A Halloween event is listed in Kirby. The Kirby Senior Center's address is 3211 Alan Shepard Drive.
The senior center operates as an independent non-profit corporation and was originally built using a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant from Bexar County, according to The City of Kirby Texas.
A Small City
Kirby is an enclave city of roughly 8,221 residents, entirely surrounded by San Antonio and spanning just about two square miles, according to Census Reporter figures cited in local demographic data.
In October 2014, Kirby voters were being asked to approve the Kirby Crime Control and Prevention District, which would have authorized a quarter-cent local sales tax to pay for police equipment, officer training, and community outreach programs without raising property taxes, as reported by MySA.
Local Businesses Step Up as Sponsors
Among the festival's financial backers, Schertz Bank & Trust was established in 1913 in Guadalupe County and now operates six full-service locations across Central Texas, including a branch in Kirby. Co-sponsor JL Bass Construction is owned by Jeff Bass, a Navy veteran who has run the firm in Bexar County for nearly two decades, according to Bexar County records. H-E-B, another named sponsor, allocates 5% of its pre-tax annual earnings to charitable causes statewide through its Community Investment Program, which requires non-profits to submit grant requests at least eight weeks before an event.
Why Supervised Trick-or-Treating Matters
The timing and format of events like Kirby's festival reflect a wider public safety concern tied to Halloween night. A 42-year study of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that pedestrian fatality risks climb 43% on Halloween evening, with children between the ages of 4 and 8 facing ten times the risk compared to an ordinary night, according to the American Red Cross. That research helps explain the appeal of supervised, off-street alternatives such as Safe Streets Safe Treats, one of the event's listed sponsors.
Texas drivers are also reminded each year that state law prohibits reading, writing, or sending electronic messages on wireless devices while operating a vehicle, a rule the Texas Department of Public Safety re-emphasizes annually around Halloween. With costumed kids expected to be out and about near the senior center this weekend, that statewide warning carries extra weight locally.
A Town With Deep Roots
Kirby's civic identity stretches back well before this weekend's festivities. The city was founded as an agricultural community along the Southern Pacific Railroad before incorporating in 1955, and it has historically carried the nickname the Hobo Capital of Texas, according to Wikipedia. Decades later, that same small-town footprint now hosts a Halloween tradition built on senior volunteers, local sponsors, and dedicated safety funding — all converging for one free evening of games, treats, and a zombie walk on Alan Shepard Drive.
