Rain doesn’t dampen crowds at Joliet church’s Trunk ‘N Treat event

About 800 people braved a steady rainfall for a Joliet church’s 15th Trunk ‘N Treat event Saturday.

At least, that’s the count by Bo Mircea’s hot dog meter.

Mircea is the associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Joliet. The event is co-hosted by the Pritz family, which continues to honor their father Ken Pritz’s vision for an annual free event for children, according to a news release from the church.

To be clear, “free” means free admission, free hot dogs, free chili, free popcorn, free lemonade, free trunk-n-treating, a free bounce house and a free petting zoo, Mircea said.

“This is a free event for the community,” Mircea said.

As you look at the life in society changing, it’s good to know there’s a place like this in the community.”

—  Bo Mircea, associate pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Joliet

About 1,200 people typically come out for Trunk ‘N Treat, Mircea said. He uses the “hot dog meter” to estimate the number of attendees since the church doesn’t charge admission, he said.

Here’s how the hot dog meter works.

The church usually prepares 1,200 hot dogs for Trunk ‘N’ Treat, and it usually runs out of hot dogs, Mircea said.

It’s true that some people might eat two and some people might eat none, but the hot dog meter is a fairly reliable – albeit unofficial – counter, he said.

“It’s not correct science,” Mircea said. “But it gives us a good idea.”

Mircea said the church made rain plans Tuesday in case of inclement weather. On Wednesday, volunteers watched the weather radar and the skies, but all signals pointed to a clear evening, he said.

So they started setting up in the parking lot for the 6 p.m. event.

“Around 5, it started to rain,” Mircea said. “We said, ‘It’ll be gone, it’ll be gone.’ But it was not.”

Nevertheless, 800 people showed up in the pouring rain, he said.

“It was a very, very good night,” Mircea said.

Mircea feels the popularity of the event is more than just the fact that it’s free.

Trunk ‘N Treat’s popularity actually comes from “a very good place,” Mircea said.

“A lot of love goes into this event – from the people that organize it the people that come and do the trunks and the people that come out and see it,” Mircea said.

Trunk ‘N Treat grows in popularity

Trunk themes for the 2023 Trunk ‘N Treat included “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Snoopy, minions, Chicago Bulls, Barbie, Raggedy Ann, Cats in the Hat, Spin to Win, cheerleaders, angels, space and spiders.

The Joliet Police Department, the Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team and the Joliet Police Explorer Post 220 all provided support at the Halloween-themed event, too, according to Mircea and the release.

Despite the long history of First Presbyterian’s Trunk ‘N Treat event, residents in the cathedral neighborhood discovered the event for the first time, Mircea said. And some attendees came from Lockport and even Lisle, according to the release.

But for many others, First Presbyterian’s Trunk ‘N Treat has become an annual holiday staple for them, Mircea said. First Presbyterian takes some satisfaction in that, which Mircea said he hopes isn’t being too prideful.

First Presbyterian Church of Joliet has served the community for 150 years, Mircea said, which he feels proves the church can minister to people of any era.

“As you look at the life in society changing, it’s good to know there’s a place like this in the community,” Mircea said. “There’s a desire for us as a congregation to be an anchor in the changing world around us in this old town of Joliet.”

For information about First Presbyterian Church of Joliet, visit firstpresjoliet.org.