LEWISTON — On every other day, the Trinity Jubilee Center makes sure its offerings of food are nutritious, but according to Director Erin Reed, “Halloween is a special occasion.”

And this year, Trinity and other downtown organizations are hoping to make the holiday a more lively and special event in the Tree Streets neighborhood. Trinity plans to hand out king-size candy bars, an ode to Peter Geiger’s annual candy bar giveaway on Halloween.

Reed said many buildings in the neighborhood do not participate in trick-or-treating, and some downtown families do not have a vehicle and cannot get to neighborhoods known for Halloween activity, including Mt. Hope Avenue, where Geiger operates his candy bonanza.

“You do a lot of walking and you don’t get much candy,” Reed said of trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. “We’re just trying to make the holiday a little more special for kids this year.”

When the idea started to formulate, Reed contacted Trinity’s next-door neighbors at Community Concepts and Promise Early Education, and the others quickly got on board, forming a trio of stops for kids to make.

Mary-Rita Reinhard, interim CEO at Community Concepts, said after they were approached, “we really wanted to ensure that the organizations that are near each other could provide a supportive, safe place for the kids to visit easily and to offer them the same experience that many children get to experience in the more rural areas of the state.”

She said while many families might have the ability to travel to different neighborhoods to trick or treat, some do not.

“By working together, we can provide that same opportunity, even if on a smaller scale within this neighborhood, to give an experience for families that may not be able to travel out of the city of Lewiston,” Reinhard said.

Betsy Norcross Plourde, executive director of Promise Early Education Center, said the organization “values being part of the Tree Streets neighborhood, and we are excited to be participating with other community organizations in offering a fun, safe Halloween trick or treat opportunity for children and families living downtown.”

DuBois Realty, which partnered with Trinity on the event, dropped off 120 king-size candy bars Thursday at the Bates Street resource center. If children cannot have candy due to an allergy or other reasons, Reed said they have playground balls to hand out.

Over the years, Geiger’s event has grown to become something of a Halloween staple for the region. Last year, Geiger had more than 6,000 candy bars at the ready. The year prior, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had 1,700 people take part in a drive-thru version of the event.

Reed said organizers this year seek to replicate that same feeling for children who might not be able to take part, and to bring more Halloween spirit to the neighborhood.

“He does this huge, amazing candy bar giveaway every year, and we thought like, ‘Hey, we can do this in our neighborhood, too,'” Reed said. “It seems like such a simple thing, but when you’re a kid, Halloween is a big deal, and we want to make it special for them.”

Reached last week, Geiger said he was excited to see Trinity’s event taking shape.

“Halloween is my favorite day of the year,” he said. “I am so pleased that Trinity Jubilee Center is making a treat available for those who might not have access to transportation. In terms of candy: The bigger, the better. Kudos to Trinity staff and to the families who will have a fun night.”

Trick-or-treating at the three locations is scheduled for 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31.

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