BROOKE FELDMAN/The Teichman family of Longport invites Halloween revelers to be their guest at the Trunk-or-Treat event held Friday night in the Tighe School parking lot. It was their daughter’s first Halloween.
By BROOKE FELDMAN
MARGATE – Hundreds of revelers enjoyed Halloween thrills with BOO Fest and Trunk-or-Treat “monster-mashed” into one night.
The Friday night before Halloween kicked off with BOO Fest at 4 p.m., hosted by the Margate Education Foundation.
Children of all ages flooded the Eugene A. Tighe Middle School field to soak up the music, food and games.
“This is the most fun thing I have ever been to,” said Henry Rosenthal, a third-grade student at William H. Ross School. “It’s great for the community.”
Some of the festivities included the hayrides and the Monster Mile around the field. Prizes were awarded to the top finishers in the race.
Fourth grader Safia Zakirova won best costume for her rendition of a clownfish, a costume she was happy to upcycle from last year’s school play.
“My favorite part about this event is eating pizza and winning this,” Safia said.
The dunk tank was a crowd favorite, especially when Tighe Middle School Principal Ryan Gaskill volunteered to take a plunge.
Eighth grader Xander Hirsch was one of the lucky students to hit the bullseye.
“It felt amazing when I threw it the first time I did it,” Xander said.
Gaskill was happy to help.
“The Margate Education Foundation does so much for our school and for our community,” Gaskill said. “So, to volunteer to be in a dunk tank to help them raise some money is well worth it.”
Gaskill was thrilled the weather was unusually warm because he got dunked quite a few times.
“We’re super fortunate that it’s a 70-degree evening here at the end of October,” he added.
Liz Navlen Gecewicz, co-president of the Margate Education Foundation, was happy with the turnout for the inaugural BOO Fest, which was an expansion of the yearly Monster Mile.
“We have amazing support from the police department, the fire department and all of the local municipalities,” Gecewicz said. “Everyone has come together. It was like the entire town was here today pulling this together.”
Proceeds from ticket sales will go to school clubs and programs. The event drew 25 sponsors.
The fun-filled night continued across the street at 6 p.m. in the Tighe School parking lot for the annual Trunk-or-Treat. The event was hosted by the Margate City Police Department, Margate Mother’s Association and Margate Education Foundation.
Community members, local businesses and town organizations decorated their car trunks and passed out candy to children for a safe, festive night. Thirty-two vehicles participated, which is eight more than last year’s event.
Jordan Teichman of Longport is new to the community and decided to decorate a Beauty and the Beast-themed trunk with her family.
“I just saw a flyer for it and wanted to meet people in the neighborhood, so we decided to come out,” Teichman said. “It’s my daughter’s first Halloween so we wanted to do something special.”
Sarah Rosenthal of Margate was proud of the community for organizing both events.
“It brings everyone together,” Rosenthal said. “We are so lucky that we live in a small community where we get to do things like this. I’m looking forward to seeing the smiling faces on my kids tonight.”
Leslie’s Dance Studio added to the spirit with show-stopping performances.
New this year was the Haunted Hallway located inside the Tighe School. Margate’s Police Benevolent Association donated the funds to make the hallway a scary success. Margate students created spooky, kooky artwork for the new spectacle.
Police officers and other community volunteers in masks and costumes scared those brave enough to enter.
“I was scared of the alien,” second grader Jade Trocki-Videll said. “It shocked me.”
Third-grader Keegan Miles agreed.
“The alien scared me a lot,” Keegan said.
David Bahuriak and his son Leo, who attends Tighe School, loved the new addition.
“We went through together and really enjoyed it,” Bahuriak said. “I love watching him have fun.”
In lieu of an entrance fee, Trunk-or-Treat participants were asked to bring a gently used winter coat to donate to charity. Those who dared to enter the Haunted Hallway paid $5 each, which will go to the eighth-grade class.
The BOO Fest was originally scheduled for Oct. 20 but was rescheduled due to the weather.
Community members said they enjoyed having the events on one night to ring in the Halloween season.
“Combining the two of them just ends up being perfect,” Gaskill said.
