The City of Cleveland and the Unity Committee of Cleveland will host Treat Street on Friday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Cleveland Community Center, 210 Peach Street. Treat Street is considered to be a safer alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating and has grown in popularity since it was first established more than 12 years ago.
For Treat Street, local businesses, churches, organizations and school groups set up booths where they hand out candy and prizes. The event is free for all children ages 0 to 12. Parents will accommodate their children as they make their way to each booth. Adults and teens 13 and older will not be permitted to trick-or-treat as this event is intended for children.
In recent years, attendance at Treat Street has numbered in the thousands, making it one of the biggest annual events in Cleveland. Organizers are planning for a large crowd this year, prompting the move from Stancil Park, where it was held two years ago, to its previous location at the civic center. The idea is that the crowd of people will be able to disperse and do a little social distancing as they walk from booth to booth.
On the day of the event, booths will be set up on both sections of the south side parking lot at the Cleveland Civic Center. The north side of the civic center parking lot will be reserved for vehicle parking only. A local election will be underway, so some parking spaces will be reserved just for voters and election workers. Parking will be available at Stancil Park and also off of Easy Street on the back side of Stancil Park. The committee is working to secure more parking nearby.
Treat Street this year will feature three contests – a booth decorating contest with trophies awarded to the top three participants; a costume contest that will be divided into three age groups – 0 to 3, 4 to 7, and 8 to 12; and a dance contest with children showing off their best moves to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Prizes for the costume contest are being donated by Unity Committee members, Ashleigh Broussard (Cleveland Civic Center manager), Cleveland City Councilwoman Marilyn Clay, and Bluebonnet News publisher Vanesa Brashier. Bluebonnet News is also sponsoring the $50 gift card that will be awarded to the best dancer.
Plans are for the event to go on rain or shine. Booths will be set up on a first come, first served basis. There is no fee to host a booth; however, booth hosts should have enough candy on hand for the entirety of the event. Vendors will be allowed to set up at 3 p.m. and must be in place and ready to go by 5:30 p.m. when booth judging will take place. Booths cannot be taken down until 8 p.m. when the event ends.
To reserve a space, click here to download the entry form and then email to abroussard@clevelandtexas.com or mmendoza@clevelandtexas.com. For questions, call the Civic Center at 281-592-2395.