Hastings Public Library is inviting families back downtown on Oct. 31 for its second annual Trunk or Treat, a free Halloween celebration running from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that will shut down Denver Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets for decorated vehicles, food trucks, and trick-or-treating.
The event, hosted at the library's 314 N. Denver Ave. location, builds on a debut year that drew more than 1,000 people, according to 1340 KGFW. The route this year spans Denver Avenue, the parking lot across the street, and the library's greenspace, with food trucks stationed along the Hastings Avenue and Fourth Street borders of the lot. Kids can expect a line of trunks decorated by local businesses, community members, and groups, with some trunks offering activities beyond candy. Free bags will be available for collecting treats while supplies last, and the library itself will stay open during the celebration.
A Bigger Footprint Than Last Year's Debut
The scale marks a shift from 2025, when the inaugural Trunk or Treat ran as an evening event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the library's 302 Greenspace, with Denver Avenue closed and the parking lot across the street transformed into a route, according to the City of Hastings. That first version featured a haunted Bookmobile alongside the decorated trunks and food trucks. This year's daytime scheduling and full street closure reflect how much the event has grown in just its second outing.
Library Director Kelly Reisig said the library is always looking for fun ways to bring the Hastings community together, per the station's report, and added that organizers hope this year's celebration will be bigger and better than the first. The Hastings Library Foundation made the event possible, working in conjunction with the Business Improvement District of the City of Hastings. Costumes are encouraged, and community members, local businesses, organizations, and food trucks are all encouraged to take part.
Why the Greenspace Exists
Part of the route runs through the 302 Greenspace, a vacant lot south of the main library that the Hastings Library Foundation purchased in 2022 specifically to create outdoor space for story strolls, community gatherings, and educational programs, according to the City of Hastings. Earlier this year, the Hastings Community Foundation awarded the library foundation a $25,000 grant, paid out over three years, to continue developing that greenspace project.
The investment ties into a wider push downtown. Downtown Hastings was designated the Heartbeat Creative District under a Nebraska state program in November 2024, bringing grant funding for permanent public art and painted pedestrian crosswalks near the library grounds, as reported by the city. That designation links the library's event to broader efforts at improving foot traffic and gathering spaces in the area, even as the event remains, at its core, a neighborhood Halloween party.
Why Cities Favor Off-Street Trick-or-Treating
Events like this one are also part of a national pattern rooted in child pedestrian safety. Research published in JAMA analyzing more than four decades of federal crash data found that child pedestrians face a 43% higher fatality risk on Halloween evening compared with other nights, with children aged 4 to 8 ten times more likely to be struck by a vehicle, according to the American Red Cross. The Red Cross notes that peak risk falls between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., when dusk overlaps with heavier traffic. Earlier CDC analysis of federal crash data found that child pedestrian fatalities between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Halloween average four deaths nationwide per year among kids aged 5 to 14, four times the rate of any other evening.
The trunk-or-treat format itself traces back to church groups in the late 1990s, who developed it as a centralized, car-trunk alternative to traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, according to WUWM 89.7 FM. The format has since spread well beyond churches into municipal and civic events like Hastings'. Nearby Columbus hosts a similar downtown event called Scare on the Square, reflecting how common these consolidated Halloween gatherings have become across Nebraska communities.
A Long-Running Civic Institution
Hastings Public Library has served Adams County since 1904, originally built as a Carnegie library. Hoopla offers up to 10 titles per month.
Those interested in setting up a trunk, bringing a food truck, or otherwise participating in the Oct. 31 event can reach out to Kelly or Sam at the library by calling 402-461-2346.
