Clintonwood park was transformed Oct. 24 into a trick or treat playland dubbed the ‘Friendly Forest?. The event which was put on by Independence Township Parks and Recreation provided at least 850 children, from ages 2 to 9, a fun halloween experience which featured a wide variety costumed characters.
‘I’m very happy with everybody’s help and how the event went,? said Jeff Morris, the coordinator of the Friendly Forest.
Children, escorted by their parents, left in groups from the entrance to the forest, which was set up in and around the playground and pavillion areas of Clintonwood.
The cast of characters bestowing candy was diverse, from the Scooby Doo gang dancing in front of a mock up of the mystery machine to Batman and Spiderman flexing their muscles with tall painted buildings behind them, the children were sure to find at least one of their favorite fictional heroes.
‘This is a fun safe event for the children,? said Chas Claus, the Clarkston High School advisor of the Octagon club whose members volunteered to dress up for the event. ‘some of them have come to this event as kids, we actually have to do the volunteers for this on a first come first serve basis.?
In all 25 members of Octagon doled out goodiesiat 14 different stations.
‘A lot of the members like doing this because we get to dress up and being in High School we can’t really do that anymore,? said Octagon member Chelsea Hassett.
‘The kids are very polite, one little girl got halfway to the next booth and then came back to thank me,? said Amanda Browe, a former president of Octagon and current executive board member.
Not all the people handing out candy were portraying characters from cartoons or fairy tales, the Oakland County sheriff’s department and the Independence Township Fire Department and EMS also came to hand out candy to the youngsters.
?(The kids) always like to see the fire truck and climb on it,? said Lt. Chris Norberg of the fire department, ‘we like to get out and see the kids.?
The event was also aided by a donation from Sutton’s costumes and the Clarkston Kroger on Dixie highway, donated 1200 donut holes for the children to snack on after finishing their trek through the forest. Morris also felt the parks and recreation staff did a tremendous job creating the backdrops and staffing the event.
Originally the Friendly Forest was scheduled for Oct. 23 but was pushed to Oct. 24 by a forecast of thunder storms in the area.