Arrival and Setup

• Trunk Hosts may arrive as early as 2:00PM. All Trunks must be parked in their designated spot no later than 2:15PM 
  • Please note that your vehicle must remain parked with the engine turned off until the whole event is over (5:00PM, teardown begins at 5:15PM).
• A Setup Volunteer will direct you to your assigned spot upon arrival. 

• Settle into your parking spot and set up your Trunk for display!
• Decorations are not required, only encouraged. Trunk decor can be as minimal or over-the-top as you want (as long as you don’t encroach on someone else’s Trunk space). The internet is full of ideas! Trick-or-treaters will be casting votes on Best Trunk, which will be awarded after votes are counted.
  • Only Somerset families and staff are eligible for the Best Trunk award

Decoration Rules and Tips

• ***Remember your audience: this is a family-friendly event at an elementary school.  Students' ages are 5-11yrs old, with many <5yrs old siblings also attending.
  • No overly scary, gory, or inappropriate decor or videos should be shown.  No politically affiliated gear/decorations are permitted.
  • If you have questions or concerns about whether your idea is OK, please feel free to email us at [email protected] - we are happy to discuss and review.

• All that is required for display is a trunk! For those who would like to decorate, kid-friendly decorations/themes to consider include local or exotic locations, school spirit, Halloween, Día de los Muertos, favorite movies or books, popular cartoon characters…the sky’s the limit! Be as minimal, maximal, creative, or crazy as you want – we can’t wait to see what you come up with.

• No glitter, confetti, silly string, wet paint, or anything difficult to clean up after the event.  Trunk Hosts are responsible for cleaning up their space after the event.
• No candles or fire. If lights are needed, please make sure they’re battery powered, as electricity will not be available on site. 
• This is a community building event, please no promotion (brochures, flyers, etc.) or signups/registrations for businesses/candidacy.
• Trick-or-treaters should not enter any Trunk Host vehicles.

During the Event

• Trunk Hosts/Event Volunteers should not wear masks with their costumes. For safety and security purposes we want to make sure that all adults are identifiable. 
• Engines must be fully turned off (i.e. no cars should be running during the event)
• Bring some lawn chairs or blankets to sit on and hand out candy to the kids! Compliment costumes! Meet a new family! Have fun!
• One adult is required to be at each Trunk at all times, but we recommend at least one adult + one helper for the host's ease and sanity.
• Candy/treats: Treats must be store-bought, new, and individually-wrapped. Non-candy treats are also welcome (e.g. temporary tattoos, stickers, pencils, erasers, glow sticks)
  • The PTSA can provide a limited amount of treats to Trunk Hosts if needed - please email Steph & Jillianne ([email protected])
  • Guidance on amount of treats: We had ~700 trick-or-treaters in 2023.  Given this year's enrollment (~750 students) and families are now more familiar with the event, we anticipate more trick-or-treaters will attend
  • Please consider having nut-free candy options available

After the Event / Teardown

• The event will run from 3:00PM - 5:00PM. For safety reasons, please plan to stay parked and decorated until 5:15PM, after which you can begin breaking down your decorations and leave. 
• Please help keep our school beautiful - pick up trash around your station; leave your area how you found it.
• Please place any leftover candy in the designated container for donation.

Thank You for Volunteering - Volunteer Hours

• We greatly appreciate your time volunteering for our event!  We know it will be a long afternoon, but we hope that you and your family will have a great time!
• Did you know many companies do Volunteer Hour Matching and donate money to our PTSA for your time?  Check here to see if your company is on the list and if you are not sure, check your company's Benefits page!  Thank you for your support!