz Lightyear costume at the Grave Rave dance party. “It’s awesome to have him be a kid with all the other kids, and see him interact,” she said. “He’s an observer.”
